Dhimmi-nized: Scared Westerners single out one religion for kid-gloves treatment

WORLD ^ | 5/6/06 | Gene Edward Veith

[Caleb1411]

When Matt Stone and Trey Parker, creators of the noxious South Park, see a taboo, they hasten to break it. So they were sure to weigh in on the controversy over those Danish cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The animated South Park, featuring foul-mouthed children, had long presented Jesus as a sympathetic but comical character. The creators were fresh off a series savaging Scientology as a cult of child-molesters. So Islam was ripe for ridicule.

But at the climax of the two-part series—in which the politically correct citizens of South Park literally buried their heads in the sand so as not to offend Muslims by seeing something they did not approve of—the show's network Comedy Central blacked out the depiction of Muhammad. And yet, the network left in a blasphemous scene involving Jesus, the American flag, and President Bush.

Comedy Central could have axed the entire show and initiated a policy of respecting all religions. But instead, the network made Islam off-limits for satire, while letting Christianity be fair game. This privileging of Islam over Christianity came not because the TV execs are more sympathetic to the Muslim religion. They acted out of sheer fear. They knew they had nothing to fear from offending Christians, but that Muslims really might kill them.

This same fear is shaping the depiction of Islam throughout Western culture. On university campuses, Christianity is routinely criticized, while Islam is treated with kid gloves. The Jesus Seminar casts doubt on the Bible, but there is no Muhammad Seminar to cast doubt on the Quran. A trendy European jeans company emblazons its products with anti-religious symbols and slogans. While there is a line insulting Christianity and a line insulting Hinduism, there are no plans for an anti-Muslim line. The motive, again, is simple fear. But fear is an appropriate motivator for the infidels, according to Islam.

It has to do with the concept of "dhimmitude." According to the fear-based spin, Islam is a religion of tolerance. Historically, when Muslims would conquer an infidel nation, the inhabitants would be encouraged to convert to Islam. Polytheists, if they refused to convert, would be killed. But the monotheistic "people of the Book"—namely, Christians and Jews—could retain their religion, as long as they accepted the status of "dhimmis." This entailed paying a special tax, which was really tribute money to Islam, accepting second-class citizenship, and following special laws limiting the practice of their religion and keeping Islam as supreme.

Today, the Muslim conquest of the West is carried out not only by the terrorist sword but by immigration. And Muslims, empowered by democracy and multiculturalism, are implementing the principles of dhimmitude in their new homelands.

Western nations are accepting dhimmitude even at the expense of traditional liberties. Notice how, in the Danish cartoon controversy, the rioters demanded that non-Muslims obey the Islamic law against religious images. Increasingly Western nations, in a misguided push for multicultural sensitivity, have passed "anti-vilification laws" that forbid "offending" Muslims.

Italian journalist Oriana Fallaci criticized Islam in her book The Force of Reason. Muslims in Italy filed charges, whereupon she had to flee to America to avoid prosecution. In Australia, two Christian pastors were convicted of violating the anti-vilification law when they read some of the scarier parts of the Quran in public and taught that Islam is a false religion.

Canada has taken the extraordinary step of allowing Muslims in that country to be governed by Islamic law (Shariah) when it comes to disputes over property and family issues, including marriage and divorce. This means that women coming to what they thought was a free country with a legal system that protects individual rights must submit to an Islamic council, whose rulings will be enforced by Canadian courts.

Islam becoming a privileged religion over all the rest makes dhimmis of us all.

[Caleb1411]

[2banana]

Dear Editor (never published):

"Muslim Spain was a perfect example of a flourishing society in which Jews, Christians and Muslims lived in mutual respect and cooperation."

Muslim Spain was Christian Spain for nearly 700 years before being conquered by Islamic Armies in the 8th Century. That is the way the Islamic Religion has been historically spread, though military invasion and occupation. Treatment of conquered people has the same goal, the minimizing of other religions and conversion of the indigenous people. Among other rules for non Muslims in Muslim Spain; Christians and Jews could not bear arms -- Muslims could; Christians and Jews could not ride horses -- Muslims could; Christians and Jews had to get permission to build or fix places or worship -- Muslims did not; Christians and Jews had to pay certain taxes which Muslims did not; Christians could not proselytize -- Muslims could; Christians and Jews had to bow to their Muslim masters; Christians and Jews had to live under the laws set forth in the Koran, not under either their own religious or secular law; Christian’s and Jew's word in a court of law was not equal to a Muslim's Word; Christian and Jewish families had to give up a son for conversion and military service in Muslim armies and the most beautiful and largest Christian Churches were converted to Mosques. And the list goes on.

Today, 1300 years later, a Christian or Jew living in an Islamic country will still have to live nearly under these very same laws. I can see why the head of the Philadelphia chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations would want us all to do "our part" to create such a world.

Regards,

2banana

[steve-b]

Muslim Spain was Christian Spain for nearly 700 years before being conquered by Islamic Armies in the 8th Century.

Er, it's probably a bad idea to start with an obvious error (Spain, like the rest of the Roman Empire, was not "Christian" until the time of Constantine, about 400 years before the Arab conquests).

[lesser_satan]

SP Ping!

[FormerLib]

...Spain, like the rest of the Roman Empire, was not "Christian" until the time of Constantine...

So you are asserting that there was no substantial Christian population in Spain until Constantine?

[ketelone]

Hey.. its not a great idea to bag on ANY religion, so I dont know why such a big deal is being made about this.

Is it now the thing that you have to mock peoples religion to prove your credentials?

Theyre not being so dumb after all these cartoonists... they just skip making fun of the religion where people get riled up enough about jokes to blow you up.

On the other hand, I get pretty mad when people make fun of MY religion. Even madder when noone says anything about it, like we're all just supposed to take it.

[ketelone]

Note, I didnt say that blowing people up for making cartoons is the appropriate response...

But I do think that atheism in the media has reached such a crescendo that they feel they should have the right to amuse themselves with cheap sophomoric pranks at the expense of religion.

South park itself offends freely as you know.. Moses is reduced to a glowing light, which talks like a computer, Jesus is turned into a swearing hippy...

I just dont like it. Still, of course violence isnt the answer..

[inquest]

I think you may be missing the point of the article, which is the double-standard in response to threats of violence. That just rewards the violent, and encourages them further.

[ketelone]

Yeah, sorry, knee jerk reaction. I totally agree with the part about there shouldnt be selective pandering.

[Uncle Miltie]

[Thrusher]

.

They knew they had nothing to fear from offending Christians, but that Muslims really might kill them.

.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

"Canada has taken the extraordinary step of allowing Muslims in that country to be governed by Islamic law (Shariah) when it comes to disputes over property and family issues, including marriage and divorce."

This is wrong, wrong, and wrong.

Ontario -- one province, not the whole country -- almost allowed for Imams to conduct family law arbitrations using Shariah law. The courts would still have had oversight, and final determination. Almost happened -- it didn't actually happen.

It was a fun debate to watch -- I almost expected the heads of soft lefties to begin exploding. Their thought (or emoting) process went something like this:

"Our strength is diversity, all cultures are equal, we must allow this in the name of multiculturalism and group rights."

"Women's rights must be protected and advanced at all costs. Shariah would set women's rights back at least 700 years. We can't allow this to happen in the name of women's rights."

Repeat in an endless loop until head explodes.

In this case, feminism trumped multiculturalism. The issue was resolved by proscribing Jewish and Christian arbitrations, along with the Shariah-based arbitrations.

[-YYZ-]

"Canada has taken the extraordinary step of allowing Muslims in that country to be governed by Islamic law (Shariah) when it comes to disputes over property and family issues, including marriage and divorce."

NO, IT HAS NOT!

How many times does that have to be repeated? One province, Ontario, was considering allowing a place for it in civil disputes. The decision was made, after some strong protests from a number of groups including some Muslim groups, not to go ahead with this (stupid, IMO) idea.

[-YYZ-]

Looks like you beat be to the punch.

Cheers.

[USFRIENDINVICTORIA]

At least we're punching the same thing. :-)

[PsyOp]

Mohammed, The Mad Poet Quoted....

[pabianice]

"We're going to have to fight the bastards sooner or later? Why not do it now while we have the army to do it with?" -- GEN George S. Patton, 1945, referring to the USSR

[Proud Conservative2]

" They knew they had nothing to fear from offending Christians, but that Muslims really might kill them. "

No kidding....

Islam instructs its followers to kill their enemies.

The Quran says to "fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them"(Surah 9:5)

This is what the Muslems are taught to do to the people that resist Islam according to the Quran:

Fight and slay the Pagans wherever you find them and seize them, beleager them and lie in wait for them in every strategem(of war)-Surah 9:5

Whereas, Christianity instructs its followers to love their emenies.

The Bible tells Christ's followers to "Love your enemies, bless them that hate you" (Matt 5:44)

One can see why Comedy Central sidestepped islam and their Religion of(snicker)Peace.

[Proud Conservative2]

""Canada has taken the extraordinary step of allowing Muslims in that country to be governed by Islamic law (Shariah) when it comes to disputes over property and family issues, including marriage and divorce."

This is wrong, wrong, and wrong."

They'll rue the day they tried to please these FANATICS!

[Proud Conservative2]

That's good news!