Saturday, February 04, 2006

On the Muslim Outrage Over Mohammed Cartoons

I've read a few articles recently about the uproar in the Middle East over the cartoons published in a Danish newspaper that caricatured Mohammed (one example portrayed Mohammed with a bomb in place of a turban on his head). Michelle Malkin has covered this extensively.

The images I've seen of protests--signs demanding the beheading of those who mock Islam, Muslims burning the Danish flag--are frightening. Just this morning, the headlines said that protestors had set fire to the Danish embassy in Syria. And I have to admit, I feel a little baffled by the whole situation. The world mocks Christianity without end. We are sometimes offended. Some Christians protest or call for boycotts. But Christians don't demand the execution of those who mock our God or our faith. Yet Islam gets mocked, and everyone is bending over backwards to make sure we don't incite violence among offended Muslims.

Please don't misunderstand--I'm not advocating that Muslims be mocked. I'm mostly just confused. The AP article I linked to above included a statement from the Vatican: "The right to freedom of thought and expression ... cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers." But that's exactly what it does seem to include, according to the world today. People everywhere seem to think that their right to freedom of expression includes a right to offend Christians and their beliefs. But offend Muslims...and suddenly this is just completely abominable and unacceptable. I don't get it.

Well, John Piper says it better:

"Am I missing it, or is there an unusual silence in the blogosphere about the Muslim outrage over the cartoons of Mohammed. To me this cries out for the observation that when artists put the crucifix in a flask of urine, Christians were grieved and angered, but not one threatened to kill anyone. Our longing is to convert the blasphemers with the Good News of Christ's death and resurrection, not kill them. Our faith is based on One who was reviled not just in cartoons but in reality and received it patiently for the salvation of the cartoonists. These riots are filled with intimations about the glorious difference between Christ and Mohammed, and between the way of Christ and the way of Islam. And the cowing of the press around the world and the US government is ominous for the fear we are under of Islam--not just extremist Islam. I do not respect the teachings of Islam which when followed devoutly lead to destruction."

UPDATE: Tim Challies' post on this is excellent. Check it out here.

(HT: Justin Taylor)

12 comments:

person said...

As Muslims we are required to respect all religions, be it people who are Christians, Jewish, Hindu e.tc.

So i’m really surprised at the pictures published in the newspaper, and also of their false nature. Maybe people should read about Prophet Muhummmad peace be upon him, and realise that he was a mercy to all mankind.

Attacking the prophet peace be upon him by drawing such pictures is attacking Muslims directly.

We dont draw pictures of other prophets like Abraham, Moses, Jesus, infact we respect them, and would never think to do such drawings.

Amy said...

You say:
"As Muslims we are required to respect all religions, be it people who are Christians, Jewish, Hindu e.tc."

But my understanding is that the Quran teaches that infidels (those who don't believe in Islam--i.e., Christians, Jews, Hindus, etc.) should be killed. Hence all the suicide bombings and calls for jihad from the Muslim world.

Amanda said...

Amy,

I agree with a lot of what you have to say. However, I also think it would be extremely difficult if a major part of the world associated Christians only with a few heinous act that some people claiming to be Christians had committed. To be Muslim, Arab, in modern times is to have yourself associated by many people with bin Ladin, Sept. 11, etc. People disrespect Christianity but they don't (at least most don't) think we all support abortion clinic bombings & crap like that. (Just ridiculous Disney boycotts. :))

Amy said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Amy said...

Amanda--

That's true. If I were a Muslim who believed that Islam was a religion of peace, I would be extremely grieved by, and frustrated with, other Muslims who viewed my religion as grounds for war against non-Muslims. Just as I, a Christian, am grieved by those who call themselves Christians and twist the Bible to support heinous things (Fred Phelps, for example).

I have no doubt that there are many peace-loving Muslims who would condemn suicide bombings, terrorist attacks worldwide and any such use of violence to advance Islam. But I'm not convinced that the same can be said of the actual teachings of the Quran.

bkm said...

Just a note, Any, the poster "Muslim" is copying and pasting that statement on every blog out there, including mine.

I just reminded him what members of his peaceful faith did to the birthplace of Christ several years ago.

melusina said...

Actually, I've heard that Muslim newspapers are constantly mocking the Jewish faith and people in cartoons and cariactures.

Having seen the cartoons, I only noticed a couple that might be honestly construed as offensive - and to me, they aren't directly speaking about the prophet, but the followers of the prophet, and the extremes some of them are going to in the name of Islam. It made me think more along the lines of "what *would* Muhammad think about all that is going on among Muslim extremists?" than any direct insult on Islam.

Also, it seems there was a context as to why the cartoons were commissioned by the newspaper.

There have been plenty of cases where Christians have gone a bit overboard when offended (The Last Temptation of Christ rings a bell), but I think this situation is taking top priority and getting so much press and taking so much heat is because of the whole Muslim attitude today. And Muslims are simply using this as another way to complain that they are the victims.

Personally, I think those of us who support free speech and don't want any single religion dictating and demanding, under threat of death - what the rest of the world can do, should be standing up just as mad against the Muslim protests. Apparently some hard line Muslim leaders made the statement that if the fatwa against Rushdie had been carried out, this cartoon thing would never have happened. I am quite offended by THAT. I don't want Muslims dictating anything to me under the threat of death. It is past time the world lets them know that.

Kayla said...

Reading all of this is stiring up a lot of emotions in me. I am surprised that no one has commented yet that this is a rediculous thought. I am not trying to be offensive here but I will speak the truth as I know it. Muslims take actions into their own hands. Their "god(s)" has given them a creed to live by and whenever anyone is in violation of that, they take action. They make fun of, torture, capture, and murder people to fulfill their religion. It's so obvious why you don't hear Christians threatening to kill people when we are made fun of. We don't have the authority to punish. God will pour out his wrath on those who blasphemy and fail to acknowledge his son Jesus as their saviour. We serve a powerful, living, and active God who is control of all things. We already know the end so there is no need to kill everyone off who doesn't believe in what we know as truth. A true Christian (not just someone who calls themself one) would never draw pictures and make fun of other religions. We are filled with fear for them because we know they will spend eternity in Hell if they continue to serve anyone or anything other than the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I don't think many people are blogging about this themselves is because they are grieving for our world, and they trust God to have the final say.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Amanda said...

Is it weird that now I'm all curious about the comments you deleted?

:) Hope you are well, Amy.

Amy said...

I'd be curious too. Meant to post an explanation and forgot :)

The post between yours (Amanda) and mine was basically a similar version of the one below it--I just revised it a bit, and then deleted the original.

The two most recent anonymous posts were spam. My blog has been getting a ton of hits over the last few days from search engines using various combinations of "mohammed cartoon" etc. I think people/robots are searching for every site that mentions the subject and then leaving inappropriate comments.

Both were malicious and used vulgar language; neither contributed to the topic at hand. I didn't want that kind of garbage on my blog. So I deleted :)