Charlie Hebdo - merged

[spring hall convert]

Muslims or Islam in it's self is not the problem, it is fundamentalists and extremists that are the problem and unfortunately you will never eradicate them all. So at the end of the day they either get their way or they compromise and see the futility of their demands or ideas.

Agreed. Extremism in all its forms is the enemy.

 

[withdeanwombat]

Call me an old Hippie if you like but I long for a world where mankind lives together in peace and harmony taking in to account the feelings of each other, helping each other, working to eradicate hunger, disease, poverty and religious hatred.

Agreed, but don't we have to bomb somewhere first ?

 

[HawkTheSeagull]

Those idiots you speak of are they people marching on raw emotion, people who care about their Country/City that we do not know exactly whats going on remember they have had a few isolated gun men incidents in France lately. If someone on the march shouts down with Islam do they deserve to die ? To say your worried does not make you an idiot, and if you think it does I am sorry because your basically saying your opinion is more important than anyone else's and that is simply not true.

Raw emotion is what causes issues. You can care about your country yet not vilify an entire religion as being the same. Being worried about extremism is natural and fine but condemning the ENTIRE religion due to what has happened is idiotic - that is what I mean.

Extremism is the issue, not religion.

 

[midnight_rendezvous]

"Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets of London to voice their opposition to military action against Iraq.

"Police said it was the UK's biggest ever demonstration with at least 750,000 taking part, although organisers put the figure closer to two million."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/2765041.stm

My point re Protesting against Iraq was that you didn't have to march to be against it. I'm sure more than 750,00 people anti war. We live in a world where our feelings aren't measured by how many rallies we attend.

 

[Honky Tonx]

agreed, but don't we have to bomb somewhere first ?

selhurst

 

[spring hall convert]

you only have to look at the (independent) surveys on sharia law

Have you got a source for this? Genuinely interested, despite the snarling.

 

[spring hall convert]

A moderate Muslim with a significant platform challenging extremism in 2012, particuarly pertinent to today's events

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/muhammad-muslim-protestors-youtube_b_1931488.html

This bit is awfully sad. "In a recent Gallup survey conducted in ten Muslim-majority countries, representing more than 80 per cent of the global Muslim population, believers, when asked what they admired most about the west, cited political freedoms, fair trials and...wait for it...freedom of speech."

 

[mikeyjh]

Newspapers around the civilised world should print the cartoon on their front page tomorrow.

100% this..show this filth we have had enougth

So, what is the benefit of offending the millions of people of moderate Islam, to spite 2 extremists? Muslims will en masse condemn the actions of these 2, that doesn't mean they're not offended by the cartoons that. Let's have a mature, inclusive response.

 

[Soulman]

Well what a surprise. Terrible for all those murdered. We knew this was going to happen, could happen in many areas where these nutters take over areas. I suppose more pandering will follow so as not to upset the backward ideology.

 

[mikeyjh]

A moderate Muslim with a significant platform challenging extremism in 2012, particuarly pertinent to today's events

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/mehdi-hasan/muhammad-muslim-protestors-youtube_b_1931488.html

This bit is awfully sad. "In a recent Gallup survey conducted in ten Muslim-majority countries, representing more than 80 per cent of the global Muslim population, believers, when asked what they admired most about the west, cited political freedoms, fair trials and...wait for it...freedom of speech."

It's a good piece, I like Mehdi Hasan, he really helps me understand Islam. What I don't think we understand is - What is freedom of speech and what do we do with it? I think some people believe that freedom of speech means I can say & write whatever I like. Full stop. We know some of these depictions of the prophet on highly offensive to Muslims, so why do it? It was done to be deliberately provocative and somehow 'prove' freedom of speech.

Note, not for 1 second am I in any sense defending the actions of any extremist, I agree 100% with Hasan on this. I also don't think they should have published these cartoons.

 

[Buzzer]

So, what is the benefit of offending the millions of people of moderate Islam, to spite 2 extremists? Muslims will en masse condemn the actions of these 2, that doesn't mean they're not offended by the cartoons that. Let's have a mature, inclusive response.

Maybe the mature response might also be to accept that political and religious satire is one of the things that makes for a free society.

What is the definition of a moderate muslim? I'm not going for a full explanation but I'd say that part of it is accepting that along with their right to religious worship is the acknowledgement of the right of others to mock their beliefs. They might not like it anymore than Christians, Jews or Hindus the world over like the way that their fundamental belief system is ridiculed but it's the price to pay for the right to call yourself a moderate.

 

[looney]

It took britain about 250 years to get rid of religious conflict. Labour re-itroduced/import it in a decade or so! They were even discussing blasphamey laws! This is labour not Anne Widicombe!

 

[Sweeney Todd]

If your religion is worth killing for then please start with yourself.

 

[DTES]

It took britain about 250 years to get rid of religious conflict. Labour re-itroduced/import it in a decade or so! They were even discussing blasphamey laws! This is labour not Anne Widicombe!

The idea of Blasphemy being a criminal offence is bonkers. However you don't have to go far to see it actually being illegal - just across the water in Ireland it's only five years since they made "publication or utterance of blasphemous matter" illegal. Apparently there's a referendum to be held on it soon - will be interesting to see the results.

 

[Mackenzie]

I've always found it odd that 'moderate' Muslims will happily march for Palestine, yet won't take to the streets to protest against these acts committed in the name of their 'peaceful' religion.

fear.

 

[zxtwinturbo]

So, what is the benefit of offending the millions of people of moderate Islam, to spite 2 extremists? Muslims will en masse condemn the actions of these 2, that doesn't mean they're not offended by the cartoons that. Let's have a mature, inclusive response.

I couldnt give a damn if so called moderate muslims are offended,if they dont like it here they can always leave

 

[Gilliver's Travels]

How can it be that, with Muslims apparently so hypersensitive about all things Prophet, it's perfectly okay for his name to be taken on by countless millions of men, ranging from imams to inmates? Or is that possibly a clever device to prevent them from appearing in photographs, or being depicted in unflattering cartoons?

 

[spring hall convert]

I couldnt give a damn if so called moderate muslims are offended,if they dont like it here they can always leave

The NHS really would be in trouble then.

 

[BigGully]

I basically got rinsed of any religious aspirations whilst at a Secondary Modern, my gang of friends and colleagues never mentioned nor knew anything about religion, other ethnicities also seemed religious neutral, it was just never ever an issue, not one person was defined by their 'faith', moreso the football team or music they supported but we just never had a clue or an opinion on any religion, it was irrelevant to my life and those around me.

It wasnt until a good mate from Scotland came down and lived in Brighton in the 80's that he mentioned how he would know every persons religion, door by door, school by school, in comparison it must have been suffocating.

We have continued to import whole communities where religion is again the most essential thing in those peoples lives, helped by a nervousness to even comment on or challenge their beliefs, view or lifestyle, there's nearly been a capitulation by the predominately white ruling classes.

I am glad I was brought up within a community that had cleansed most young minds of any religious intent, we weren't perfect but we weren't religious and that to me seems to be a good pay off.

 

[symyjym]

No chance of Spitting Image coming back again then