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"Infidels simply don't have the same rights"Understanding the hate
Great article by Daniel Schwammenthal at
OpinionJournal
yesterday.
Were the cartoons disrespectful? Certainly. In Islam the drawing of any image of Muhammad is forbidden and so religious Muslims might feel offended. As might millions of Christians when Jesus is depicted as gay or defiled in a thousand other ways every day. But that's what letters to the editor are for. Moreover, the cartoons didn't mock Islam as such but its abuse by militant Muslims. One cartoon showed Muhammad with a turban in the form of a bomb. The issue, though, is much larger than the question of how to balance press freedom with religious sensibilities; it goes to the heart of the conflict with radical Islam. The Islamists demand no less than absolute supremacy for their religion--and not only in the Muslim world but wherever Muslims may happen to reside. That's why they see no hypocrisy in their demand for "respect" for Islam while the simple display of a cross or a Star of David in Saudi Arabia is illegal. Infidels simply don't have the same rights. While we do have problems in the U.S. with religious differences, for the most part we recognize the right of people to practice the faith of their choosing. That is not the case with some Muslim nations and Islamists. At least not yet, but we can hope. However, we do have to overcome one of our own blind spots. There is a certain type of mindset that perceives cooperation and compromise as sure signs of weakness. Offer to meet someone like that halfway and they will treat it as an invitation to trespass. Offer to negotiate and they will tramp all over you because by their definitions, you have nothing worth respecting. Avoiding confrontation just paints a target on your head. You can't play by the rules unless everyone recognizes those rules and are willing to abide by the rules. 
Posted: Mon - February 6, 2006 at 04:15 AM
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 Pagan Vigil
Pagan philosopher, libertarian, and part-time trouble maker, NeoWayland watches for threats to individual freedom or personal responsiblity. There's more to life than just black and white, using only extremes just increases the problems.  My Thinking Blogger Nominees
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