The issue is not: “We as a free-speaking society should not tolerate Muslims threatening to kill people who talk shit about their prophet”. The issue is “We should not deliberately do things that anger people deeply just so that we can enjoy how angry they got”. That’s “the simple issue”, and that’s the subject of my entire post, which I’m beginning to believe you didn’t even read.

Your comment indicates that you believe that any and all Muslims wish to murder any and all people who do not believe in Islam, which is not only outrageous, but a sweepingly incorrect generalisation, and also, fucking stupid. That’s not even slightly the case, and pretending that it is as evidence to support your ridiculously flawed argument is farcical at best.

You ask “should one group, the Occidental free-speech minded world, tolerate that another group makes rules that hits that free-speech rule” and then say that you “don’t”. If I understand you correctly it appears you’ve clearly judged your your own Occidental free-speaking culture to be superior and therefore believe that it should not have to “tolerate” another inferior culture.

The reality is that no culture is any more or less superior than another, and the only way that different cultures can co-exist peacefully is if they respect each other and don’t deliberately antagonise them, such as oh I don’t know, trolling for a reaction by abusing their prophet.

Do not ask “Why aren’t I allowed to make fun of the prophet Muhammed?” Instead, ask, “What could I possibly gain by making fun of the prophet Muhammed, and will it prove anything at all or in any way help these two cultures to understand each other?”

The onus is not on Muslims to stop being offended by your bullshit. The onus is on you to treat everybody with respect.

As for you, Sean (#8), until you can accept the fact that not all Muslims believe Westerners are “infidels and should be killed”, and that statements like that are actually incredibly racist, hurtful and wrong, I’d ask you not to comment on my blog any more. That’s about as true as saying “all Westerners are fat rich godless pigs”. Generalisations work both ways.

As an aside, did you know “infidel” is actually an English word? Not an Arabic word? It’s a word we Westerners have apparently decided that Muslims and Arabs like to say, when it’s actually one we invented to describe non-Christians during the Crusades.

The more you know, the harder it is to make racist generalisations.

If you say so, you MUST die. It’s not that you are wrong: any Muslim should kill you for that. That’s where the superseding rule hits back at you. That’s also why it’s not trolling, but really making obvious the cultural issue here: should one group, the Occidental free-speech minded world, tolerate that another group makes rules that hits that free-speech rule?
I don’t. You can go and say I’m a dick, but I’ll side with Voltaire. I personally disagree with these cartoons, because I don’t see why they were any fun or witty. However, we should fight so that people keep the right to make those stupid unfunny cartoons. Our civilization depends on it.

There is a huge difference between discussion (and critique) and heckling. Discussion and critique breeds understanding and growth. Heckling does nothing but breed contempt and entrenched positions.

This does nothing, but pander to extremists on all sides: from the paranoid Islamaphobes (both secular and religious) who believe that Western Culture must destroy Islam to save itself (never mind the fact that wiping out belief systems or worldviews has NEVER made the world better) to the Radicals who use Islam to cover a political agenda which relies on them making Muslims believe that Western Culture is inherently hostile to them and will never give them a fair shake (even though they are just as willing to bomb Mosques and violate every single fatwa just to cling to power).

I think what most people feel when Muslims get angry over ANY depiction of Muhammad is the hipocracy Muslims show over it. Their religion forbids the depiction of ANY religious figures not just Muhammad.

So why don’t they get angry, protest and deliver death threats when Buddha, Jesus, Moses or any other religious figure is represented in either a good or bad way?

It’s blatant hipocracy on their part. Not meaning to offend the followers of Islam, but their God means nothing to me, which is exactly the same stance they have on other religions, as evidenced by the posters and shouts of “death to the infidel” you constantly see.

It’s “give and take” but they don’t seem to want to be on the giving side.

We are all Infidels and should be killed as far as they are concerned.

I did not in any way state or imply that Islam – or any religion at all – should be above criticism. And I am absolutely not saying that violent extremists should be ignored or worse, encouraged. I fervently believe the exact opposite of those things!

What I am saying is that there is a difference between criticising a religion and deliberately setting out to be offensive to somebody’s religious beliefs.

What I am saying is that Draw Muhammad Day is pure trolling and adds nothing to any sort of constructive dialogue about the place of radicalism in Islam. Doing something that you know other people will find offensive, just so that you can feel smug when they do get offended, is fucking retarded!

This isn’t about cultural clashes or whose country is closest to the flashpoint, this is about people’s unwillingness to engage in a respectful and educated dialogue, and their absolute willingness to believe that somehow Muslims as a whole are “violent” because they get angry when people deliberately offend them.

I can also once again only reiterate, that political satire of a single politician is not the same thing as deliberately setting out to offend millions of people. I am very confused as to how you can draw a connection there!

I think it’s all very well being righteous when you’re far removed from such cultural clashes, but experiencing it here in the UK is much different. Take this story for example;

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/6972109/Wootton-Bassett-protest-group-Islam4UK-to-be-banned.html

Now I’m not saying the Muslim community as a whole should be held responsible, but in the same way we chastise parents for naughty children’s behaviour, there should be increased pressure on religious leaders to ensure that such extremist behaviour is not bred within their walls.

Regardless, as a Brit talking to an Australian, I’m suprised you support any notion that our history of brutal, scathing satire and provocation is not anything but a badge of honour. I for one do not want to live in a world where we have to be tiptoe around and watch our words in case we offend anyone. Especially when it comes to religion – it’s been at the heart of pretty much every major conflict since time began.

Or are you just trying to troll me too? Ho ho ho

Also, yes everyone has the right to be a dick. Accordingly, if you choose to exercise that right, it becomes very apparent that you are a dick. Good post.