Well, this is no longer news by now, but it seems that the clash of cvilisations has stepped up a notch, and multi-culturalism has suffered another setback, all, rather ludicrously, over a cartoon.
It's hard to know what to say about this kind of thing, because there seems to be nothing to say that is not either negative or cowardly. I received an e-mail today from someone who sent me this image, with the simple message, "If you value freedom of speech forward this on to everybody you know…."
I have never felt nervous about criticising science or Christianity here on my blog, and yet I feel nervous, I freely admit, criticising Islam. Why is that?
Muslim protesters demand that their religion be 'respected'. Respect must be earned. Storming embassies and making death threats do not make me respect a religion.
I believe that freedom of thought and speech is more important than ANY religion. I do not agree with Richard Dawkins that religion is the root of all evil, or, if it is, then I think Dawkins must include his own religion of science. Nonetheless, I think it is a GOOD THING for religions to be mocked. Without irreverence there would only be an eternal, humourless and joyless tyranny.
So mock on, I say. Mock on.
“I have never felt nervous about criticising science or Christianity here on my blog, and yet I feel nervous, I freely admit, criticising Islam. Why is that?”Because the local vicar won’t encourage his congregation to kill you, but the local Muslim cleric might?
Well, it might just be that. But there are other aspects to it, too. I think there’s something weird going on in the media treatment of Islam, whereby if the right person makes a criticism, that’s fine, but if the wrong person makes a criticism, then they deserve any reprisals visited upon them.I saw the woman interviewed whose story was the basis for the film that got Theo VanGogh killed. She was from a muslim background and wanted to tell her story – that she thought Islam is a religion that encourages violence to women. However, the interviewer was basically accusing her of being a trouble maker and hinting in the broadest possible terms that if she now required police protection, it was her own fault. I heard a lot of similar opinions voiced years ago at the time of the fatwah on Salman Rushdie. I don’t get it. Personally, I don’t think it’s racist or wrong to criticise anybody’s religion, and I’m very worried by the way the government and others seem keen to edge towards a curbing of free speech with regards to religion (amongst other things).I had to ask myself why I didn’t feel comfortable linking directly to the image of the cartoon. And I think it’s because I’m basically certain that if the wrong person saw it I would be accused of being deliberately inflammatory. Well, others are being far more inflammatory in a literal sense than I.Anyway, here’s an example. I feel no qualms whatsoever about posting this:Am I being deliberately inflammatory? No, I am merely posting an image of the Piss Christ, by Andres Serrano.The dangers of PC mind control.Say what you see:These days it’s getting harder and harder just to say what you see – a bunch of dangerous fanatics.
Although I’m not sure I like the possible implication that this is a protest against freedom of speech, nonetheless I sincerely hope that the motive of reconciliation mentioned is one that bears fruit.