Since we placed up our several articles of new, original cartoons of the Islamic prophet Mohammed, we have received many messages of praise and condemnation for our act. We thank those who have expressed their support, and for those who have condemned us as satanic infidels in accord with the devil, well, we have this postcard.
To any fundamentalist, we will send the same message. We will not kow tow to anyone who tries to make us follow the rules of their religion, whether that religion is Islam, Christianity, Judaism, Hinduism, or Buddhism. Hell, if the Wiccans told us we had to bend low in respect of their religious practices, we’d tell them to go stick their heads in the mud too.
It is bad enough that the Islamic world thinks it has the right to tell the rest of us what we can say and what we cannot say. Even worse, the Bush White House is going along with the radical imams, and is telling everyone to apologize for a few European cartoons. Cartoons don’t cause problems – death threats do.
So, we’re doing the only thing it makes sense to do when violent radicals try to silence us with threats of violence. We are getting louder. No one will deter us from speaking our minds. We will say what we want to say about any religion, and we won’t apologize for the freedom to do so. We will draw anything that we want to draw, and if people want to try to come into our homes to slaughter us as a result, let them come.
I refuse to raise my children in a way that teaches them to be afraid of bullies. I’m not going to have my children live in a world where they feel that they do not have the right to speak their minds. Nothing is above criticism and satire. Not me. Not you. Not the prophet Mohammed.
So, I have drawn yet another cartoon of Mohammed, and I’m making this one available on a postcard here to anyone who cares enough to stand up to the death threats of the theocratic hordes, and laugh at them. Follow your own religious laws, if you must, but when you demand that I follow them, I will exercise my constitutional right to make fun of you as much as I want.
Fundamentalist Muslims: Got a problem with it? Tough. Your religion is not my religion, and you’d better get used to it, because I will have my head cut off before I submit to you. So, kill me now, or stop threatening me, and leave me alone so that I can live in freedom without hearing your shrill whining.
Thank God! Finally a voice of reason! I don’t care what anyone’s spiritual belief system is. What pisses me off (and always has!) is some religious fanatic trying to ram HIS god down MY throat! THESE assholes seem to wish to revert to the 15th century and perform conversions by the sword. I, for one am becoming heartily sick of it.If we are to spread democracy to the rest of the world, the first thing to do is to tell these loons and their leaders to SHUT THE HELL UP! To the Islamic Fundies, I say this: I respect your right to believe as you wish. I will not tolerate you telling ME what I must believe. If you get offended, fine. I was asked the question once,”If i throw a bucket of cold water on you, will it make you angry?” Answer: “No it’ll make you wet. YOU make you angry.” Oh yeah…I think the “Mohammed” cartoon was funny. Now piss off…
Mike, what would you say to: “oh, go ahead and piss and moan all you like, tell me what you think I should believe, but don’t you dare move an inch to force me into alignment with your beliefs.”
Would you disagree with that? My own take is that telling fundamentalists they have to be quiet only makes matters worse (in fact, the problem is that they’re telling us the same thing: be quiet, you offend me!). To my eye, the line that has to be drawn is when fundamentalists move beyond saying whatever they want to demanding that everyone else say only what is agreeable to them.
Pingback: Rhymes With Right
As for we Witches, go ahead and make fun, we’re used to it. I also agree if you can’t laugh at yourself then you’re way too serious. My beliefs are mine, if I want to share them with someone, they must be ready and ask me to share.Why can’t everyone be polite and do the same? My deities need no protection, if theirs do, how powerful are they?
I’m still for free speech here, but I heard that the specific cartoon causing the problems was the one of Mohammed with a cartoon bomb in his turban. Which is pretty childish, no?
Childish people have the right to free speech too, but if it’s a crappy and childish cartoon with false indications, shouldn’t we join in adding that their views are dumbly put even if we support their right to express them?
I see these as two separate issues. The stupidity of a particular political expression has nothing to do with whether it should be allowed.
If we don’t allow stupidity, then we don’t allow politics. That’s not to say that politics is stupid, but rather, that much of politics is the argument about what is stupid.
I will not say that a cartoon showing Mohammed with a bomb in his turban is childish or stupid. I think that it makes an important point about how religion, when used as an incitement to violence, is prone to metaphorically blow out the speaker’s brains.
The fundamentalist Muslims who have threatened to kill the cartoonist who drew the image have only succeeded in proving the point that the cartoonist was trying to make. I’ll point out the stupidity of the Islamic fundamentalists for not understanding that point far before I’ll chastise the cartoonist.
Childish? I don’t really think so. What I got from the cartoon is that the author was expressing the growing Western impression of Islam, which is that they tend to use terror to make their point. I think it’s a point Islam might want to try to grasp.
But even if it were a childish cartoon, how would that diminish the cartoonist’s right to draw it, or the newspaper’s right to print it?
We’re talking rights here, not political correctness.
I didn’t say it shouldn’t be published, I specifically said otherwise, all I meant is that splitting it into freedom of speechers VS people who think the cartoon’s too offensive doesn’t help anyone.
It isolates the latter, and since when has a lack of understanding helped anyone?
Besides, last I checked pornography is FAR less offensive and potentially dangerous than hate speech, and that is still acceptable to censor. The only reason that isn’t seemingly on trial is because there’s no big recent issue over it.
Well done, for the cartoons
Stop this silly ‘Islamic Bullying’ its not our religion and shame to canada for even considering bringing in Sharia Law.
These cartoons in the papers is nothing more than harmless fun, I hope all the west leave the middle east and stop trading with these ‘Backward Countries’
Hey,
Just came here and to tell you all.. making fun of islam or any other religion is wrong guys..would u like me to make fun of yours?..well i wouldnt even if you said that you wouldnt care..anyways when one person kills other like Osama Bin Laden is one stupid son of a bitch…by the way you wondering why i said that when i am a muslim right? well because Islam is all about Peace..terriosm it doesnt teach..its all about love, love and charity and pray to only one god..making fun of the any relgion is seriously wring guys so stay out of it and do something else..thank you all for reading this….PEACE ADIOS
Enter Islam in google and you will find cartoons.. oh ya thats rediculs…what happened to the world now…hey you call Osama an Asswhole hey i am with ya all the way i hate that SOB…what he did was wrong what he still doing is also wrong and its against the religon of Islam….when the first thing i heared about the cartoons about islam..i really didnt believe it till i saw it…PEOPLE!!!! NON MUSLIMS you calling us BAD PEOPLe while you guys making fun of our relgion..its so stupid…how about if i make fun of yours about Jesus or Budah or any of em nope i wouldnt do it even if its the only way WHY? because its so against our religon..and dont think Osama or them terrioristwhen they say they muslims…people dont believe them even thought they say so…why…because Islam Hates terror…remember…islam…equals…PEACE..what matter what why because the language in arabic says it is and not only that… ALLAH SAID SO. so please just stop writing or making fun of islam why because it s not the solution of PEACE..please people..i love everybody…and i hate harms…..and i love PEACE…and because of that….i am 17….male…trying to work with the FBI so i could help others and want and love PEACE…….so PEACE…love from me to all….
Muslim,
Thank you for your post here. I appreciate your thoughts, and I think I sort of understand how you feel. I firmly believe that those cartoons were not intended to offend, but rather to express a growing perception in the West that Islam and terrorism are tied together. It’s a perception, and not necessarily reality, but sometimes a cartoon like that can make the point and something could change.
In western cultures, many of us don’t share the idea that religious figures should not be depicted in any way, or that it is a sin to express our thoughts about religion, no matter what they are. It is probably very hard for a Muslim to understand our attitude toward ALL religions, not just Islam. We feel we can make fun of God, and that he’s (1) big enough to take it and not strike us dead for it, or (2) he has a sense of humor and wouldn’t be offended, or (3) doesn’t really exist in exactly the way a lot of people believe he does. You probably disagree very much with that, and that’s okay. Your belief is just as valid as any of ours.
I think that what many of us are really trying to say here is that we’d feel a lot better about this issue if more Muslims were to do what you’ve just done – express sincerely and effectively that Muslims disavow terrorism, that it is unacceptable to Muslims everywhere, and that the Muslim world wants it to stop.
Terrorism is defeated when it is no longer effective. It becomes ineffective when (1) the target stops being so deeply affected by it, and (2) the people in whose name it is done stand up and say loudly that they DO NOT support it, and will stand against it. Until those two things happen, as they have to a large extent in Northern Ireland, terrorism will be seen as an effective weapon to the terrorist, and the people in whose name it is committed will continue to be blamed. And innocent people will continue to be destroyed.
I admire your stand, and I deeply respect your thoughts. Thank you.
Its no wonder why muslims around the world hate america if this is the websites they are producing. Smart, educated people understand that there are two sides to every coin. Not all muslims are extremists and not all are terrorists. Do someting productive like bridging gaps versus producing more crazy cartoons and a forum that is going nowhere.
I still think many peopel here don’t understand the corrup foreign policies america has in the middl east which is feulling more terrorist problems. Is it really Freedom of Speach we have? Think carefully about that one.
You’re so right, EA. At this website, we never talk about corrupt foreign policies America has in the Middle East. Or about how not all Muslims are the same. We just never talk about that.
Hello, i would like to say, that islam is my reliion, and who ever wrote a comment, im demanding you to follow our rules, at the end of the day ISLAM is the best.
Muslims go to heaven.
thank you
I agree with Yasim
islam is the best
its also a test.
Everyone here the Quran isnt telling you what to do, so why are all of you blaming it on the rules muslims set.
muslims are always terrorists
they are the pioneers in establishing terrorism
atleast they would change after seeing these figures
I wondered is it the west democracy and freedom, these acts will make dourness, abominating and may be worst you don’t now how blessed prophet Mohamed to Muslims, if you don’t believe in him this is your business, but I think that you don’t have any rights to jeering our prophet.
Well, you have the right to think what you think. But you’re wrong. See Amendment, First.
yh, this is all right but why dont muslims actully draw him? thts what i wont 2 no!!
yh. why dont muslims draw mohammed??!!
yes. the questions above asked by alex and animous NEED answerin!! will sum1 1 plz answer thm!!
Islam Sucks… it aint a religion. It is satanic.
What religion would command you tp kill others? Promise sex with 72 virgins & allow 4 wives so as to propagate? what religion says kill those who leave your religion??
these pple have screwed the world big time… 80% do not understand whats written in qurran
& still follow it!!! attrocities on women are advised!!! huh! what horrible pple.
For once trust a poisonous replite, but never a muslim.
hope they perish in time.
“What religion would command you to kill others?”
Sex with multiple women?
Multiple wives?
Um, haven’t read your Bible lately, have you?
Reading all the posts in here im quite disgusted and shocked at the amount of utter nonsense ive read and i would say that the majority of people in here have ABSOLUTLY NO KNOWLEDGE OF ISLAM WHATSOEVER!
Most people in here just absorb whatever the media feeds them!
I challenge you all to study Islam and the Qur’an for yourselves and then make up a judgement about Islam! But don’t talk absolute nonsense that the media fills you with!
Have you wondered why more people are turning to islam in Europe and in America than any other religion in the world?(Look up the statistic yourselves if you don’t belive me) Well why don’t you look up Islam for yourselves and discover the truth and you will find it to be the most logical of all religions! and DO NOT JUDGE ISLAM BECAUSE OF the way a A FEW SCUM have acted!I do not believe at all that any muslim commited 9 11! It was clearly a cleverly executed goverment plot in order to find an excuse for war!(Look into it for yourselves!) but thats another story!
I could easily label Christians for being terrorists because if you look at the amount of illegal wars that have occured in America’s history then you would know of the amount of atrocity’s and mass murders that have been committed-Hiroshima,Vietnam and Iraq to name just 3!But im not narrow minded im not going to label a people because of the acts of a few scum! Drawing Cartoons about the prophet will not achieve anything at all! All it will do is fuel anger and hatred! Is that how low humans have gone nowadays? because it is a very sad state of affairs!I welcome debate in an adult manner! but the people who drew these drawings are truly evil because they knew of the consequances and how much hatred and anger it will cause and that was the purpose of these drawings!Act like humans were not on this earth for long! If you want to create debate then thats fine but don’t create hatred because our prophet taught nothing but love! Look into his life for yourselves! Thank you for reading!
Question for you, “The_truth”:
Why is it good for you to call people evil, but bad for people to draw cartoons of Mohammed?
You say it’s wrong to draw cartoons of Mohammed, because it will make people angry. But you must realize that calling people evil will also make people angry, don’t you?
By an “adult debate,” do you mean that it is good for you to express things that make other people angry, but that it is bad for other people to express things that make you angry? These are not the terms of a debate between adults, between equals, between people who respect each other.
Let me suggest one more thing to you: If freedom of speech and open debate do not extend to the right to say things that make people angry, there is no free expression or open debate. All one person has to do is say “I am angry,” and the debate is closed; freedom of expression is gone.