A Norwegian Christian magazine has published a set of controversial caricatures of the prophet Mohammed after months of uproar in the Muslim world over a Danish paper’s decision to print the same cartoons.
Repeating a move by conservative Danish paper Jyllands-Posten last September, Magazinet published the controversial drawings in the name of “freedom of expression”.
The editor said he was not afraid of the prospect of facing the same indignation and even death threats that faced the Danish paper after it published the cartoons.
[Source: Al Jazeera]
Since when has racism and disrespect for other people’s beliefs and religions been incorporated into the definition of freedom of expression?!!
[Via: Sabbah]
well it’s a trade-off. But I think until we come to terms with this issue (i.e. where does free expression stop), we should just take it as ‘their problem, not ours’. Anyone who wants to be racist only downgrades him or herself primarily. It doesn’t much affect anyone else’s life.
Danemark, Pays Bas, Su
Even idiots have the right to freedom of expression. What can ya’ do? As long as they don’t harm others physically and stuff, they have every right to say stupid, racist things. I know… It still sucks.
Well personally, I think any person’s freedom stops where another person’s freedom starts.
Racist behaviour is simply unacceptable.
If everyone is allowed to express themselves freely, even idiots and racists, then how come there’s always a big fuss about nazis, anti-semites and what not?!
Or is it only ok if it’s racism against Islam and Arabs?
Not too long ago, there was a small Neo-Nazi march in Ohio. Although there were a lot of counter-protests, they had the right to parade around looking stupid. Personally, I find it all revolting, but it’s like I said, “Even idiots have the right to freedom of expression.”
Racism is never okay in my book.
Freedom of expression may be hurtful to certain mindsets. I agree that the overreaction by the Muslim community towards the drawings that hurt their belief system, is no different than the overreaction by the US Government or Israel to remarks that are taken as anti-semetic. Fundamentalist Christian, Jewish and Muslim viewpoints all have common ground in that they are inflexible, resistant to alternate viewpoints and are based in a belief system mired in intolerance, in addition to the fact that they are all based on teachings that stem from one man Abraham.
You are talking about the opinion of one man – so what if thats what he thinks about your prophet? Has anyone ever considered the cartoonists motives to perhaps be that obvioudly exteremist Muslims are brainwashing young impressionable Muslims into bombing parts of the west and possibly in the same way prophet mohammed influenced Muslims and taught them about life that these terrorists (which prophet mohammed was depicted as essentially) are mimicking his ways of preaching and thats where it stemmed from? I don’t know – personally haven’t seen the cartoons Im just trying to raise a point
Nm, I don’t think the belief system all the different people is grounded in intolerance and inflexibility, it’s quite the opposite. If we go to the roots of these three religions, they all preach peace and tolerance. It’s the extremists from all sides who screw things up and make the religion into something it wasn’t supposed to be.
Sara, I get the idea you’re trying to pass, but really I don’t think the only way to pass an idea like that is to show disrespect for a sixth of the world’s prophet and religion.
If his idea was the one you’re suggesting, there are many ways it could be done better than this.
Sara, of course thats what he thinks and made cartoon about that but he failed wholefully because there is no fact to back up a cartoon like that. If he had made cartoons of Imams in mosques preaching hatred and other stuff to their followers yes people could say thats right afterall there is even police evidence for that but taken Mohammed whom he does not know and what he preached is utterly wrong and mind you Jesus Christ preached peace but Catholic had a crusade so using Catholic bad behaviour to punish Jesus is not right. Tackle extremist muslims but not Mohammed and middle east like we tackle racist white people but not Jesus and entire west.