Muslim demonstration (photos)

[Bear-Arms]

Here are some photos from the Muslim demonstration outside the Danish embassy, London, Feb 3 2006:

 

[guest301]

That says it all. America knows and/or should know who it's enemies are. Bring on the racial profiling..or in this case religous profiling.

 

[Bear-Arms]

You might find this interesting then.

US backs Muslims in cartoon dispute

By Saul Hudson Fri Feb 3, 3:27 PM ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States backed Muslims on Friday against European newspapers that printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a move that could help America's battered image in the Islamic world.

Inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States sided with Muslims outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion.

"These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims," State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question.

"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable."

American Muslims welcomed the U.S. position, although it stopped short of urging American media not to republish the cartoons that include depicting Mohammad as a terrorist.

Cooper said he had no comment as to why the United States chose to pass judgment in a dispute that ostensibly does not involve America.

But the United States, which was founded by immigrants fleeing religious persecution, has previously spoken out against publications offensive to believers of other faiths.

"Anti-Muslim images are as unacceptable as anti-Semitic images, as anti-Christian images or any other religious belief," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

The United States, which before the September 11 attacks was criticized for insensitivity to the Islamic culture, has become more attuned to Muslim sensibilities.

Accusations last year that U.S. officials desecrated the Koran sparked deadly riots in Asia and heightened that awareness.

DIFFERENT RESPONSE IN U.S. AND EUROPE

Major U.S. publications have not republished the cartoons.

In contrast, some European media responded to the criticism against the Danish newspaper that originally printed the caricatures by reproducing the images and fueled anger that has led to boycotts of Danish products and widespread protests.

The U.S. response contrasted with European governments, which have tended to acknowledge the tension between free speech and respect for religion but have generally accepted the newspapers' rights to print the cartoons.

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations, told Reuters he welcomed the U.S. position.

The State Department reaction "was a strong statement in support of Muslims around the world. It's a reflection of the concern felt by millions of Muslims and I think it will be appreciated," he said.

"It is support for an understanding that with freedom comes responsibility."

But Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco and a Bush administration critic, said the United States was responsible for creating far more anger in the Muslim world because of its invasion of Iraq.

"The United States is the last nation that should caution against unnecessarily inflaming sentiments in the Muslim world," he said.

The U.S. criticism of the newspapers also comes after the Pentagon complained over a Washington Post cartoon.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent an unusual letter to the editor published on Thursday, denouncing as "reprehensible" and "beyond tasteless" a cartoon earlier in the week portraying Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as insensitive to U.S. troop casualties.

The cartoon portrayed a soldier who had lost his arms and legs with Rumsfeld at his hospital bedside saying, "I'm listing your condition as 'battle hardened."'

 

[White Shogun]

According to Muslim thinking, we're not allowed to print derogatory cartoons of Muhammed or Islam, but it IS okay to call for REAL people to be killed by beheading and massive explosion? wtf kind of logic is this? Is it any wonder that we cannot get along and share the same plot of earth?

 

[hedgehog]

I say we print off thousands of thesecartoons and air-drop them all over the muslim world. I will be on my coach cheerleading when Israel pounds Iranand their nuclear facilities into oblivion.

 

[Bear-Arms]

Israel never does the heavy lifting, they'll just get Americans to do it.

 

[guest301]

Isreal was doing the heavy lifting when they took out the Iraqi Nuclear facilities in 1982. I know Isreal is not a favorite nation with some on this site but they would be doing us and the rest of the world a favor if they took out Iran's. Much more of a challenge though with Iran's facilities spread out over a dozen different sites and buried deep underground. Maybe the American's and Isreali's together can turn much of that nation into a parking lot. Iran going nuclear is a very very scary proposition even for us thousands of miles away. They are months away if they are already not there now.

 

[White Shogun]

I think Israel would do more and would have done more if not held in check by American diplomacy. The United States is afraid of any war in the Middle East that involves Israel. If they bomb Iran (which I think they should) you can expect all of the Islamic nations, if not in the world then those in the Middle East, to come to arms to finally obliterate Israel from the map.

Unless Europe allies itself with the Muslim world, ethnic warfare will break out all across Europe.

The United States will of course become involved in the conflagration in the Middle East, particularly if our born-again President is still in office, and thus suck in the nations of Europe, Russia, and possibly even China. The next five years are going to be quite frightful, in my opinion. Edited by: White Shogun

 

[guest301]

White Shogun, your last paragraph fits in prophetically from scripture. Most of the leading prophecy scholars interpet the Bible as saying that Russia, China,Europe and possibly the U.S. as meeting in a end times war in the middle east. That amazes me because I know you are coming at this from a non-religous angle and yet in someways have the same opinions as I do about what is shortly ahead of us in that region of the world. I know you are not comfortable with "sermons" and so I will leave it at that.

 

[emt1]

I would love to see israel occupy mecca

 

[White Shogun]

Guest301, I'm well aware of end times prophecy. Long, long ago I studied end times prophecy a great deal. However, there is no secret to predicting the battle lines in a war in the Middle East; the most secular among us, as well as the most religious, read the same daily news and can figure it out on their own without having to read the Bible.

In my opinion, any such prophecy is a self-fulfilling one. If your religion teaches that a war in the Middle East must occur before the savior of your religion can return to the earth, is it any surprise that millions of people on the planet who believe that will work pro-actively to bring it about?

The difference between you and me is that I believe mankind will be left here alone to put the pieces back together. I hope that such a conflagration will bring an end to such prophecies and religious fanatacism. Edited by: White Shogun

 

[guest301]

I am not working pro-actively to bring it about. That is a common mis-conception. How much power do you give us evangelicals anyway! The only thing these beliefs cause us to do is to feel the need to witness more about our faith and usually nothing more than that.

 

[Bart]

According to Muslim thinking, we're not allowed to print derogatory cartoons of Muhammed or Islam, but it IS okay to call for REAL people to be killed by beheading and massive explosion? wtf kind of logic is this? Is it any wonder that we cannot get along and share the same plot of earth?

The European are going to pay dearly for allowing those radical Muslim Arab/Black zealots into their lands. A few of them here and there don't pose much of a threat, but when they gain power and numbers...look out. It's like mixing oil and water, not compatible. Americans and Euros will learn that multi-ethnic societies gurantee strife and chaos.

 

[Bart]

Maybe the American's and Isreali's together can turn much of that nation into a parking lot.

My oh my, that's not very Christian of you, is it? Have you forgotten to turn the other cheek if someone smites you and offer him the other? What about loving your enemies and doing good to those who hate and persecute you? You only love those who love you...why, even a Pharisee can do that. Tsk tsk tsk.

 

[KG2422]

Release the pigs in Mecca.

 

[guest301]

It's called self-defence Bart. A little pre-emptive strike before they get you. This whole turn the other cheek thing and loving your enemies only applies to your personal life and certainly not to the foreign policy of your home country. A nation that won't defend itself in this world won't last long. Your tsk tsk tsk's don't carry alot of weight with me.

 

[Bart]

It's called self-defence Bart. A little pre-emptive strike before they get you. This whole turn the other cheek thing and loving your enemies only applies to your personal life and certainly not to the foreign policy of your home country. A nation that won't defend itself in this world won't last long. Your tsk tsk tsk's don't carry alot of weight with me.

Self defence huh? Then by your definition Iran could unleash a sneak attack against Israel, pulverizing it to dust with nukes. Of course, they could justify the activity by saying it was a pre-emptive strike. Iran could cite several sources indicating Israel's desire to take out Iran's reactors, couldn't they? The attack could be seen as self defence. Actually, that is what we did to Iraq, bombing them in an effort -allegedly- to destroy weapons that were not there. We merely acted in self-defence. This sort of deception can be played by the other side as well.

What did Jesus preach? He told his followers not to resist evil. He was beaten, crucified and killed as were many of his disciples, who never fought back or offered resistance. Peter cut off the ear of an occupying Roman soldier with a sword and Jesus strongly condemned him. If you live by the sword you will die by the sword etc. To say his injunctions against violence only applied to personal situations is utterly absurd and ridiculous. You can't combine Jesus' message with the old- testament law of eye for an eye and be consistent.

 

[guest301]

Bart. I"m not going to get into a theological debate with you. That's not what this site is about although it is hard for me to remember that sometimes with you baiting me every time I post anything non-sports related. It's fascinating to me that a non-believer like yourself knows so much about what Jesus taught and what it means for today. Maybe you are a believer that's still in the closet!!!

 

[JD074]

Don't get me wrong, I despite these people who are protesting and rioting over a friggin' cartoon for crying out loud. They're pathetic. I despise them.

But I must admit that we can learn something from non-whites, and from the ultra-religious. Everybody is getting something done, except us. Blacks have had a very strong influence over American politics for decades, Hispanics are taking over the Southwest, Muslims are threatening the future of Europe, and Asia could become the economic center of the world. Meanwhile, white birth rates are collapsing, we have totally non-responsive political leaders who don't give a damn about us, we're selling our economy down the river, and our countries to immigrants... can we do anything right? I'm really ashamed of what's going on right now.

Maybe we need some of the fervor and fanaticism of the Muslims. This century is poised to destroy our people, and we need to find a way to prevent that from happening. White Nationalism isn't working. It's decades away from having an impact, if ever. Conservatism is a joke, as the Bush Administration and GOP prove. Christianity utterly adores non-whites, especially Africans and Hispanics.

What we need is to have a very clear sense of a double standard: one standard for us, one standard for them. We must clearly differentiate us from them. This is what everybody else does, and we have to do it as well. Muslims understand this. Anyone who doesn't believe in Islam is an "infidel." Jews, blacks, Mexicans, everybody gets this but us. Unfortunately, if this is explicitly based on race, it will be very unpalatable for the majority of whites. It will take decades to have a marginal impact on whites' attitudes toward ethnocentrism. But we can't use our religion (Christianity,) and we certainly can't use patriotism (not in America anyway.) There's nothing binding us together, and seemingly nothing that we can use to bind us together in the future. I really can't think of any good strategies that we could use to save ourselves from the destruction that's awaiting us....

Edited by: JD074

 

[Bart]

But I must admit that we can learn something from non-whites, and from the ultra-religious. Everybody is getting something done, except us...
Maybe we need some of the fervor and fanaticism of the Muslims. This century is poised to destroy our people, and we need to find a way to prevent that from happening. White Nationalism isn't working. It's decades away from having an impact, if ever. Conservatism is a joke, as the Bush Administration and GOP prove. Christianity utterly adores non-whites, especially Africans and Hispanics.

What we need is to have a very clear sense of a double standard: one standard for us, one standard for them. We must clearly differentiate us from them. This is what everybody else does, and we have to do it as well.

What a great post!! Outstanding from top to bottom!! We can't continue to play by the rules weve been raised with. Nobody else does. The Mexicans care nothing for our laws, breaking them at every opportunity. Why shouldn't they? We reward their activities more and more each day. Blacks are totally irresponsible, breed like rabbits, are the biggest lawbreakers in the universe and what is the downside for their behavior?

George Bush, his daddy , Clinton, Carter and a whole slew of wimps prostrated themselves before the black leadership at the Mrs. King memorial service. I dislike Bush it's clear to those who read my posts. But the Rev. Jackass Lowrey in typical Negro manner used the totally inapropriate setting to humiliate and scold the fools who were stupid enough to attend such a BS service. I DESPISE our spineless cowardly white leadership.

I'm tired of playing by the rules!!! No other group does!! I was brought up on Roy Rogers and Western heroes who always let the bad guys shoot first. Many of us grew up being Altar Boys and Boy Scouts, literally helping little old ladies across the street and being the -good boys- in white hats. These are very admirable traits, practiced among our selves in a homogenous society. But our goodness has been used to destroy us, like the good hearted church lady who offered help to Katrina victims(sic) who took advantage of her kindness. They made her a prisoner in her home, stole her car and money and then KILLED her in return! If that isn't a metaphor for white America I don't know what is.

Edited by: Bart

 

[guest301]

I agree with you Bart on whatjackass Rev.Lowery did at the funeral.Jimmy Carter behavedlike a jackass as well. It's totally inapropriate to wax political during a important funeral of a national figure like this. This only seems to happen at funerals of famous liberals. Remember Sen. Paul Wellstones funeral. I don't remember conservatives during Reagan's funeral using that opportunity to attack liberals during the funeral. It's disgusting. I like Pres. Bush but I am not always in agreement on how he bends over backward for people who wouldn't bother to piss on him if someone set him on fire! They would sure toast a marshmellow though.
Fox News (my favorite network) said Bush was taking the high road. But sometimes taking the high road isn't the best road. Bush looks soft when he claps along while people are attacking him. he would have gained the respect of alot of people in this country if he had got up and walked out with his wife. That whole funeral was a disgusting display of partisianship and there was no place for it. There used to be civility and manners in this country even in political discourse...those days are long gone.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

What got me was King's daughter "preacher." Anyone who believes the Bible knows that women cannot be preachers. What a fool she made of herself stomping around the podium.

 

[Don Wassall]

That both Coretta Scott King and communist activist Rosa Parks have been deified by not only the usual suspects but the Republican Party and conservatives as well is vivid proof of just how little "diversity" there is in America's perpetual two-party monopoly.

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Don, I think more people are beginning to wake up to the fleecing of America. The only question is whether they will stand up and do anything about it before it is too late. I expressed my displeasure with the political situation with several people here last week. There is a level of disgust at picking the lesser of two evils by many I have talked to, but there seems to be a loss about what to do about it. For one thing, I think we have too many neo-cons who want to tow some of the PC line, but not all of it. Then you have people like myself who are ready to abandon both parties and try to support a third that represents our views. The problem I see is that even true Conservatives are split in many of their opinions, and I am sick of compromise!I know it takes some compromise for politics to work, but I think compromises have been the ruin of this country. What to do about it is what I'm trying to figure out.

 

[Don Wassall]

The government, judiciary and media are all set up to maintain the two entrenched parties in perpetuity without any real competition. Whoever can figure out how to break that monopoly will be the greatest American hero since Thomas Jefferson.