Sense of Proportion

Here is a well-reasoned, and therefore frightening, comment on the recent hoo-ha regarding those cartoons of Muhammad published in Europe lately.

I have little to add, except for one thing. The writers, Roberta Seid and Roz Rothstein, rightly point out the evident attitude among those Muslims who riot over cartoons that only Islam is to be treated with any respect at all, whereas all other faiths may be not only ridiculed, but attacked without mercy. Is anyone surprised at this?


Granted that each religion's followers believe, pretty much by definition, that their faith is correct and all other incorrect. I, for example, believe that Christianity and Islam are both mistaken about the true nature of God and the Universe, and that Judaism has it right. At various times in history, pretty nearly every religion's followers have tried to force their world view on everyone they could get their hands on while reacting with fury at any such attempt by anyone else; indeed, it's an unfortunate characteristic of human nature that we can dish it out but can't take it.

So this attitude on the part of the Muslims is simply par for the course; after all, from their point of view, ridicule of other faiths is simply ridicule of a silly or dangerous falsehood, whereas ridicule of Islam is a profound insult to the one true God. The difference, as I hope I don't need to point out, is that in the 21st century most religious groups have gotten past the necessity of spilling blood when their beliefs are denied. That is, people still kill each other over genuine religious differences, but not over cartoons.

So, to my Muslim bretheren who indulge in this kind of display, I ask this question: I can understand getting upset if someone says your faith is untrue, but how do you expect to be taken seriously when you can't even hold your mud over a cartoon?


Benshlomo says, Keep your hands to yourself.