Muslim Idolatry

[Dror]

First, I want to make it clear that this is not an anti-Islam post. Islam is not, I believe, inherently bad, and there are many good, decent Muslims around the world. However, this may be somewhat controversial.

Those who are acting violently, or threatening violence because of the publication of the Mohammed cartoons state that the reasons they are so offended are that the cartoonists mock someone sacred, and that they made images of the prophet, which is not allowed in Islam in order to avoid possible idolatry. I submit that those who are acting violently, or threatening violence, are themselves idolatrous.

They are idolizing the prophet Mohammed to the point that they are willing to kill people for making fun of him. They say Westerners have no sense of the sacred. I submit that neither do they. Human life is sacred--more sacred, in fact, than protecting the memory of a long-dead prophet. By threatening or committing violence, they exhibit both idolatrous behavior and lack of regard for that which is sacred.

I'm not saying we ought to make fun of Mohammed (though we should retain the right to, under the rubric of free speech) or purposely offend Muslims in any other way, just that the Islamic extremists are idolaters. They don't pray to him, but they worship Mohammed. They worship their perverted version of their religion. They worship their pride.

Again, I mean no offense to normal Muslims. I respect them and their beliefs. It's the violent extremists I have problems with. It is true that America doesn't always do what it's supposed to (I have my complaints). I'm just sick and tired of extremists using their religion as an excuse to kill innocent people; and it is just that, an excuse--I'm not convinced their actions are necessarily, or even likely, motivated by religious belief. And harming or threatening people for disagreeing with you or even making fun of you is also evil.

Sorry to be so negative. I needed to vent.

Dror

[Frenchy]

First, I want to make it clear that this is not an anti-Islam post. Islam is not, I believe, inherently bad, and there are many good, decent Muslims around the world. However, this may be somewhat controversial.

Those who are acting violently, or threatening violence because of the publication of the Mohammed cartoons state that the reasons they are so offended are that the cartoonists mock someone sacred, and that they made images of the prophet, which is not allowed in Islam in order to avoid possible idolatry. I submit that those who are acting violently, or threatening violence, are themselves idolatrous.

They are idolizing the prophet Mohammed to the point that they are willing to kill people for making fun of him. They say Westerners have no sense of the sacred. I submit that neither do they. Human life is sacred--more sacred, in fact, than protecting the memory of a long-dead prophet. By threatening or committing violence, they exhibit both idolatrous behavior and lack of regard for that which is sacred.

I'm not saying we ought to make fun of Mohammed (though we should retain the right to, under the rubric of free speech) or purposely offend Muslims in any other way, just that the Islamic extremists are idolaters. They don't pray to him, but they worship Mohammed. They worship their perverted version of their religion. They worship their pride.

Again, I mean no offense to normal Muslims. I respect them and their beliefs. It's the violent extremists I have problems with. It is true that America doesn't always do what it's supposed to (I have my complaints). I'm just sick and tired of extremists using their religion as an excuse to kill innocent people; and it is just that, an excuse--I'm not convinced their actions are necessarily, or even likely, motivated by religious belief. And harming or threatening people for disagreeing with you or even making fun of you is also evil.

Sorry to be so negative. I needed to vent.

Dror

I fully agree with you Dror.

I think Islam can be a beautiful relgion and way of life.

But extremists give a bad name to Islam. I think people killing in the name of Allah do more wrong to Islam than cartoonists mocking Muhammad do.

[Aristotle]

Under the guise of any religion, man simply hasn't the right to exercise unrighteous dominion over a woman or child.

[Traveler]

How about someone being put to death for adultry - or not paying their tything (offerings)? Such things are in our Christian scriptures and is the reason that we have separition of church and state.

The problem is not with belief it is with making others that do not believe conform to what you believe. That is the point where belief and force of law that interesting turns because all laws are a moral inforcement. How about punishing a child for misbehaving at church? When does belief become idoltry?

The Traveler

[Aristotle]

Of course, we no longer abide by the ancient law, "an eye for an eye". We don't sacrifice animals, or practice polygamy, or stone adulterous [women]. We don't separate our meat dishes from our milk dishes anymore, although some still practice that ritual. We observe the laws which are applicable to most...which society's laws are predicated upon: The Ten Commandments. A universal law is The Golden Rule.

[Fiannan]

Here are the pictues that Immams are calling death threats for and Muslims are burning Danish and Norwegean flags over, kidnapping and threatening populations in EU countries over:

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/sarticle.php?id=12146

Wow, now that's just sooooooooooooo evil. Wish these folk would condemn beheading POWs and civilians on video (hey everyone, I have a big knife, a video camera and a victim -- now we can be stars!) as much as they are screaming about some stupid cartoons. Maybe I'll buy some Legos just to help out the Danish and maybe carpool a couple of times this week to keep some money out of the pockets of some people who consider Euros and Americans infidels anyway.

[mom_of_jcchlsm]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and offense is in the mind of the offended. I remember about 10 or 12 years ago there was a big stink because a caucasian Santa Claus in a mall called a small black child on his lap a little monkey. The kid was climbing and jumping and wiggling around like a little monkey. A lot of black people got really upset at this "racist" remark. I didn't get it. I'm a white person and I call my own kids little monkeys. I asked a black co-worker to explain why the fuss. Apparently, some black people are touchy about the idea that caucaians are futher down the evolutionary trail than blacks. Now, I don't believe humans evolved from monkeys and I think it's silly for someone to be offended over a comment that isn't intended to provoke, but I'm careful now when I'm around black people not to say anything about monkeys or evolution or whatever I think might be taken the wrong way. What's this got to do with cartoons of Mohamad? Whether or not offense was intended originally, and whether or not there is any merrit to the ideas portrayed in the cartoon, if it bothers people, now that we know, it shouldn't happen again. And good people will let it go at that. "We're sorry - no offense meant" and "Ok, now you know, please don't do it again." At this point, few can claim to be ignorant of the offensive potential, so if more art of this type comes out in the near future, you can bet that it is intended to offend.

[Fiannan]

... if it bothers people, now that we know, it shouldn't happen again. And good people will let it go at that. "We're sorry - no offense meant" and "Ok, now you know, please don't do it again." At this point, few can claim to be ignorant of the offensive potential, so if more art of this type comes out in the near future, you can bet that it is intended to offend.

So the next time the media in the USA insults Christianity the answer is to act like the Muslims and then we can clean up the media? It is tempting, but...

[Dror]

Now that I've calmed down... :)

I haven't seen the cartoons, but would like to, in order to see what all the fuss is about and try to understand why the cartoonists did what they did. I heard one described as a picture of Mohammed wearing a turban shaped like a bomb. I could be wrong, but I get the impression that the point was not to mock Mohammed, but to make a statement against violence in the name of religion. If that is true, then I fully support the cartoons, and would publish them myself (if I had my own newspaper! ). The Islamic extremists are the ones who dishonor Mohammed by using his name to commit atrocities. It is possible that the European press was fed up with the terrorists, and with their inane reasoning, and used the cartoons to underscore how the Muslim terrorists are perverting their own religion. If Muslims are going to be angry, they ought to be angry with the terrorists both for committing horrors against innocent people and for doing so in the name of their prophet and their god.

[Fiannan]

Dror, here are the cartoons:

http://www.humaneventsonline.com/sarticle.php?id=12146

[Fiannan]

Check out the "religion of peace" protest in Europe:

http://www.michellemalkin.com/

Just scroll down a bit and see what is coming....