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Islam and the Fear Of Offending

Two news stories drew my attention today and especially after the attack by two Muslims on a solider in the streets of London the other day in the UK.

The first, an attack by machete-wielding Muslims on two men in a barbershop which left the men seriously injured, and the second, a story about a student newspaper at an Australian university having to apologize and withdraw a satiric article about Islam after having previously made fun of other religions or beliefs in other issues with no consequence whatsoever.

MACHETE wielding thugs have left two men with ‘serious injuries’ after attacking them in an Accrington barber’s shop.
The two victims had been inside the shop in Ormerod Street when four masked men carrying machetes and knives forced their way inside.

Detectives investigating the incident said the gang attacked the pair before forcing them into the street.

Police said they were looking for a gang of Asian men in connection with the attack.

You see, in British 'media-speak', Muslims are now referred to as 'Asians'. To even refer to Muslims in a story that (rightly) describes who they are in relation to a crime is now to somehow cause offence.

In the second story -
An Australian university forced the editors of its student newspaper to retract a satirical piece about Islam, fearing violent reprisals from radical Muslims.

The Woroni, a student newspaper at The Australian National University, recently published a series of satirical infographics making fun of Catholicism, Scientology, Mormonism and Judaism.
But the final installment, which mocked the religion of Islam and derided the Islamic view of women as a “rape fantasy,” prompted a stern rebuke from university administrators and some students who claimed that the newspaper had offended Muslims.

The editors issued a broad apology to anyone who might have been offended. Later, when the infographic was published on the Woroni’s website and Facebook page, the university again intervened. The editors and writers were hauled before an administrative review board and threatened with expulsion unless they took down the infographic.

Administrators claimed the piece of satire violated the university code of conduct. They also feared it could inflame radical Muslims.

“In a world of social media, [there is] potential for material such as the article in question to gain attention and traction in the broader world and potentially harm the interests of the university and the university community,” said a statement from the Chancelry of the university.
Satirical depictions of Islam or its prophet, Muhammad, have been known to prompt violence among radical Muslims. In 2005, A Danish cartoonist was murdered after drawing Muhammad, and in 2010, the creators of the television show “South Park” received death threats.

The editors of the Woroni felt they had no choice but to comply, and took down the infographic. The incident left them worrying about the future of the freedom of the press on campus, however.

“Although the issue was eventually resolved, Woroni is concerned about the implications of these events for freedom of speech and, more generally, the role of student publications,” wrote the editors in a statement.

Maybe they are beginning to wake up to the fact that freedom of speech genuinely is being threatened?

It looks like it wasn’t even Muslims who said they were offended by the article – it was other people who were offended on their behalf. And why? Because that is what is being drilled into us – the fact that you can’t offend Muslims or Islam because there will be reprisals. That is part of Sharia law and it is becoming slowly ingrained into the universal consciousness that they are not to be offended. It is becoming taboo; becoming like bad manners, and that is what they want.

It has to do with FEAR, which reinforces the wishes of those who follow Islam. No one cared when any of those other faiths or beliefs were satirized. Even if there were Christians, Jews or Scientologists who were offended by previous articles, it didn’t seem to matter. Even if those groups had complained or said they were offended, it still wouldn’t have mattered and the university administration wouldn’t have taken any action.

It is the policing of thoughts by an ideology; so much so that it is we in the West who are censoring ourselves on behalf of Muslims. It is not looking good. Hopefully the West will wake up in time but the media and others who have influence have to realize that they are enablers.

Comments

  1. With the decline in (Christian) faith,so goes the decline in moral courage. But I think the last paragraph is instructive. The self-censoring is part and parcel of a PC (secular) culture and it not only refers to muslims.Having grown up around (sort of) and worked with Muslims, humour, jokes and teasing were normal. There were certain places we did not go and vice versa.Granted,you cannot generalise.
    About the west waking up, it is too late I'm afraid. Pockets will though by and large, it is goodnite. For the west to "wake up" implies a return to Christianity and that is not going to happen en masse. Pockets yes, wholesale no.
    It is unsurprising that "it was other people who were offended on their behalf". I will say it again, it is a secular culture that promotes the 'invasion' of an (other) alien culture.

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  2. It is indeed fear that gives many pause before subjecting Islam to the same treatment normally reserved for Christians and Jews. If one were to insult the faith of a Christian or Jew one would not expect to be murdered in the street. This is not true with Islam. The faithful of Islam will go out of their way to kill you for bad mouthing their faith. Just ask Theo van Gogh's killer.

    That is why people get nervous whenever anybody criticizes Islam. You just never know when the wrong person will hear you and slit your throat for it. That is why people walk on eggshells in the UK and Europe. And apparently in Australia as well.

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  3. The point is that the Brit media refer to "Asian gangs" when those gangs are almost invariably young muslim men.
    It's simply their way of avoiding the "M" word.

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  4. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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  5. Oh, sorry, Reggie. :)
    "..but it's nothing to do with Muslims and there's nothing new about it."
    A bit like Beslan and Boston, then?

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  6. The problem for the progressive left is that they want to keep the term generic, so as not to make it about Islam. So they use the term "Asian" which does indeed, in the UK, include the Pakistanis, Indians and some of the middle east.

    They've done such a good job, Asian is rapidly becoming synonymous with Islamic Fundamentalist.

    It's almost funny.

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  7. 1. What Fletch wrote was untrue. I merely corrected him.

    2. I didn't see anything in the linked article that would lead the reader to conclude the attackers were Muslims. You appear to have decided they must be, on the basis of come on, we all know what Muslims are like. The journalist appears to have decided that she'll refer to "Asians" as there's no info in the article to provide further detail than that. I'll leave it to the reader to figure out who's the asshole here.

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  8. Milt,

    This link tells of the killers shouting Allah Akbar as they did what they did ... another site records the rant of one of the men caught on camera ... ask Google to show you the rant of the killer and you will find more...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCw3ewJOhEs

    Looks to me that Fletch is right!
    Mrs Mac

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  9. Hi Reggie, Sorry I couldn't edit your comment and had to remove it. We have a policy here of respecting a blogger pseudonym.

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