Thursday, February 09, 2006
Fundamental Islamic Mistakes
I’ve kept quiet about recent events because better writers than me, maybe better people than me even, have said what I want to say better than I’m about to say it, but as a famous Englishman once said, this is something up with which I can not put. And I’m not ranting about phony grammar, either, although that’s not a bad idea.
I’m ranting about the entirely over the top reaction to some not all that brilliant cartoons (I’ve seen them) in a Danish newspaper. Even some right-wing pundits who I might not normally jump up and cheer for have gotten my attention by pointing out that the faction that would do us in has really blown it big time yet again. Most Muslims in America know that being the butt of blasphemy toward whatever you hold dear is one of the prices you pay to live here. If you’re a devoted liberal who believes in helping the poverty-stricken to rise above their origins, some conservative will be painting you as some species of idiot. If you’re a true-blue patriotic conservative who believes in self-reliance and good-old American ingenuity, some liberal will have you portrayed as a heartless small-minded prig before you can finish breakfast. If you’re Catholic, you’ll see some art that you’d pay to get away from. If you’re a Moslem, there’s no telling what you’ll see, but if you’re an American Moslem, then you know that, like it or not, it’s going to happen. It’s bad, for anyone, but it doesn’t call for threats and violence.
Unless, that is, you’re of the stripe of fundamentalism that actually lacks any real faith. I see it in American Christians who can’t tolerate the thought of Darwin’s theory possibly being valid because that might shoot a tiny hole in their view of the almighty. (The Pope thinks evolution is reasonable, but what does he know?) I wonder just how small the violent protestors think their Prophet is that they think Muhammed will be harmed by some stupid cartoons in Denmark? Cartoons which, of course, virtually nobody looked at until the protests started. I think somebody just wanted an excuse to stir up trouble, and they found a good one.
There is going to be a contest in Iraq for the best cartoon poking fun at the holocaust. Heck, Mad magazine did that in 1962, but I guess they can try for a better effect if they want to. “Will the West stand up for the freedom to publish such things?” they ask. Of course. Whatever they come up with will be silly, insulting, and stupid, and best seen in all its glory so it can be properly mocked. Once again the medieval purveyors of theocracy have missed an essential strength of our society: we thrive on mocking each others sacred cows. Mockery keeps you thinking about the cows and maybe repositioning your dearly held beliefs once in a while, which can only make you stronger over time.
I don’t judge Islam by those fundamentalist yahoos, any more than I judge Christianity by Torquemada. Torquemada was an evil man, and so is Osama Bin Ladin. In the end, Torquemada lost and his ideas were thoroughly repudiated. You ready for that, Osama? Good.
I’m ranting about the entirely over the top reaction to some not all that brilliant cartoons (I’ve seen them) in a Danish newspaper. Even some right-wing pundits who I might not normally jump up and cheer for have gotten my attention by pointing out that the faction that would do us in has really blown it big time yet again. Most Muslims in America know that being the butt of blasphemy toward whatever you hold dear is one of the prices you pay to live here. If you’re a devoted liberal who believes in helping the poverty-stricken to rise above their origins, some conservative will be painting you as some species of idiot. If you’re a true-blue patriotic conservative who believes in self-reliance and good-old American ingenuity, some liberal will have you portrayed as a heartless small-minded prig before you can finish breakfast. If you’re Catholic, you’ll see some art that you’d pay to get away from. If you’re a Moslem, there’s no telling what you’ll see, but if you’re an American Moslem, then you know that, like it or not, it’s going to happen. It’s bad, for anyone, but it doesn’t call for threats and violence.
Unless, that is, you’re of the stripe of fundamentalism that actually lacks any real faith. I see it in American Christians who can’t tolerate the thought of Darwin’s theory possibly being valid because that might shoot a tiny hole in their view of the almighty. (The Pope thinks evolution is reasonable, but what does he know?) I wonder just how small the violent protestors think their Prophet is that they think Muhammed will be harmed by some stupid cartoons in Denmark? Cartoons which, of course, virtually nobody looked at until the protests started. I think somebody just wanted an excuse to stir up trouble, and they found a good one.
There is going to be a contest in Iraq for the best cartoon poking fun at the holocaust. Heck, Mad magazine did that in 1962, but I guess they can try for a better effect if they want to. “Will the West stand up for the freedom to publish such things?” they ask. Of course. Whatever they come up with will be silly, insulting, and stupid, and best seen in all its glory so it can be properly mocked. Once again the medieval purveyors of theocracy have missed an essential strength of our society: we thrive on mocking each others sacred cows. Mockery keeps you thinking about the cows and maybe repositioning your dearly held beliefs once in a while, which can only make you stronger over time.
I don’t judge Islam by those fundamentalist yahoos, any more than I judge Christianity by Torquemada. Torquemada was an evil man, and so is Osama Bin Ladin. In the end, Torquemada lost and his ideas were thoroughly repudiated. You ready for that, Osama? Good.
