Insulting Islam

Right, so I took up NoLabels' challenge and went to http://islam101.com.

I delved through the site. It's actually a religious site, explaining the actual implementation of Islam. If I was expecting a more serious discussion about anything, I was quite disappointed. I know there are sites which enable to ask more serious questions and not just tell you what a Muslim should be doing, but I have not yet caught the "question time" at such sites. This site does not really enable you to ask questions. That's ok, I just don't understand then why this is the site where I'm supposed to get answers for them.

So, I'm still left with questions, which - until anybody answers them, I'll have to keep on wondering:
1. What is so insulting about a cartoon of Mohammed walking in the desert. Isn't that what he did? How about a picture of a Dane afraid to draw a picture of Mohammed? Why is that insulting?

In every article I've read the one repeating sentence is "one of the cartoons shows a picture of Mohammed with a bomb on his turban". That could be insulting, except that sadly it's a very real commentary on today's world affairs. Calling repeated attacks in the name of Islam in Iraq, Afghanistan and Saudia "civil war conflicts" does not deal with the problem.

2. And let's say the cartoons really do insult Islam (see question #1), why can't the Muslims in Denmark do what anybody else who feels insulted does? Why do they turn instead to dictatorships who have nothing to do with human rights in order to spearhead their international campaign against their own country? Would they prefer to live in Egypt, which "cares about the freedom of expression but knows that there are limits"?

I'll repeat (again and again) if necessary. The upshot of this whole cartoon story is not whether it's ok to insult Islam or not. Of course you shouldn't insult somebody else's religion. However, you shouldn't shy away from being critical. That is the problem with today's PC society. "Politically Correct" has long moved from "not insulting somebody" to "not being able to voice true crticism for fear of offending the high priests of political correctness".

The real issue here is the Danism Muslims' complete misunderstanding of their own liberal society. Yes, sometimes you have to take the bad with the good and I have yet to see one Danish Muslim explaining why he was insulted except for "they put a cartoon of Mohammed in the paper". I would have far more understood it if the Dutch Muslims would have spearheaded a anti-Theo van Gogh campaign. Turning to newspapers and other media after every appearance of his and complaining about it. Going out and refuting any lies he might be spreading. Suing him for libel. But then, I guess if you start off an international dilomatic crisis over a cartoon showing Mohammed walking in the desert, you can also kill off a guy if he does something just slightly worse. Yes, he was "asking for it", but from all the groups from which he was "asking for it", just one decided to go and do so. The people insulting Islam are those who use violence to get what they want.

To explain further: When I say that I was ashamed when an Israeli abroad committed a horrible murder, that is what I mean. He insulted me by his act.

When Snouck brings examples of Israelis in Holland who make trouble, I feel insulted by them. How dare they portray my nation to other like that??

NoLabels' reply was that everybody should feel ashamed whenever any person commits a horrible act.

It's very simple really. I know humans are capable of immense cruelty and barabaric deeds. It insults me when somebody from my own nation does something like that. It should insult a Muslim when a father kills his daughter since she refused to marry the guy he wants her to marry. Instead, they feel insulted by the daughter. It should insult Muslims when one of their own goes out and kills a guy for what he said. Instead, they explain why the guy was insulting.

I expect somebody who professes to stand for Peace and Love to be a beacon of shining light on these virtues. Not to be the example of the complete opposite.

After all, nobody thinks that the USSR republics were democratic just because they calleed themselves a "People's Democratic Republic" and everybody knows the US is democratic even without them having to repeat it.