Quote:
Originally Posted by Abcdxxxx
Reactionary bigots is a great way to describe the people burning down embassys, kidnapping Europeans....or better yet, killing Dutch filmmakers....all for just offending a Muslim's sensibilities. None of those are merely examples of "freedom of speech", they're crimes.....so let's put it into context. Those actions are not the moral equivalent of an artistic statement deemed to be in poor taste. Danish cartoons which slight one religion do not justify death threats.
Wake the fuck up. In your desperation to scream "not all Muslims are bad people" again and again (we agree, we agree enough already) you're arguing on the side of fascists, and violence. You're defending the argument for persecution of the Salman Rushdie's of the world....and if you're not....then stop arguing. Not all Muslims are bad....stop undermining that message by defending Islamic fascism....ESPECIALLY if it represents a fucking minority within the Islamic population.
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I like how you keep going on and on about what Muslims are doing and you haven't said a thing about the book burning yet.
You can protest or question or critique a religion without going to the extent of burning their sacred book. That action lends itself to another facet of the "freedom of speech" clause that people like to pull out so often, which is that you have freedom to speak your mind but what you don't have is the right to incite a riot or create an environment that can lead to harm or endanger the lives of others.
To that end, I see flag burning in a somewhat similar light. If someone burns the flag of a nation, it's quite a general statement. If someone burns an effigy of a leader of that nation, it sends a more direct message which can be understood.
Islam, like Christianity, has its more extreme factions. You need only review the shootings at abortion clinics in the US to know this. Look at Pat Robertson. He praises the death of people as punishment from God. He has praised the murder the abotion clinic doctors. Is that not extreme? Is that terribly far away from being related to a faction of Islam that calls for the death of those who debase their beliefs?
Islam has millions of followers all over the world. Millions and millions. Is it safe to say that if muslims were truly a blood-thirsty crazed bunch of lunatics that we'd see a whole hell of a lot more violence?
Burning a book makes a very final statement about the people as a whole. And at the end of the day, just because you have the "right" to do something, that doesn't mean you should do it.