Spencer in NRO cartoon symposium

Jihadwatch.org ^ | 1/8/2006 | Robert Spenser

[Dark Skies]

National Review Online has been running a symposium on the cartoon controversy for the last two days, featuring notable contributions by Bat Ye'or yesterday and Nidra Poller today. Here is my bit:

This controversy indicates the gulf between the Islamic world and the West on matters of freedom of expression. The idea of blasphemy as a capital offense is not an invention of “Islamists” or “Wahhabis,” but is deeply rooted within traditional Islam — which is why the forces of radicalism are finding it so easy to stoke cartoon rage worldwide.

Freedom of speech encompasses freedom to offend. The instant that any ideology is considered off-limits for critical examination and even ridicule, freedom of speech is dead. The Islamic world, at the highest levels, wants to force the West to accept the notion that criticizing Muhammad and Islam is wrong in itself. Such a notion is just as inimical to freedom as the idea that the Beloved Leader or dialectical materialism is above criticism. Westerners seem to grasp this when it comes to affronts to Christianity, but not in an Islamic context — as evidenced by the refusal of most American and British publications to stand up for the freedom of speech they otherwise so stoutly defend, and reprint the cartoons.

The cartoons can’t be taken back. Our only options are to defend the principles upon which our civilization is based, or to surrender.

[Dark Skies]

fyi

[Dark Skies]

Ping

The instant that any ideology is considered off-limits for critical examination and even ridicule, freedom of speech is dead.

Quick...someone tell President Bush.

[Dark Skies]

I don't have a Spenser ping list...but I remembered to ping you this time.

[papertyger]

TYDS :o)

[VOA]

bump

[Dark Skies]

Here is the piece by Nidra Poller that Spencer referred to in his intro...

Nidra Poller:
This is the way the (Eurabian) world ends — not with a bang, not with a whimper, but with a smirk! We are supposed to believe that the savage hordes now lashing out at the European darlings — who covered for them during the past five years of monumental atrocity — are motivated by ruffled religious sentiments? These tender spirits steeped in holiness have been ignited by ignominious drawings of the prophet Mohammed? After all that they have done, individually and collectively, to foster interfaith multicultural understanding, this is their reward?

While the barbarians smash, crash, stomp, and burn embassies and cultural centers, some of the famous moderates we love love to demolish Western values by speaking utter nonsense about how free speech must be limited by respect for the sacred values of the Other. Is that so? Muslim countries pour out a nauseating deluge of caricatures of Israelis, Jews, and Americans. They massacre us in sermons, cartoons, films, snuff videos, and real-life jihad murders. They behead us in low-budget films, they spread blood libel in gory serials, they provoke genocidal hatred in their vast populations, and we are supposed to be reassured to know that only a small minority of extremists will actually pull out the knife, strap on the explosives belt, drive up in the IED. Thanks a lot. That active minority it is more than enough to ruin any decent person’s day.

In our culture respect is reciprocal, and it is not limited to religious beliefs. We also respect property, freedom of movement, and the right to a fair trial. The fury unleashed in the Muslim world over twelve mildly mocking sketches created precisely in response to tyrannical intimidation by Danish Muslims, respects nothing and no one.

[USF]

The instant that any ideology is considered off-limits for critical examination and even ridicule, freedom of speech is dead.

PING the State Dept, and EUrabian left too!

The idea of blasphemy as a capital offense is not an invention of “Islamists” or “Wahhabis,” but is deeply rooted within traditional Islam

There I was starting to believe the "only the wahhabis are bad" mantra that some even here on FReep have been saying...

The cartoons can’t be taken back. Our only options are to defend the principles upon which our civilization is based, or to surrender.

Surrendering to islamic sharia ideology is not an option, unless that is, you consider slavery a virtue.

"Millions for defense, not a penny for tribute!"

Hopefully, that may ring a bell to some.

For those who don't get it, google "Barbary Wars"

[yoe]

"While the debate rages, an important point has been overlooked: despite the Islamic prohibition against depicting Mohammed under any circumstances, hundreds of paintings, drawings and other images of Mohammed have been created over the centuries, with nary a word of complaint from the Muslim world. The recent cartoons in Jyllands-Posten are nothing new; it's just that no other images of Mohammed have ever been so widely publicized."

IMHO I do believe we are witnessing the biggest smoke screen ever perpetrated on all people; the excuse to riot over a trumpeted up bit of nonsense to keep the Iran watch out of view. This will back fire and Islam will get the black eye for being so hypocritical.