Rage against caricatures of Islam's revered prophet poured out across the Muslim world Saturday, with aggrieved believers calling for executions, storming European buildings and setting European flags afire.
Hundreds of Syrian demonstrators have stormed the Danish Embassy in Damascus, and they've set fire to the building.
The building that's been set on fire in the Syrian capital also houses the embassies of Chile and Sweden.
Protesters have been staging sit-ins outside the embassy almost daily since the uproar over the drawings broke out last week. [photo courtesy of FoxNews]
When I consider all the things that I, as a Christian, have had to endure - the Cross immersed in urine, the Virgin Mary smeared in crap, Jesus portrayed as a homosexual - which insult my religion, violence has never been an option for a response. The sort of blasphemous "art" Christians and Jews have had to tolerate is far more egregious than 12 piddly little cartoons of Mohammed.
So, just to get my two-cents in: Mohammed (piss on his pitiful name) was a murderer, a thief, a child molester, and an all around bad guy. The "religion" he founded is an intolerant, narrow-minded, chauvanistic, fanatical, hateful doctrine of rage and bigotry. Unless the followers of this soi-disant "religion" renounce this violence in the strongest possible terms and forcefully follow through, I refuse to grant "Islam" any respect or deference whatsoever.
Mr. President, should you choose to send those B2 bombers to Mecca with a nuclear payload, I'll support you all the way.
UPDATE: Dafyyd ab Hugh has some wise words of restraint:
Let's think about this one. When Andres Serrano produced the photograph Piss Christ, what was the general reaction among believing Christians and among conservatives? It wasn't that long ago, and I remember quite well: the reaction was outrage -- absolute outrage. The argument then was that the only possible reason to immerse a crucifix in urine (Serrano claimed it was his own) and take a picture of it was to blaspheme Jesus Christ and inflame and insult Christians for no valid purpose.Nobody on the right suggested censorship, and I'm not suggesting it here. But they argued that simple decency should restrain artists from needlessly offending people just to watch them hop about.
Those objecting to Piss Christ didn't kill or attack anyone, of course, because modern-day Christianity and conservatism are civilized belief systems; but that speaks only to their reaction, not the original provocation. Such provocation is equally morally offensive whether the target is civilized or savage.
Fast forward to today. What is the argument here? That while it's wrong to childishly insult and outrage Christians and conservatives, who are civilized, it's perfectly all right to do exactly the same thing to Moslems, because they're more likely to react violently?
No. And, I do need to make clear that I'm not a big fan of deliberately enraging someone, or ridiculing anyone's faith/culture/personal appearance, yadda yadda. I do agree those actions are morally offensive, and that wise people would refrain from such acts out of courtesy, if nothing else.
However, I am bloody sick and tired of watching a large group of people who represent a major worldview consistantly react to an offense with mindless violence and intolerance. I am even more sick and tired of the leaders of this worldview who refuse to condemn these riots, and make no attempt whatsoever to demand that their rank and file restrain themselves and act like rational adults.
When I see those leaders, as well as the "laypeople," make serious efforts to reform and act like civilized people, and when I see it on a large scale, I will be much more interested in "taking their side," as it were.
Until then, well, if they can't restrain themselves and stop acting like barbarians, I suppose we'll need to provide the restraint required.
UPDATE 2: TB'd to Stop the ACLU: Can We Co-Exist? (I doubt it - unless those barbarians make some major changes...)
