THE DANISH CARTOONS

First of all, if you left a comment on the last post would you mind leaving it again ? I accidentally deleted it before reading (because I had published the same post twice). Yep, typical. Oh, and if you would like me to visit your blog, leave your address on the comment box because I'm hopeless at finding anyone with blogsearch. Sad, I know.

What can I say about the Danish cartoons reaction? Probably most things have been said, usually about freedom of speech, freedom of choice, autonomy of nations, etc. The west is staggered at the riots and deaths over these (mostly unseen by mostly all people) drawings.

I have worked as a cartoonist, in my university days, for a newspaper and the only thing I ever was censored for was a gay cartoon, and I never could figure out exactly why. Perhaps the editor had an attack of journalistic objectiveness, because I can remember a subsequent one that did go to print where I challenged the editor's power of veto by showing him talking with one of the columnists saying something like, "NO, no! Don't offend the gays - offend the Christians instead .... they'll forgive you!"

- I will diverge for a moment to make the observation that is it not interesting how the Muslim lobbyists have taken a leaf out of the gay lobby's book, and started firing the term 'islamophobia' at anyone who happens to exercise their free speech and question anything about them? Yes, the 'homophobia' PC tool has been very effective indeed, and other groups see this.

So what points will I make about the Danish cartoons? Not the usual, and I don't want to go on and on about it in any kind of emotional, outraged fashion. The way I see it is that the people who are demonstrating and promoting wholesale slaughter of Westerners have not actually taken time out to consider their religious motivations.

Mohammed is regarded as a prophet of God by Muslims, but still only as a man. Idolatry is a big issue in their culture and that is reflected in their art and I don't think you will find they have too many figurative representations. So even depicting Mohammed is kind of abhorrent to them to start with.

But what they are failing to see is that by elevating Mohammed with such esteem, and placing him on such a pedestal, has gone way past 'respect' but has now entered the realms of idolatry and furthermore, that this becomes paramount to blasphemy.

In other words, the people involved are virtually making Mohammed equal with God. So, really they are Mohammedans in their actions. Worshippers of Mohammed.

I think some would give a serious rethink to what they are doing if this was suggested to them. Like I said to start with, I don't think they have examined the implications of their actions. Idolatry, as far as I can see, is actually rife
in the Islamic world: if it is not Mohammed being deified, it is the servitude to various prominent religious leaders.

To these Muslims, I know a lot a Western concepts are foreign in all senses. But I hope logic and reason are not.