Hitchie's important points:
1. The Koran contains no strictures against portraying mohammad or anybody else (not that this should matter to free-thinking promoters of free thought and expression).
2. Muslims during times of Islamic sophistication and enlightenment (ie, "civilization") produced many paintings of mohammad and other human forms. Notice that this conincided with the period when Muslims led the world in innovation and prosperity, as opposed to now.
3. The stricture against portraying mohammad represent a custom designed to prevent deification of any human. Fanaticly retarded muslims (as opposed to the muslims who thrived when Europe experienced their dark age, which not coincidentally included rigid tyranical and retarded imposition of christian superstitions!) are historically and currently absolutely intollerant of religious idols, to the point of destroying other people's property; see Taliban destruction of ancient buddas. Yet this absolute intollerance itself represents idol worship, with Mohammad's image being the idol, whose worship manifests as a violent proscription against any human on earth rendering an image!
4. Many islamic leaders of this violent retailliation against the cartoonists have themselves violated their own stricture, both by diseminating the cartoons... and even by creating and inserting one of their own into the disemination!
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5 comments:
Much of what you say is accurate here.
The tradition of forbidding images of the prophet is not sanctioned by the Qu'ran. If my own understanding is correct, tt stems from the Bible's admonition against graven images. But it is tradition.
Islam is full of such traditions. There is another set of rules aside from the Qu'ran called hadiths that make up another aspect of Shariya law. Hadiths are the reported words and deeds of the prophet. Many of these hadiths are not verifiable, meaning there is no historical record confirming a witness to the sayings or actions.
Many Muslims deify Muhammad to almost the same degree that Christians have deified Jesus. (Almost. No muslim will tell you that Muhammad is Allah.) Suffice it to say the prophet is held in very high regard, and an insult against him is an insult against the religion itself.
Nadir: Although muslims don't claim that mohammad is god, there are thousands of them staging breathless, bipolor rampages demanding that even non-believers adhere to their Moh superstition. Certainly thousands of christiand behaved like that for hundreds of years, including during Europe's dark ages, a period when muslims where the ones setting an example of toleration / intelligence (and themselves painting images of mohammad). It seems to me that the muslim deification, idolization, and fetishization of mohammad now far exceeds that of the christians and their jesus.
"It seems to me that the muslim deification, idolization, and fetishization of mohammad now far exceeds that of the christians and their jesus."
Not true. Muslims do not claim that Muhammad is God.
What is true, however, is that Muslims are much more violent in defence of their beliefs than most current Christians. This is because Islam is the "Arabization" (this isn't a word, but I'm writing it anyway) of Judeo-Christian religious beliefs. (The origins of all of these beliefs can be traced to Ethiopia and Kush, by the way.)
The difference lies in how Muslims, Christians and Jews practice their beliefs. Islam is not a religion, it is a way of life. If practiced correctly, it determines your every thought and action. Judaism is similar, though Jews put more emphasis on the ethnic aspects of the religion, and they look more to themselves as the chosen people. Most Christians practice their religion once a week.
The current Muslim violence, however, stems from the socio-political climate, not the religion. By attacking the religion, Europeans crossed the line because they are attacking a way of life. But the roots are in the continuous European attacks on the region beginning with the Crusades, colonialism, the creation of the state of Israel and its subsequent wars, and finally the current American led war against the people of the Middle East.
Nadir, I am well aware that Muslims don't claim that Muhammad is god; however, they deify him anyway by holding so precious as to forbid not only criticism of him, but even drawing him.
Are you under the impression that "The Crusades" constituted a European invasion of Arabia, and that the Europeans were any more violent and atrocious than the Arab Muslims? Are you aware that Mohammad himself ordered the conquest of Jeruselum and Persia? Are you aware that the Persians invaded Europe? Are you aware that the Persians and Muslim empires (and pre-muslim Arab empires) practiced coolonialism as well? How do you charactorize the Muslim conquest of Persia and India? Are you aware of the origin of the Indian religion of Shiekism? Do you know why the males of this religion carry a kniefe at all times? (Hint: it is not to thwart invading christians). Are you aware of how the Egyptian empire formed? (Hint: It did not involve peaceful agreements amoung the various groups of Egyptians to harmoneously join hands and build a just society featuring pyramids, though it certainly did involve beer.)
=====Nadir
If practiced correctly, it determines your every thought and action. Most Christians practice their religion once a week.
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Why are you comparing ideal Islam with practical christianity? Christianity "if practiced correctly" would result in something much more than a weekly ritual. We can only hope that islam will evolve into a mere ritual as well.
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