Local Muslims explain why cartoons depicting Muhammad led to violence
By Charlie Kraebel
2-26-06
the-leader.com/articles/2006/02/26/local_news/local01.txt
What if a Muslim made a satirical comment about the Holocaust?

Or made a joke at the expense of Jesus Christ?

There's a chance a Jew or a Christian would be deeply offended. That, according to Najeeb Rehman, is exactly how Muslims across the globe felt when caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad were first published in a Danish newspaper last September and then reappeared in other Western media, mostly in Europe.

“I believe in freedom of expression, but that right has limits,” said Rehman, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of the Finger Lakes in Big Flats. “That right ends where someone else's right begins.”

Muslims have decried the images - one of which shows a prophet with a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse - as blasphemous because Islam prohibits images of Muhammad and other prophets.

The images have sparked worldwide protests, some of which have been deadly, throughout the Muslim world. While there have been few demonstrations in the United States, it doesn't mean Muslims here feel any different about the cartoons.

“It may be free expression, but you can't go into a crowd and scream ‘fire,'” said Yama Osmanzai of Horseheads. “You have to have judgment.”

Osmanzai said the ban on images depicting Muhammad was handed down by the prophet himself so followers of Islam would not worship him.

“We follow his teachings very closely. Islam has certain lines you can't cross,” Osmanzai said. “We don't say anything bad about the prophets, not just Muhammad, but others such as Moses and Jesus.”

Rehman said the Danish government's refusal to meet with local Islamic leaders there and the cartoonist's unwillingness to apologize for the images is a major reason “why this has gotten out of hand.”

“(Muslims) wanted a retraction,” Rehman said. “To come out with a cartoon this degrading is insensitive to the community.”

At the same time, many local Muslims have condemned the violence of some of the protests over the cartoon controversy.

“It's sad,” said Mushtaq A. Sheikh, another spokesman for the Islamic Center. “Peaceful demonstrations should take place, but some of this has gone way overboard.”

Sheikh, however, noted that if some sort of apology were offered after the images appeared, “the matter might have gone away.”

Osmanzai said the violent protests creates a negative image for Islam because “Muslims are a very peaceful people.”

“We want things to happen in a peaceful manner,” he said. “It's only a small number of people who are reacting violently, but the media is not doing us justice by the images they portray.”

But, Osmanzai said the reactions are indicative of how Muslims felt after seeing the images.

“I don't agree with the violence, but we all feel the same outrage,” he said. “Many people's frustrations have reached a boiling point.

“Some religions teach that if someone strikes you in the cheek, you turn the other one toward him,” Osmanzai said. “But our religion allows us to be outspoken. We will defend Islam.”

Local Muslim Naeem Parvez noted that most of the violent protests have taken place in the eastern part of the Islamic world, where there are more people with little or no education and where violent demonstrations are a part of everyday life. In Western nations, particularly throughout Europe, the protests have been more peaceful.

“The out-of-control anger is unfortunate. No one should be starting fires or destroying another person's property,” he said. “They should express their anger in a positive way.”

Rehman hopes the controversy will encourage people to be more sensitive of the community around them.

“There has to be some restraint,” he said. “We don't joke about sensitive issues.”

Muslim groups protest UCI cartoon unveiling
By Gillian Flaccus
Associated Press
2-26-06  
www.dailynews.com/news/ci_3547828
IRVINE - The cartoons of the Prophet Muhammed that sparked mass demonstrations across the Middle East and Europe are causing unrest on a smaller scale here after a student group announced plans to "unveil" the drawings at a panel on Islamic extremism.
The panel, which will take place Tuesday at the University of California, Irvine, has prompted angry reaction from several Muslim groups, including the school's Muslim Student Union. Another group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, was invited to participate in the panel but is boycotting it, said Sabiha Kahn, spokeswoman for CAIR.

The debate surrounding the student panel follows incidents at other campuses, including Harvard University and the University of Illinois, where student newspapers published the Danish cartoons of the Muslim prophet with a bomb in his turban.

"To have a negative portrayal of the Prophet Muhammed is a slap in the face and we have an obligation to defend our prophet against slurs on his reputation," said Marya Bangee, a sophomore at UC Irvine and a member of the Muslim Student Union. "They're trying to draw a link between Islam and terrorism and that's what we've been trying all along to stop." (with terrorism?)

Organizers insist the panel is aimed at promoting dialogue about the cartoons, which have gone largely unpublished in the American media for fear of offending Muslims.

The panel will also discuss Islamic extremism and provide examples of anti-Western, anti-Christian and anti-Semitic drawings that have appeared in some Middle Eastern newspapers, said Jesse Petrilla, founder of The United American Committee, an event organizer.

"How can you confront an issue when people don't even see what's going on and what the bottom line is? We really need to get it out on the table," he said. "This is the freest nation in the world and if we can't discuss things openly without being afraid, then we're losing sight of something important."

Bangee said the Muslim Student Union has asked The College Republicans, which joined with The United American Committee to sponsor the event, to pull its affiliation. Without the student Republicans, the committee couldn't go forward because it's not a registered student group at UC Irvine, which has about 2,000 to 3,000 Muslim-American students.

The Muslim Student Union has already received hate mail related to the prophet drawings and has contacted campus police for additional security should the panel go forward, she said.

A College Republicans representative didn't return calls for comment.

Bangee said Muslim students may hold a peaceful teach-in and protest next door to the event if they can't stop it.

Petrilla, a 22-year-old student at Glendale Community College, said he founded The United American Committee last year for people who "want to get involved in the War on Terror at a grass-roots level." The group, which he said focuses on Islamic extremism in America, held a rally against what Petrilla called "Islamofascism" in Los Angeles earlier this month. About 30 people attended.

The Muslim Student Union at UCI last drew national attention in 2004 when more than two dozen students wore green stoles to their graduation. They said the stoles symbolized their faith, but others said the clothing represented allegiance to the militant group Hamas and was meant to intimidate Jewish students.

Thousands of Muslims worldwide have protested - sometimes violently - against the drawings of the Prophet Muhammed after they were first published in a Danish newspaper in September. The drawings are offensive to Muslims because Islamic tradition bans any depiction of Muhammed.

“I believe in freedom of expression, but that right has limits,” said Rehman, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of the Finger Lakes in Big Flats. “That right ends where someone else's right begins.”

What a fucking double standard. They do it all the time but don't want anyone doing it to them.

Since you are quoting local Muslims:
From the paper this week:
www.ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060225/NEWS01/602250326/1002
www.ithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060225/NEWS01/602250320/1002

The on-line version doesn't include it, but the printed version also had a step-by-step explaination of the prayer sequence.

whatever.. stupid PC doubletalk..... la la la la jerkoffs

If the result of your speaking feely causes people to panic and riot (strangely they know there's a fire but can't see ANY smoke) and burn OTHER people's property,  then your right to speak freely is revoked.

There's no doubt we're being extorted here.  How f--king dumb can we be.

Quoted: Local Muslims explain why cartoons depicting Muhammad led to violence By Charlie Kraebel 2-26-06 the-leader.com/articles/2006/02/26/local_news/local01.txt What if a Muslim made a satirical comment about the Holocaust? Or made a joke at the expense of Jesus Christ? “We follow his teachings very closely. Islam has certain lines you can't cross,” Osmanzai said. “We don't say anything bad about the prophets, not just Muhammad, but others such as Moses and Jesus.” “(Muslims) wanted a retraction,” Rehman said. “To come out with a cartoon this degrading is insensitive to the community.” “I don't agree with the violence, but we all feel the same outrage,” he said. “Many people's frustrations have reached a boiling point. “Some religions teach that if someone strikes you in the cheek, you turn the other one toward him,” Osmanzai said. “But our religion allows us to be outspoken. We will defend Islam.” “There has to be some restraint,” he said. “We don't joke about sensitive issues.”

Muslims have been denying the Holocaust and creating satirical cartoons about Jews for decades.

If it is ok for Muslims to Defend Islam, then it is Ok for Christians to Defend Christianity.

If it is ok for Muslims to defend Islam using Violence, then all things being equal the same should be said for Christians.

Can we spell...C-R-U-S-A-D-E-S ?

If it is NOT ok for non-Muslims to descrate Mosques, then it is NOT ok for Muslims to Desecrate Churches. And yet, Churches in Cairo (and Alexandria), Egypt, in Pakistan have been desecrated. Bibles have been Desecrated by Muslims.

The Church of Nativity in Bethlehem was desecrated by Islamic Palestinians in 2002. This has to be one of the holiest of all Christian sites, a Church where Jesus was born, yet, Islamists desecrated it. see:news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1973344.stm




The overwhelming smell of urine was the first thing to hit visitors to Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity after the dramatic and bloody 39-day siege of the compound by the Israeli army. I can't believe this is the house of God, just look at it The people found dirty dishes piled up on an altar and filthy blankets and the detritus of the siege strewn across the ancient stone floor. As well as the blankets, journalists saw mattresses, lemon peel, lighters, sunglasses, a tube of toothpaste, a bottle of aftershave, plastic bags, cigarette butts, a comb and large cooking pots in the central aisle. A metal stove and gas canisters had been placed on one side for cooking. The panes of several windows near the ceiling were broken, but there appeared to be no other damage. Priests said some of the gunmen and foreign activists had initially slept there because it was the warmest spot, but had been persuaded to leave so that daily services could be held there. One priest complained that foreigners who had slipped in during the siege had desecrated the church by smoking and drinking alcohol."This is the place where Jesus was born. I can't believe this is the house of God, just look at it," said Sandy Shahin, a Roman Catholic teenager who rushed into the church minutes after the end of the siege on Friday. "It's not a church any more, it's a place filled with beds and trash," she said between sobs. Father Nicholas, a Franciscan priest from Mexico, denied Israeli claims that the several dozen nuns and priests who had stayed in the compound during the siege were hostages. "We were there by choice," he said, to protect the sanctity of the site. Having initially expropriated precious items such as candelabras, icons and candlesticks, Father Nicholas said the valuables were later returned. Israeli bomb experts swept the church at the request of some of the priests and said they found 40 explosive devices, several booby-trapped and hidden in corners and behind cupboards.

“It may be free expression, but you can't go into a crowd and scream ‘fire,'”

Although going into a crowd and blowing your ass up is quite fine...

On Friday, the community enjoyed a Khutbah delivered by guest Ahmed Younis, the national director of the Washington-based Muslim Public Affairs Council. He urged those in attendance to shed the negativity engulfing Islam, and instead to focus on cleansing their own souls. He urged all the males in attendance to do one thing in the near future to advance the career of a Muslim woman they know, and asked each one to look inside themselves to see if they are promoting hate amongst each other or the world.

shed the negativity?
look inside themselves?

Talk about a mandate for peace, tolerance and understanding

Is there a link of those cartoons, I still have not seen them!

Quoted: Organizers insist the panel is aimed at promoting dialogue about the cartoons, which have gone largely unpublished in the American media for fear of offending Muslims.

The media apparently doesn't have a problem with "artists" depicting Christ in piss and other NEA projects.
You would think their freedom of the press bs took a hit from the muslims. Who are they to tell us what our rights are?
Jim

Quoted: Is there a link of those cartoons, I still have not seen them!

Post em if you've got em

Quoted: Quoted: Organizers insist the panel is aimed at promoting dialogue about the cartoons, which have gone largely unpublished in the American media for fear of offending Muslims. The media apparently doesn't have a problem with "artists" depicting Christ in piss and other NEA projects.

They weren't afraid that the Christians were going to cut their heads off
who ever said that the death penalty is\was not a deterrent, is\was an idiot

I just  heard a broadcast that Muslim papers show pictures of Muhammid all the time...
I think the whole thing is a lame excuse to continue their pitiful lifestyles...they don't work, they have nothing, can't do much as individuals and they are angry over the fact other people in the world who do work and take care of themselves, actually have a pretty nice life...
they have leaders owning the oil and driving Mercedes and most of the general people don't even have clean water.  
I guess we'd be angry too if we were as oppressed as their system does to them.

Islamic Tolerance



Bamiyan Buddha before the Taliban got to it


Bamiyan Buddha after the Taliban blew it up.

Islam associated with Terrorism??? I call BS on that one!
I challenge any of you Islamophobes to google up Bhuddhism or Sikhs or Taoism or other religions and you'll find that they are JUST AS violent as Islam is.
And if this is not true may God strike maaammmczx..................agggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh gurggle gurgle uuuuuuuuughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..........................................................................................................
..........................................................................................................................................................
......................mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmskkmcccnnnnnn

“Some religions teach that if someone strikes you in the cheek, you turn the other one toward him,” Osmanzai said. “But our religion allows us to be outspoken whack off heads. We will defend Islam.”

Quoted: Quoted: Is there a link of those cartoons, I still have not seen them! Post em if you've got em

Mohammad Cartoons

“I believe in freedom of expression, but that right has limits,” said Rehman, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of the Finger Lakes in Big Flats. “That right ends where someone else's right begins.”

He might have a point there if it weren't for the fact that you don't have a right to never be offended.

Quoted: Osmanzai said the violent protests creates a negative image for Islam because “Muslims are a very peaceful people.”

I could give a rats ass less about the rag heads. Let the crusades begin.

Quoted: Osmanzai said the violent protests creates a negative image for Islam because “Muslims are a very peaceful people.” “We want things to happen in a peaceful manner,” he said. “It's only a small number of people who are reacting violently, but the media is not doing us justice by the images they portray.”

Yeah, yeah, yeah...we know.

Thank you sir!  Guess I miss the point of the cartoons.   But the one where there is a bomb on his head is pretty funny!  And also a couple of the pics kind of look like Charlie Manson!  Maybe he is the re-incarnation of the guy!

Anybody seen any of these cartoons being made into decals? I want a sticker for my truck with the one with the bomb/turban.

Man I would love to say a few words about this but I cant let my account get locked more than twice a month and I got two ticks on the board so far.

I didn't see us riot and ask for the banning of Kevin Smith after Dogma came out and to many, it's FULL of blasphemy.  Buddy Christ? Come on.

Quoted: “I believe in freedom of expression, but that right has limits,” said Rehman, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of the Finger Lakes in Big Flats. “That right ends where someone else's right begins.” He might have a point there if it weren't for the fact that you don't have a right to never be offended.

I'm with you on that one.
Protest all you like, but you can't burn anything, blow up anything, or cut anyone's head off.
It's tough, but try to restrain yourselves.

Quoted: Quoted: “I believe in freedom of expression, but that right has limits,” said Rehman, a spokesman for the Islamic Center of the Finger Lakes in Big Flats. “That right ends where someone else's right begins.” He might have a point there if it weren't for the fact that you don't have a right to never be offended. I'm with you on that one. Protest all you like, but you can't burn anything, blow up anything, or cut anyone's head off. It's tough, but try to restrain yourselves.

+1
How come they don't already know this basic concept of civilization?

if there was a cartoon of Jesus holding the IRA flag with a bombed strapped to him in a muslim newspaper ,would Christians be rioting worldwide ? NOT

Quoted: if there was a cartoon of Jesus holding the IRA flag with a bombed strapped to him in a muslim newspaper ,would Christians be rioting worldwide ? NOT

I'm sure they will come up with a reason that it is all whiteys fault(they should hire jessie jackson)

Quoted: I could give a rats ass less about the rag heads. Let the crusades begin.

Yep if the ROP wants war I say lets get it going.