Te Radar uses his Friday Herald column (offline) to weigh in on those offensive cartoons, arguing that "taking the mickey [is] a non-negotiable core tradition". He also has this to say:
I am rather perplexed why those people who are calling for the cartoonists, their editors, the publishers, and hapless newspaper delivery children to be exterminated aren't offended by those activities that truly denigrate their religion far more than satirisation.Stoning people to death for consensual sex, so-called honour killings - especially of women who have supposedly brought dishonour on their families by having the audacity to be raped - the beheading of innocent hostages, and suicide bombings, all often conducted in the name of Islam, seem to have escaped the attention of those whose wrath, rather than their funny bone, was tickled by the Danish lampooners.
Which is exactly the point that some of the cartoons were trying to make.
10 comments:
Online here:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=000479AD-91AC-13E1-8AD083027AF1010B
Long live the inalienable right to take the piss.
Posted by Will de Cleene : 2/03/2006 01:10:00 PM
a secular amen to that.
Posted by Anonymous : 2/03/2006 02:23:00 PM
It's good to see that certain people - particularly the Herald - are finally beginning to stand up for cartoonists' rights of free speech. I wonder if they will also be apologising to Malcolm Evans for having him silenced when he dared to draw a cartoon which The Powers That Be deemed to be "politically incorrect".
- Dave J.
Posted by Anonymous : 2/03/2006 07:38:00 PM
Thousands of muslims take part in stunningly polite protests and have quiet exchanges leading to an apology from the relevant party. Airtime: 0.
A dozen guys with guns turn up five weeks late to say "ooh, look at us, aren't we cool" while some old fart says "they're all pricks, don't buy their stuff". Airtime: huge, priceless.
Those paying attention for the last decade might notice a subtle trend there.
IMO, take the piss, great, but do it to the crazy-ass fundies, not all muslims as parodying the prophet does. A speech bubble from off-screen would've offended about a quarter billion less people.
Posted by tussock : 2/04/2006 02:01:00 AM
So Tussock, the right to free speech should bow down before the sensibilities of anyone who might get offended? What utter crap. Free speech exists IN the right to offend, and veryone who has championed free thought and free speech, from Copernicus to Voltaire to Kate Sheppard to MLK to Aayan Hirsi Ali has been told to desist because they are causing offence.
Appeasers like yourself are the road back to oppression and fear.
By the way, your talk of "stunningly polite protests" seems to admit much in question here: the intemperance of such mob gatherings you appear to (large accurately cast as normative.
Posted by Anonymous : 2/04/2006 04:29:00 AM
Dear Idiot,
I'm still wondering whether you're going to enlighten me as to what you mean regarding your recent description of "the demonisation of Muslims by supporters of the "war on terror". Precisely what pervasive racism is this? How does it work? And how is it discernable from a legitimate disgust regarding signs like these?
http://michellemalkin.com/
Are these people victims of marginalisation or are they bullying, violent thugs? I am interested in your thoughts...
Posted by Anonymous : 2/04/2006 08:00:00 AM
Oh dear - how hurtful to me Milsy. Seriously, do you so utterly lack debating skills that this is the best you can do by means of trying to disabuse me of my opinions? Would you like to perhaps venture a serious thought or opinion that can be responded to?
Crap I despair of the left that automatons like you represent: "You don't think like me so therefore you must be a facist nazi babykiller".
Grow up, sweetie.
Posted by Anonymous : 2/04/2006 11:40:00 AM
To proselytise merrily away about one of my own heroes, here's Aayan Hirsi Ali's website.
http://ayaanhirsiali.web-log.nl/categorie/46044
These are precisely the struggles one would hope that the left cherishes and supports.
Posted by Anonymous : 2/04/2006 02:05:00 PM
Muslims have been publishing offensive cartoons that are deeply offensive to the Jewish people and the West for years.
The one Danish paper publish 12 cartoons and suddeenly Muslims are outraged.
Bloody Hypocrites.
Posted by Anonymous : 2/04/2006 09:49:00 PM
If The Dom and the Press are really serious about freedom of the press, I challenge them to publish some of the "Jesus ads" that recently appeared on Fark: http://forums.fark.com/cgi/fark/comments.pl?IDLink=1864103
One of the Viagra ads would do the trick.
Now of course you may ask why they would want to, but then one has to ask why they chose to publish cartoons that seem to have had no purpose but to wind up Muslims.
Don't get me wrong - I hold no brief for Islam or any other religion, but there is clearly a lot of cynicism and hypocrisy surrounding this controversy, and it isn't all on the Muslim side.
Posted by Anonymous : 2/05/2006 11:06:00 AM
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