The Cartoon War continues at Slate.com
Christopher Hitchens at Slate has a great piece on the Cartoon War.
Hitchens as an atheist can criticize Islam without the usual religious hypocrisy.
"For most of human history, religion and bigotry have been two
sides of the same coin, and it still shows.
"Therefore there is a strong case for saying that the Danish
newspaper Jyllands-Posten, and those who have reprinted its efforts
out of solidarity, are affirming the right to criticize not merely
Islam but religion in general. And the Bush administration has no
business at all expressing an opinion on that. If it is to say anything,
it is constitutionally obliged to uphold the right and no more. ...
"I will not be told I can't eat pork, and I will not respect those who
burn books on a regular basis. I, too, have strong convictions and
beliefs and value the Enlightenment above any priesthood or any
sacred fetish-object. It is revolting to me to breathe the same air as
wafts from the exhalations of the madrasahs, or the reeking fumes
of the suicide-murderers, or the sermons of Billy Graham and
Joseph Ratzinger. But these same principles of mine also prevent
me from wreaking random violence on the nearest church, or
kidnapping a Muslim at random and holding him hostage, or
violating diplomatic immunity by attacking the embassy or the
envoys of even the most despotic Islamic state, or making a moronic
spectacle of myself threatening blood and fire to faraway individuals
who may have hurt my feelings. The babyish rumor-fueled tantrums
that erupt all the time, especially in the Islamic world, show yet
again that faith belongs to the spoiled and selfish childhood of our
species.
As it happens, the cartoons themselves are not very brilliant, or
very mordant, either. But if Muslims do not want their alleged
prophet identified with barbaric acts or adolescent fantasies, they
should say publicly that random murder for virgins is not in their
religion. And here one runs up against a curious reluctance. ...
"We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics, and it is
degrading to make the attempt."
The entire article is at:
http://www.slate.com/id/2135499/
Hitchens as an atheist can criticize Islam without the usual religious hypocrisy.
"For most of human history, religion and bigotry have been two
sides of the same coin, and it still shows.
"Therefore there is a strong case for saying that the Danish
newspaper Jyllands-Posten, and those who have reprinted its efforts
out of solidarity, are affirming the right to criticize not merely
Islam but religion in general. And the Bush administration has no
business at all expressing an opinion on that. If it is to say anything,
it is constitutionally obliged to uphold the right and no more. ...
"I will not be told I can't eat pork, and I will not respect those who
burn books on a regular basis. I, too, have strong convictions and
beliefs and value the Enlightenment above any priesthood or any
sacred fetish-object. It is revolting to me to breathe the same air as
wafts from the exhalations of the madrasahs, or the reeking fumes
of the suicide-murderers, or the sermons of Billy Graham and
Joseph Ratzinger. But these same principles of mine also prevent
me from wreaking random violence on the nearest church, or
kidnapping a Muslim at random and holding him hostage, or
violating diplomatic immunity by attacking the embassy or the
envoys of even the most despotic Islamic state, or making a moronic
spectacle of myself threatening blood and fire to faraway individuals
who may have hurt my feelings. The babyish rumor-fueled tantrums
that erupt all the time, especially in the Islamic world, show yet
again that faith belongs to the spoiled and selfish childhood of our
species.
As it happens, the cartoons themselves are not very brilliant, or
very mordant, either. But if Muslims do not want their alleged
prophet identified with barbaric acts or adolescent fantasies, they
should say publicly that random murder for virgins is not in their
religion. And here one runs up against a curious reluctance. ...
"We cannot possibly adjust enough to please the fanatics, and it is
degrading to make the attempt."
The entire article is at:
http://www.slate.com/id/2135499/
posted by Joe at Friday, February 17, 2006
1 Comments:
Humour is the key to this debate and I think you have cut right to the point - religious strictures cannot be imposed upon non-believers. That's why they are non-believers! I suppose the only question is when are the nations of the West going to begin hitting back with humour.
On a side/lighter note, Andrew of Arabia is good for a laugh every now and then.
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