Cartoon on Islam was deeply offensive (You be the judge...)

Philadelphia Inquirer ^ | December 4, 2002 | Letters to the Editor

[KneelBeforeZod]

GET SOME!!

[aruanan]

His cartoon underlined the reality of most of the Islamic world, past and present. And while there have been nominally-Christian governments that have engaged in inquisitions and nominally-Christian nations that have engaged in pogroms against non-Christians, such behavior is not prescribed behavior in the New Testament for Christians (in fact, it is specifically prohibited). Attacking the unbeliever, the infidel, is, though, prescribed behavior in the Koran for Muslims and has been, from the very beginning, very enthusiastically engaged in every Muslim nation on the face of the earth.

Just because a number of people called Muslims don't engage in the behavior doesn't mean that it's not part and parcel of the religion. It just means that those people are aberrant. Though this is a type of aberrancy that should be encouraged, it doesn't mean that it reflects the core values of Islam. It does not.

[BlueLancer]

"It's MR. Cleo!! Mon."

Oooops.
8')

[Cacique]

ping

[Flint]

Dumb move. Bad taste. I'm no fan of Islam but we shouldn't condemn an entire religion for the faults of the fanatics.

Jim,

These folks want to put us out of business. You can't fight part of them and not take them all on. The West needs to figure out if it wants to survive or give up. Unless we win completly our grandchildren will be praying to Mecca five times a day before this century is over.

[Let's Roll]

"It is also interesting how well they worded their outrage in Politicaly Correct patterns."

Yes, they are always "extremely outraged" at "deeply offensive" situations.

[buccaneer81]

Christians have developed (and used) weapons capable of destroying entire cities at once while declaring themselves the only people responsible enough to possess them.

Uh, yeah, and their point is...?

[freebilly]

Yes it's offensive to condemn an entire religion of 1.6 billion people like this...Even if it does make a point (A true point) about their fringe elments. It's bigoted.

If it makes a true point it's the truth, not bigoted.

When I hear "mainstream" Islam rise up and denounce Al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad en masse then I will know that Islam is tolerant of the culture and religion of others.

PCism like yours is liable to get millions killed....

[savedbygrace]

I've quoted this here before, but Mark Twain once said or wrote:

The man who complains when a certain subject is preached is like when you throw a rock into a pack of dogs. The one that yelps is the one that got hit.

[steve-b]

I highly doubt that the Inquirer would publish Mr. Auth's cartoon if he had drawn a picture of a priest saying "Catholicism is tolerant - tolerant of priests who rape and molest children," or a rabbi saying "Judaism is tolerant - tolerant of soldiers attacking teenage boys armed only with rocks, tolerant of settlements dispossessing Palestinian land, tolerant of assassination of political leaders...."

Unfortunately for Mr. Hasan's argument, Catholics who do not tolerate paedophile priests and Jews who do not tolerate proactive force by the Israeli government have shown themselves to be considerably more numerous and vocal than Moslems who do not tolerate terrorist vermin. If they want this parallel to be considered valid, the latter are simply going to have to speak up (with recourse to the word "but" or any synonym thereof).

[TomGuy]

This will get the Philadelphia Inquirer a FARTWAH!

[SW6906]

When the leaders of the Moslem world come out and condemn the fanatics, suicide bombers and terrorists rather than applaud them and encourage more, I will condemn this kind of political cartoon. So far, few if any have sided with us in the war on terror.....

[SW6906]

"This will get the Philadelphia Inquirer a FARTWAH!"

What's that, a horrible death by being farted on?

[poet]

They probably have issued a world "hit" ( I forget what hey call it) against the cartoonist. How dare he insult a religion whose majority cannot not find the moral fibre to condemn murdering non-combatants? Killing a soldier in battle is one thing, murdering civilians is quite another.

FReegards

[jeremiah]

I am surprised the criticism isn't used for a call for a Jihad against the cartoonist. That says it all about my feelings for Islam.

[Cloud William]

Speaking of cartoons, were there not several characters in Johnny Hart's "B.C." that spoofed the Muslims? I recall a hairy, shirtless bad guy with a fez, always carrying a scimitar - and an obese female in a burqua. Seems like there were camels, too. I have not seen those characters in a long, long time; anyone else remember 'em?

[Kevin Curry]

I'm no fan of Islam but we shouldn't condemn an entire religion . . .

On the whole the religion is contemptible even if most Muslims themselves are peaceable, good people. They are peaceable and good despite their religion--not because of it. I will continue to treat individual Muslims with kindness and respect even as I call their relgion what it is: the dark work of a violent madman and liar.

[BlueLancer]

That wasn't "B.C.", that was "Crock" ... the comic strip about the French Foreign Legion.

[nicmarlo]

the sand-maggots apparently read the National Inquierer regularly?

I'm so glad they do......I got to see a cartoon I otherwise would never have known about (with my cup of coffee, too).