Posted on 10/19/2012 1:59:19 PM PDT by robowombat
Islam is "a legitimate subject of historical inquiry. I think there's a degree to which Muslims, far more than Christians, have felt that the foundation myths of their religion are somehow historical fact, and it seems to me that they're clearly not." — Tom Holland, author, Islam: The Untold Story, cancelled by Channel 4, after threats.
The British television broadcaster Channel 4 has cancelled the screening of a controversial documentary about the history of Islam after the presenter was threatened with physical violence.
The private screening was due to take place at the broadcaster's headquarters in London on September 13 before an audience of historians and opinion shapers, to be followed by a debate.
"Islam: The Untold Story" is a documentary by historian Tom Holland, a well-known British author, who examines the origins of Islam and argues that there is little written historical evidence to verify truth-claims about the Muslim prophet Mohammed and the origins of Islam.
In the documentary, the Cambridge-educated historian offers a critical examination of the traditional Islamic narrative that the Koran, the Muslim holy book, was transmitted directly and "fully formed" to Mohammed through the angel Gabriel in the seventh century.
Holland says that contrary to Muslim claims, it is far more probable that the Koran and Islamic theology developed gradually over many centuries in conjunction with the expansion of Arab empires. He also says there are many "black holes" in the historical record and suggests that Islam is essentially a "made-up" religion. Says Holland: "I had expected to find contemporaneous Muslim evidence, but there's nothing there."
In the film, Holland also questions the centrality of Mecca in the origins of Islam. He states: "Aside from a single ambiguous mention in the Koran itself, there is no mention of [the Muslim holy city of] Mecca, not one, in any datable text for over a hundred years after Muhammad's death."
The documentary, which was previously aired on Channel 4 on August 28, has generated more than 1,000 complaints by Muslims who accuse Holland of distorting the history of Islam.
The London-based Islamic Education and Research Academy has published two papers (here and here) denouncing the program. It accuses Holland of "recklessness," of making "baseless assumptions" and of engaging in "selective scholarship."
The British telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, says it may launch an investigation after it received more than 100 complaints that the documentary is biased and offensive to Muslims.
Holland insists that Islam is "a legitimate subject of historical inquiry." Indeed, the documentary follows on the heels of a growing number of scholarly and popular books (here, here, here, here, here, here and here) that challenge some of the most fundamental assumptions about the origin of Islam.
In an interview about the origins of Islam with the London-based The Spectator, Holland states: "I think there's a degree to which Muslims, far more than Christians, have felt that the foundation myths of their religion are somehow historical fact, and it seems to me that they're clearly not. There must be a bedrock of fact, but it is more sacred history than it is history...." He also says: "There's a sense in which I think as Islam evolves and as, let's say, Muslims start to realize that they are in competition with Jews and Christians, they need to have their Prophet have a revelation from an angel...."
In any case, Holland's documentary has earned him an online flood of abusive messages. According to the British newspaper The Telegraph, one message reads: "You might be a target in the streets. You may recruit some bodyguards, for your own safety."
A spokesperson for Channel 4 said: "Having taken security advice, we have reluctantly canceled a planned screening of the program Islam: The Untold Story."
The dust-up follows a similar controversy over a new BBC comedy series called Citizen Khan, which confronts issues faced by a modern Muslim family.
The six-part series, which aired for the first time on BBC1 in August, was created by British Muslim Adil Ray, who also plays the lead role.
Following its first episode, the BBC received more than 600 complaints from Muslims who claim the program is guilty of "stereotypes about Asians" and is "disrespectful to the Koran." Some of the angry reactions have been compiled here.
Muslims were particularly angered by a scene where an actress who plays Khan's glamorous daughter rushes to put on a hijab and pretends to be reading the Koran when her father comes home.
According to the Union of Muslim Organizations of UK and Ireland, a London-based Muslim umbrella organization, "a large proportion of Muslims will be un-amused by the negative stereotypes because it leads to misrepresentation."
British Muslims are not, apparently, allowed to laugh at themselves.
Soeren Kern is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the New York-based Gatestone Institute. He is also Senior Fellow for European Politics at the Madrid-based Grupo de Estudios Estratégicos / Strategic Studies Group. Follow him on Facebook.
When you cave to a bully, whether Muslim or Democrat, you invite additional bullying.
Gee. What a good way to guaranty more threats against documentary film makers or anyone else who insults Islam.
How about a different response: When Muslims threaten violence, kill them until they stop.
Uncontrolled immigration has consequences.
Bring that documentary on Islam to South Carolina.
We have many venues, many auditoriums in which to hold screenings, in front of audiences of thousands.
Let the muzzies make their death threats in the Palmetto State. We have CCW, stand your ground, and Castle Doctrine. This isn’t the UK or Pakistan. Muzzies who attack “infidels” here will face targets that will shoot back.
There’s a mosque with sight of my house. The muzzies around here stay vewy vewy quiet, because Bible thumping armed rednecks with relatives in Afghanistan are everywhere.
Even if the Islamists were willing to cooperate it will take generations to undo the damage of hundreds of years of Islamist practice of inbreeding.
The leaders of Islamism of course are not necessarily inbreeding victims but they are living their lives of 72 virgins and wide-body private jets here on Earth.. or at least many are millionaires.
If my comments are Islamophobic then there are tens of millions of Muslims who are Islamophobic also.. "(upward of 25 million people) would never support the [Islamist] AKP or want to live in a country shaped solely by its [Islamist] values" here and millions of them were on the streets protesting Islamism and sharia law here.
IOW there's a difference between Islamist psycho nutcases and Muslims. Both of the references above are from a couple of years ago.. the ruling AK Party has pushed secular Turkey further along to becoming an Iran-style Islamic "republic" against the wishes of tens of millions of citizens.
Meanwhile Islamists around the world get crazier and crazier and more dangerous than ever.
"If there are two things that characterize Islamic culture, they are terrorism and inbreeding. The latest research shows that these two things might be closely connected . . . First cousin marriages have been the tradition in many Muslim families for innumerable generations. Such marriages increase the risk of negative mental and physical consequences . . . Risk of mental retardation increases with 400 percent (Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, 1978 “Effect of inbreeding on IQ and mental retardation”). Research shows that the IQ is 10-16 points lower in children born from blood related parents and that abilities related to social behavior and empathy develops slower in inbred babies (Indian National Science Academy, 1983 “Consanguinity Effects on Intelligence Quotient and Neonatal Behaviours of nsari Muslim Children” [pdf]). Such facts might make several pieces fall into place for many people . . . People with low intelligence (because of inbreeding) might also be easier to brainwash with fundamentalist Islam. "
My emphasis.
We Christians and Jews should start raising cain every time a book, play, movie, song, etc. which attacks our faiths is published or presented. We need to show up in great numbers and, in a loud and obnoxious (that will be their perception) manner PRAY for the offenders. They hate that!
BRAVO! Muslims are controlling the world- they cannot be questioned or criticized in any way, yet they openly hate everything but Islam. How is it that a ‘religion of peace’ threatens violence and death when they are revealed to be about violence and death? Why is Islam the only ‘protected’ religion-while it attacks every other belief system?
The response should not be obedience and silence, but more and more truth about what Islam is. It should be on every billboard, every television broadcast, in every publication. Try to silence one venue, 10 more react by defying Islamic control.
Enough of this control by threat and intimidation. Don’t HAND Islam dominion over the planet- DEFY IT!
Let's not forget the three extra wives, the Infidel concubines and the "temporary" marriages!
Perhaps this piece of history should also be included just to inform the uninformed general public about islam.
http://www.gendercide.org/case_armenia.html
And this is what is known as the ROP and accepted by many as such.
Hey America, protect it under the 1st Amendment at your own detriment and destruction.
Remember those stories of the people toughing it out in great Britain during the second WW .... those people are dead and gone and all that is left are the wimps and pimps!
It seems that a large proportion of Muslims are un-amused by anything. They only get more angry and violent.
I’ve been to protests in NYC against movies that are anti-Christian; they would draw some crowds, but were roundly ignored by the media. The enemies of Christ know we’re bound by a certain code; I don’t know at one point we can be unleashed. The desecration of the Host in St. Patrick’s Cathedral years ago certainly should have been valid cause to take someone’s life...
I’ll kill you if you don’t stop saying Islam is violent!
That’s where you’re wrong.
The immigration process is very much controlled so as to destroy America and the West.
The UN has made certain of that.
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