5. februar 2006

Define 'actively followed' Ahmed Fathy of IslamOnline is entirely clueless about Denmark, but writes about it anyway: Islam is Denmark's second largest religion after the Lutheran Protestant Church, which is actively followed by four-fifths of the country's population of 5.3 million. In fact, "only three percent of Danes attend church at least once a week." Denmark, Norway and Sweden are among the world's most secularised countries. 8:35:38 PM    comment []  trackback []

Nazis stirring up trouble European fascists are unsurprisingly milking the cartoon controversy for what it's worth, as much as Islamo-fascists on the other side do. In the town of Skien, Norway, a 35-year-old Muslim man of 'foreign descent' suddenly found himself attacked by two young Norwegian men, demanding to know why 'they' burned the Norwegian flag. The thugs didn't wait for an answer, but knifed the man in the throat. Luckily, the man survived, and police has picked up the attacker (the VG newspaper report changes to singular here, for some reason) who is, as they say, 'known by the police' and was drunk at the time. Neo-nazis are also reported, also in VG, to have sent an email to the Islamic Council of Norway demanding an apology for threats against Norway. They claim they are making lists of Muslim homes and work addresses with the objective of 'exterminating' them when 'the war' begins. Nazis and fascists are a despicable bunch no matter the creed and colour. Luckily, the local neo-nazis are a pathetic bunch of losers who couldn't organise themselves to sit the right way on a toilet seat, but the current unrest is no doubt an effective recruitment tool. They make precisely the unacceptable demand for group responsibility that Muslim thugs in the Middle East (and, some outspoken ones in Europe) are preaching. Just as Norway or Denmark (neither the government nor people) have nothing to apologise for on behalf of individuals who have exercised their free speech, obviously individual Muslims have no responsibility for what imams or mobs of thugs do or say in the Middle East or elsewhere. It may be a hard exercise to distinguish groups and individuals, but if we believe in personal as opposed to group responsibility, nothing less will do. 4:04:43 PM    comment []  trackback []

Mocking religion is not only acceptable, it is necessary Christopher Hitchens chides the US State Department for calling the Mohammad cartoons offensive, and argues that religion ought to be made fun of. Therefore there is a strong case for saying that the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, and those who have reprinted its efforts out of solidarity, are affirming the right to criticize not merely Islam but religion in general. And the Bush administration has no business at all expressing an opinion on that. If it is to say anything, it is constitutionally obliged to uphold the right and no more. You can be sure that the relevant European newspapers have also printed their share of cartoons making fun of nuns and popes and messianic Israeli settlers, and taunting child-raping priests. There was a time when this would not have been possible. But those taboos have been broken. Which is what taboos are for. Islam makes very large claims for itself. In its art, there is a prejudice against representing the human form at all. The prohibition on picturing the prophet—who was only another male mammal—is apparently absolute. So is the prohibition on pork or alcohol or, in some Muslim societies, music or dancing. Very well then, let a good Muslim abstain rigorously from all these. But if he claims the right to make me abstain as well, he offers the clearest possible warning and proof of an aggressive intent. This current uneasy coexistence is only an interlude, he seems to say. For the moment, all I can do is claim to possess absolute truth and demand absolute immunity from criticism. But in the future, you will do what I say and you will do it on pain of death. That is precisely the impression we get, isn't it. On one level, the mob of deeply offended Muslims is a threatening one, on another it is display of almost unbelievable immaturity. The babyish rumor-fueled tantrums that erupt all the time, especially in the Islamic world, show yet again that faith belongs to the spoiled and selfish childhood of our species. I'd agree with that. PS: The Danish consulate in Beirut, Lebanon has now also been torched. 3:12:29 PM    comment []  trackback []

Another hot day in Damascus Mark at Fried Green al-Qaedas (one of the best blog names ever!) has written a wickedly funny piece on the burning of Scandinavian embassies. 3:47:18 AM    comment []  trackback []

Civilisation vs the barbarians Tim Blair: As more European newspapers reprinted the cartoons, what started off as a row between Denmark’s press and its Muslim population has grown into a full-blown “clash of civilisations”. No; that would require two civilisations.  3:29:59 AM    comment []  trackback []

© Copyright 2006 Jan Haugland. Last update: 01.03.2006; 16:49:18.