These are excerpts from speeches given at the United Nations this past week, all referring to the trashy anti-Muslim video that some American idiot created and then uploaded to YouTube:
President Morsi of Egypt - “We expect from others, as they expect from us, that they respect our cultural specifics and religious references and not to seek to impose concepts or cultures that are unacceptable to us. Insults against the prophet of Islam, Muhammad, are not acceptable.”
President Hadi of Yemen demanded restrictions on freedom of speech that insults religion. “These behaviors find people who defend them under the justification of freedom of expression.”
President Zardari of Pakistan - “The international community must not become silent observers and should criminalize such acts that destroy the peace of the world and endanger world security by misusing freedom of expression.”
what eye thynk: So, it’s okay to kill people in the name of Muhammad, but no one should be permitted to say bad things about him?
I am not in any way defending the video. It is singularly crude and insulting, but the actual video itself harmed no one. The resulting harm--and that harm was grievous--was caused by the Muslim world’s response to the video.
What if Islamists in the Middle East had simply ignored the video? Whatever kick the witless wonders who put the video together were looking for would have been nullified, few would know the video was ever made, even fewer would remember it, and lives--both Muslim and Christian--would have been saved. And shouldn’t a human life be more sacred than a perceived insult?
I'm actually pretty insulted that these men chose to speak to the world and suggest that we weaken our right to freedom of speech because it bruises there much too tender sensibilities...but I'm not going to throw a rock, burn a car, destroy a building or take a life. I'm just going to ignore them. Imagine a world where the followers of Muhammad did the same.
You can take what I know about Islam and put it in your eye and you will feel no pain. However, the one thing I think I know about Islam is that it preaches Peace and Harmony.
ReplyDeleteAs for those who actively involved themselves in the senseless violence are, apparently, easily manipulated mindless 'head nodders' who do as instructed. Somebody is pulling their strings.
And that is why I made notice of Middle East Muslims. There are Muslims living in many other countries including the U.S. who, while they may have felt denigrated by the video, did not go on a destructive rampage in a misguided attempt at pay back.
ReplyDeleteMuslims in the Middle East are led by men like these three who spoke at the U.N.--men who seem to think it is OUR fault, not their narrow minded leadership and dedication to jihad. They seem to think that fire and destruction are the only tools in their drawer.
If peace and understanding are supposed to be a cornerstone of Islam, then the Muslim leaders in the Middle East have entirely missed the point.
I would argue that a faction, not all muslims by any means, behaved so violently. I believe that it would be unfair to 'bundle' all middle eastern Muslims into a ball of anger and violent reaction.
ReplyDeleteYet it is hard to discern between those who behave so very violently and the peaceful followers of Islam.
What we are seeing is a clear example as to why Church and State should remain separate. When folks like these violence loving hate filled warriors get 'god' behind them...