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Date Posted: 22:07:20 02/03/06 Fri
Author: tg
Subject: Prophet Mohhamed drawings
As protests spread in Muslim world over prophet drawings, Denmark bears brunt
By: IBRAHIM BARZAK
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Outrage over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad erupted in a swell of protests across the Muslim world Friday, with demonstrators demanding revenge against Denmark and death for those they accuse of defaming Islam's holiest figure.
In Iraq, the leading Shiite cleric denounced the drawings first published in a Danish newspaper in September, one of which depicted the prophet wearing a turban shaped as a bomb. But the cleric also suggested militant Muslims were partly to blame for distorting the image of Islam.
Some European newspapers reprinted the caricatures this week, prompting protests Friday in Britain, Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia and Palestinian areas. In Sudan, some even urged al-Qaida terrorists to target Denmark.
"Strike, strike, bin Laden," shouted some in a crowd of about 50,000 who filled a Khartoum square.
The U.S. and British governments criticized publication of the caricatures as offensive to Muslims, raising questions about whether the line between free speech and incitement had been crossed.
The Danish government tried to contain the damage. Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller called Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and said the Danish government "cannot accept an assault against Islam," according to Abbas' office.
On Monday, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said his government could not apologize on behalf of a newspaper, but that he personally "never would have depicted Muhammad, Jesus or any other religious character in a way that could offend other people."
Many Muslims consider the Danish government's reaction inadequate.
Clerics in Palestinian areas called in Friday prayers for a boycott of Danish and European goods and the severing of diplomatic ties. Tens of thousands of incensed Muslims marched through Palestinian cities, burning the Danish flag and calling for vengeance.
"Whoever defames our prophet should be executed," said Ismail Hassan, a tailor who marched in the pouring rain with hundreds of other Muslims in the West Bank city of Ramallah. "Bin Laden our beloved, Denmark must be blown up," the protesters chanted.
Foreign diplomats, aid workers and journalists began pulling out of Palestinian areas Thursday because of kidnapping threats against some Europeans.
In Iraq, about 4,500 people protested in the southern city of Basra, burning the Danish flag. Some 600 worshippers stomped on Danish flags before burning them outside Baghdad's Abu Hanifa Mosque, Sunni Islam's holiest shrine in Iraq. Demonstrators also burned Danish journalists in effigy and torched boxes of Danish cheese.
Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, condemned the publications as a "horrific action."
But in remarks posted on his website, al-Sistani referred to "misguided and oppressive" segments of the Muslim community whose actions "projected a distorted and dark image of the faith of justice, love and brotherhood."
Islamic law, based on clerics' interpretation of the Qur'an and the sayings of the prophet, forbids any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad, even positive ones, to prevent idolatry.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw criticized European media for reprinting the caricatures. While free speech should be respected, Straw said "there is not any obligation to insult or to be gratuitously inflammatory."
The U.S. State Department called the drawings "offensive to the beliefs of Muslims" and said the right to freedom of speech must be coupled with press responsibility.
"Inciting religious or ethnic hatred in this manner is not acceptable," State Department press officer Janelle Hironimus said.
In Damascus, Syria, entrances to the Al-Murabit mosque were strewn with Danish, Israeli and American flags so worshippers could trample them as they entered. Banners outside called for a boycott of Danish, European and U.S. products "until Denmark is brought to its knees, regretting this farce of freedom of expression."
Some 1,500 worshippers in Jordan marched in the northeastern city of Zarqa, demanding that Denmark prosecute the cartoonist who drew the caricatures.
Pakistan's parliament unanimously passed a resolution condemning the cartoons as a "vicious, outrageous and provocative campaign."
And in Jakarta, Indonesia, more than 150 Muslims stormed a high-rise building housing the Danish Embassy and tore down and burned the country's flag.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- tg, 22:13:14 02/03/06 Fri [1]
Are muslims around the world over-reacting to this or is it total direspect on the Muslim people?
Personally I don't think it's fair to make the highest prophet to be made to look like a terrorist. We should know better to assume that all Arabs who are mostly Muslims as being terrorists. It seems like are intolerant and that we are not helping our relationship with the Middle East with this sort of thing.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- stillreign, 22:44:29 02/03/06 Fri [1]
If we had to kill every one here who did something tactless with Jesus some group would have a lot of blood on thier hands.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- tg, 10:26:32 02/04/06 Sat [1]
Our entire life doesn't revolve around Jesus though. I don't know too many of us who stop and pray everyday?
My husband lived in Saudi Arabia for a year and he says they protest and burn the American flag all the time and it's the samething. I'm not sure how I feel about this, because is it freedom of speech? I also don't think being disrespectful to a country is the same as someones religion.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- stillreign, 12:42:08 02/04/06 Sat [1]
Actually my life doesn't revolve around Christ at all.
I don't consider my self Christian in any way so it would be very odd if I stopped to pray to Christ at all.
Not that I don't see your point, but I think there are Christians here who see their faith every bit as precious as some Muslim see Muslim and their highest figure.
I think it's generally questionable to poke fun any anyone's thoughts or belief’s. I was just stating it's done with Christ all the time. I don't think every Christian has the same amount of religious vigor here, but many are very dedicated to their belief system.
On a different side of this subject, I agree with what many are saying about the necessity do create these caricature they didn’t really serve any deeper meaning than to poke fun at the subject. I am all for people having artistic freedom and freedom of speech but what purpose did this serve?
Here’s a bolg that I found to be pretty well expressed on the whole thing.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- tg, 13:22:48 02/04/06 Sat [1]
Well some might say that the purpose was to make all Muslims or Arabs out to be terrorists, so I don't know what the purpose was, because we know that's not true.
Still I don't know what the purpose is when someone is anti-semetic and goes into a jewish cemetary and starts knocking over gravestones either. I really don't get the point, I think people just want to say we are racist and allowed to be or something, that's the freedom of speech. I also don't think people even know why they have hate or the reason behind their feelings.
On the otherhand the Middle East also does this kind of stuff to Americans and Jews so, when is it going to end.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- stillreign, 14:03:23 02/04/06 Sat [1]
>Well some might say that the purpose was to make all
>Muslims or Arabs out to be terrorists.
It doesn’t serve any other philosophical, artistic or intellectual merit. It’s done solely to be offensive.
Here’s the thought of someone who lives in Denmark. They are having a difficult time there reconciling with immigrants to their country and that is part of why this is even happening.
See quote below.
“Being Danish, I think I might put in a word here. There's a lot more to it than the cartoons published in Jyllands Posten last September. The tone of the debate about immigrants in this country has been incredibly nasty over the last few years to the point where we (as a country) have been called Islamophobic. In the name of free speech a right wing party have been steering this debate in a direction where it's 'alright' to call Muslims names that I won't even repeat here, where it's okay to spew hateful rhetoric in Parliament itself and where (as we've seen) newspapers can publish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed.
The publishing of these cartoons, in my opinion, is not a way to provoke debate about free speech. It's what it's been made into after the Islamic world caught on to the existance of these drawings. That we have the 'right' to publish things like that doesn't mean that we should.
At this point, it is no longer about free speech, the right to free speech, democracy or anything of the like. It's about culture. Our two culture simply cannot communicate. That's it. Us westeners talk democracy, while the Muslims talk religion. Not only two differnt languages, but two different ways of thinking.
I think this will have to run it's course. Hopefully things won't excalate to the point where we can't even try to communicate.”
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- tg, 14:16:55 02/04/06 Sat [1]
That's what I mean it not's right and why even do it, when we know it will offend.
It also doesn't help the relationship between us and the Middle East (especially right now). It's just careless and wrong. I mean N.Americans have had the same immigration issues too, but it does surprise me that places like Europe and Australia have had racial/cultural problems. I always thought they were more open to change and have a greater social structure. I thought it was more of a N.American issue, because we are so islolated and more closed of. Europeans always seem to be more about community and they socialize more, where we stay in our homes and watch t.v.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- 23, 02:01:22 02/05/06 Sun [1]
"but it does surprise me that places like Europe and Australia have had racial/cultural problems. "
What!!??
Nazis anyone?
That aside, these people are obviously overreacting.
I may sound callous and horrible, but I can't help but laugh at people who take themselves this seriously. And at the same time, if their faith is really as strong as they say, why would some infidel's opinion of their religion have such a profound effect on them?
This level of fervent belief has whole portions of the globe embroiled in, or on the edge of war.
I think people need to generally get over themselves. There is a certain nursery rhyme that served me pretty well as a kid.
Sticks and stones....
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- tg, 09:13:58 02/05/06 Sun [1]
The nazis, I didn't forget about them, I realize there is always that arian point of view, I just thought Europe was a more liberal democratic society. Most of the people who live in Denmark work for the government or tourism, so I was thinking they deal with people on a more social level. I guess they are not comfortable with others coming in and breaking down their food chain (so to speak). That is usaully the problem of immigration is people are afraid they will lose their jobs and it's not all about culture. They hurt you though by mocking your culture.
Anyway, they over-react beacause they are so extreme, they can't think past it. There is not a religion out there that doesn't think they are the righteous, but at the sametime we know this about Muslims and still we use it to hurt them. Remember Salman Rushdie.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- tg, 09:37:25 02/05/06 Sun [1]
p.s I'm also a little sick of the world always walking on egg shells with the Middle East. I think they need to open up to western world, oddly enough they don't mind the material things about us, like Ferrari's and Gucci. (that's only the very rich)
There was a problem in Toronto about 20 yrs ago with allowing Sikh police officers to where a turbin instead of a hat. Some people made a huge stick about it, saying they need to conform to our culture, blah blah blah. Well they won and are allowed to wear their turbins, it's more about being tolerant of them, we are a country based on immigration. What is the norm for us?? So anyway it's now tolerated and no-one cares. We still respect them as Police Officers and they still are looked at with that authority. All police forces across Canada adopted the same.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- tg, 11:55:46 02/05/06 Sun [1]
So I was thinking more about this and I was thinking about some of the problems that went on and why the riots. I don't know how to articulate my thoughts but I just wanted to make a couple points.
First in France the government banned muslim head dress and that caused alot of seperation of the cultures which led to the riots.Not a very smart solution. Now in Denmark they published these carricatures depicting Mohammed as a terrorist which led to the riots. again not a smart solution and just fuel to the fire.
I was also thinking about how there is never a person or Arab leader who ever has a solution and that the only way Muslims react to these situations is with a riot or a beheading or a stoning or whatever. There is never an intelligent reaction. It's always part of their beliefs.
I was watching the news and some of the rioters were saying "down with Denmark and down with the U.S." and I was thinking what does the U.S have to do with this. It seems like the Arab world puts the brunt of the downfall of western civilization on the U.S. so why do they? Then I thought alot of the philosophy of western civilization is based on seperating church from state, so is this something they can't handle and get a grip on? The church does seem to always have an upperhand in their government so what's the problem? Is this why they are so extreme?
*** I could also be completely out of my head on this one, but it was my conclusion.
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Re: Prophet Mohhamed drawings -- noslave, 11:08:37 02/06/06 Mon [1]
The reaction to this has been completely over the top, but entirely predictable.
The newspaper had the legal right to print the pictures, but it was morally wrong to do so - freedom of speech does not mean you can say what you like and be exempt from the consequences.
People are dying over this.
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