Audax- Suggestions for your homework.

February 18, 2008

The world is divided and it’s time for everyone to admit it. It was never “one world” and it can’t be.

I’ll never enjoy sharing a table with a Chinese or Korean who engulfs pieces of dog in front of my eyes. It is their table, not mine.

On February the 15th, Muslims from Denmark are re-enacting the riots of the Muslims from France in 2005. The 2005 civil unrest in France of October and November was a series of riots and violent clashes, involving mainly the burning of cars and public buildings at night starting on October 27th, 2005 in Clichy-sous-Bois. A state of emergency was declared on November 8, 2005, extended for three months a few days later. The riots were triggered by the accidental death of two teenagers, Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore, in Clichy-sous-Bois, who were chased by the police as the two refused to stop. The two later ran into a power substation where they died, electrocuted. And the police was held responsible.

February 16, 2008 - Gangs of Muslims in Denmark set fire to cars and garbage trucks in northern Copenhagen, the sixth night of rioting and vandalism, angry at the reprinting of the cartoon of Mohammad in 15 Danish newspapers. Five youths (called “Danes” by the media) were arrested in the capital on Friday after 28 cars and 35 garbage trucks were burned. Cars and several schools have been vandalized or burned in the past week. Soft weather, schools closed, what else can the “Danes” do than burning or vandalizing schools? Anyway, they don’t need them.

I thought that their parents have left their archaic homes for Denmark to “give my children a better education”.
Several hundred Muslims (or “Danes”?) gathered in central Copenhagen on Friday to protest against re-publication of the cartoon.

November 8, 2007

One of these days, while looking for Toronto Hindu community websites, I found one where “our successesful campaigns”(sic!) are reason for community pride. These campaigns deal with a list of issues which bothered the Hindu community in 2003. The incriminated apologized so the community became at ease. Among the offenders, there was a Seattle based toilet seat manufacturer; this came up with a design depicting Lord Ganesh and Goddess Kali on the toilet inside cover.

February 2001: FoxNews Withdraws India map without Jammu and Kashmir http://www.ivarta.com/Cause/C1_Fox_Map.htm

31 January, 2003: Maxim Magazine Apology for Gandhi Bashing http://www.ivarta.com/Cause/C17_Maxim_Gandhi.htm

27 April, 2003: American Eagle Apologize for Lord Ganesha flip-flops http://www.ivarta.com/cause/C18_AE_Ganesha.htm

11 July, 2003: ‘OM’ Socks, Apology from the President, Gold Medal Hosiery http://www.ivarta.com/Cause/C21_OM_Socks.htm

9 October, 2003: Apology by Toronto Star for Insulting Durga Image http://www.ivarta.com/Cause/C23_TheStar_Durga.htm Toilet Seats with Ganesha & Kali Pictures withdrawn http://www.ivarta.com/Cause/C2_Sittin_Pretty.htm

I understand that, for a Hindu, it is an offensive gesture. Imagine the illustration of Jesus, Virgin Mary or, if you are an atheist, the image of a cherished writer, composer or painter in such a posture.

Not that our reaction would be similar to that of some Muslims.

Not that the Hindus reacted like the Muslims did when the Danish newspaper published the “offensive “caricatures.

The Hindus didn’t rush out in the streets, in strident crowds, burning flags, shouting “peaceful” slogans (see the Muslims’ slogans during their rallies), offering rewards for killing those incriminated or attacking churches and priests. Hindus proved to know better than the Muslims themselves a Muslim saying:”The ink of the scholar is closer to god/ more valuable than the blood of the martyr”.

After Sweden has taken a bold step in publishing Lars Vilks drawings, rewards were offered by two Islamic leaders for killing the artist and the newspaper editor. Abu Omar al-Baghdadi, leader of the self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, has offered 50,000 in an audiotape posted on an Islamist Web site to anyone who killed the editor of the newspaper that published the drawing .

Driven by the religion of peace, he even suggests an increased reward if the body is … slaughtered.

The head of an al Qaeda-led group in Iraq has offered a 100,000 reward for killing the Swedish cartoonist whose sin of drawing Islam’s prophet Mohammad triggers fueled reactions. He even threatened to attack major Swedish companies.

What we should acknowledge is that Islam and Mohammad are given unmerited absolute attention. This interest made Muslims believe that their presence in our societies is without equal, extremely important or even… vital.

They should be remembered that they are only one of the numerous religious communities in the western societies and that we do not owe them anything. On the contrary, they owe us a lot.

They should be remembered that their presence in our world bears nothing exceptional, with one notable exception: the terrorist fear instilled in the mainstream society. They are not more hardworking, educated or intelligent than other cultural or religious communities.

They should not be the exception to create the rule.

Weak voices say that not all Muslims are terrorists and that these fundamentalists are only an undersized group and they do not represent Muslims.

Very well, this is obvious, only that since a fundamentalist imam represents Muslims and the imam declares war on west, I believe that the Muslim community, if disagrees with such a position, must amend him. Instead, “moderate” Muslims (what exactly is the meaning of “moderate” when applied to them?) come in front and try to tell us that Islam is peace.

What about those imams who deliver daily speeches of hatred? Whom are they representing?

It has become a question of ultimate courage and symbol of “expression of our freedoms” to caricature/draw, with or without any aesthetic value, their prophet. I believe that it is an immature method to state and prove western values, our freedoms. There are by far much more imperative issues to deal with, to open and discuss, topics like teacher’s lack of authority, global warming, GMO, human-animal embryos, lenient laws in rape, pedophilia, first degree murder and the list could go on.

Our society must reconsider certain “values”, examples of “emancipation” like teenage pregnancy and parenting or encouraged trendy interracial adoptions. Instead, the western mind is obsessed with drawing Mohammad.

Be more serious, gentlemen.

February 12, 2008

“In Denmark, we have freedom not only to think and talk, but also to draw.” Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen

February 12, 2008- The Danish Security and Intelligence Service (PET) announced several arrests of Muslims planning the murder of Kurt Westergaard. A Moroccan, protected from being deported by his Danish citizenship, and two Tunisians were arrested in Denmark over a plot to murder one of the 12 cartoonists whose drawings of Mohammad caused worldwide turmoil in 2006.

The Moroccan (40) is expected to be released pending further investigation, while the Tunisians will remain detained. Deportation proceedings are brought against them. According to Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that originally published the cartoons in September 2005, the suspects are accused of planning to kill 73-year-old Kurt Westergaard.

He is the one who drew the cartoon that caused the most controversy, depicting the founder of Islam with a bomb in his turban (the cartoon is republished on the newspaper’s website). The cartoons were later reprinted by more than 50 newspapers, triggering a wave of bloody protests in parts of the Muslim world.

Kurt Westergaard says on Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten: “Of course I fear for my life after the Danish Security and Intelligence Service informed me of the concrete plans of certain people to kill me. However, I have turned fear into anger and indignation. It has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity which I used to do by the thousand was abused to set off such madness. I have attended to my work and I still do. I could not possibly know for how long I have to live under police protection; I think, however, that the impact of the insane response to my cartoon will last for the rest of my life. It is sad indeed, but it has become a fact of my life. “


Image: Wikipedia
The Prophet Mohammad, 17th century Ottoman copy of an early 14th century (Ilkhanate period) manuscript of Northwestern Iran or northern Iraq (the "Edinburgh codex"). Illustration of Abū Rayhān al-Bīrūnī's al-Âthâr al-bâqiyah ( الآثار الباقيةة ; "The Remaining Signs of Past Centuries")