OT: Muhammed-caricatyres and freedom of speach

Intimidator · #1 February 5th, 2006, 06:02 AM

To make matters worse, today the Arabic European League (an Belgium Muslem organisatian) has posted two anti-semetic drawings on their website (one with Hitler and Anna Frank in one bed and one picture which denies the holocaust)
Their comment was : ' if you (the west) has an freedom of press, so do we..........'

So I guess that the latest word isn't discussed about this isue, probably there will be an lot of protest today in Holland and Belgium from Jewish-organisations.

As for my personal opinion, I think that it indeed the freedom of press to publish what you like, but keep in account the impact it will/can give. And consider if it is worth the trouble.
As long as those caricature's are sending out an message it is okay with me, when they are only used for insulting and offending than PLEASE don't use them.

Ruatha · #2 February 5th, 2006, 12:25 PM

Now the Danish Consulate in Lebanon is on fire.

I belive that the main reason to publicise the drawings was inded to insult and demonize the muslims, but that still does not justify the response.
The test of self imposed censorship is I belive a secondary construction.

I do not belive jews will burn any belgian embassy due to those drawings you refer to.

El_Phil · #3 February 5th, 2006, 01:52 PM

The cartoons themselves aren't actually very good or particularly clever or subtle. Printing them wasn't big or clever as it was going to cause trouble while not really making any worthwhile point.

However once someone decided to publish it I have to give much credit to the Danish government for backing them up.

Good work Denmark, keep it up.

Intimidator · #4 February 5th, 2006, 03:44 PM

Quote:

El_Phil said:
The cartoons themselves aren't actually very good or particularly clever or subtle. Printing them wasn't big or clever as it was going to cause trouble while not really making any worthwhile point.

However once someone decided to publish it I have to give much credit to the Danish government for backing them up.

Good work Denmark, keep it up.

I agree , the pictures weren't worth the trouble, but again The paper can (thank you democracy and freedom of press) publish them if the want to.........

Indeed it's great work from the Danish Government but also a great job from dozens of European news papers to back their fellow paper and also publish the drawings.

But again , it's a lot of trouble about absolutly NOTHING

Jack Simth · #5 February 5th, 2006, 05:17 PM

From my perspective:
The originals weren't worth the ink to print them nor the trouble caused, and the person who decided they were probably ought to be put in charge of something less important, if not out and out fired.
The reprints made specifically to reinforce freedom of the press, were more than worth the ink to print them, more than worth the trouble caused, and those who decided they should be reprinted on that basis probably ought to be praised.
Why?
Well, I consider it important the the press be capable of printing pretty much anything they deem worthy, and although hateful and hurtful things probably ought not be said, I consider it more important that the press not be limited on what they may say in an opinion manner than that they not say hateful or hurtful things.
Does that make sense?

Randallw · #6 February 5th, 2006, 09:37 PM

Ruatha, are you sure about Fatah setting the whole thing up?. If so I can't say they have much of an argument if they are willing to use it to their own advantage.

I believe the whole thing is related to the lack of education in Muslim countries. Because Muslim countries, in part because of Islamic restriction, aren't what you might call centres of intellectualism, the common person is all too willing to lash out violently rather than consider things. Also because of the large gulf between the west and Muslim countries they feel resentment. If they are Muslims (which is arabic for believers in Allah) how is it the West is so much more powerful. As a result they have, if I may put it in such words, a persecution complex. As a result they resort to their religious arguments to call for the destruction of the west, the power and wealth of which they covet. Islam was once a center of science and mathematics, after all they invented the zero and we use arabic numerals, so where did it all go wrong. It's a result of the Mongols. When they swept into the middle east and eastern europe they practically wiped out those cultures resident there. As a result all the learning centers and intellectuals of the Islamic world were destroyed. This pretty much shattered Islamic culture and they haven't recovered since. This also in part explains why Eastern Europe is such a backwater relative to the west, although of course communism is also a major reason. Western Europe, which was saved, continued to develop, explaining in part its dominance.

Randallw · #7 February 6th, 2006, 01:03 AM

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=85446

interesting article. I do believe there is truth in that Muslims are all for being about voicing their hatreds but get angry(er) when someone does it to them. One last thing I'd like to point out. That whole thing about getting virgins in heaven if you are a martyr, true or not, the belief in it would appear to ring false any idea that some Muslims are for womens rights. Plus my opinion of, if it was possible, terrorists is lower if they are a bunch of sexed obsessed idiots who just want to go to heaven and deflower virginal women.