I grew up in a muslim household and was forced to attend the muslim equivalent of sunday school (except it was on Fridays) at the local mosque in Texas.  I of course always doubted all the stories even at a young age, and didn’t become completely free of the religious mental blocks until I was in my twenties.  My parents immigrated from Pakistan and I was born here in the US. 

To me, this “social experiment” that blasphemes the muslim prophet is completely justified.  It is not a blatant offense to the muslim religion, even though it seems that way; it’s strictly a call to our government, and the governments of the western world to stop censorship.  Depicting Muhammad is just a vehicle to prove a point.  Is it offensive?  Of course it is.  But it’s really hard not to offend a religion that’s so unbelievably offensive to everyone else in the world.  And offensive content on public forums such as the internet is nothing new.  If the country of Pakistan wants to overreact and block anything on the internet or other media outlets that it finds offensive…then I feel really bad for the people living in that country, especially my extended family who probably get offended, but are evolved enough to just stay away from websites that offend them.

These types of reactions to free speech stymie progress and modernization, and limit free speech to be dictated by government authorities.  It’s what happens when you have a government based on religion.  No doubt the terror threat level was escalated on 5/20/10 due to this incident.  It just shows you that it’s not that hard to incite a group of irrationals to the point of elated and anxious retaliation towards an issue that has absolutely no real bearing on their lives.  8% of Pakistani’s have access to the internet, only 8%.  Yet this incident has erupted into an all out war on freedom because of a few ego maniacs who just had to prove that they are “devout” muslims and send a message to the Pakistani high court to block the websites.  Ego is a terrible thing sometimes, and when you mix the irrationality of religion, ego becomes deadly.

-Sam (San Diego, CA)

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“The Objective Standard” (an Objectivist magazine ) invited people to send in their own cartoons and provided a special link for them. The list of cartoons is prefaced with a comment about what’s at stake. I quote an excerpt:

“But, to the extent that individuals are forbidden to express their views, their lives are throttled (as Stone and Parker’s have been). Recognition of this fact is what gives rise to the moral right to freedom of speech: the truth that people morally must be left free to express their views regardless of what others think or feel about those views. This right is not an opinion, nor a gift from “God,” nor a permission from government; it is the recognition of an immutable fact—the fact that a fully human life requires the freedom of expression.”

Link to cartoons: http://www.theobjectivestandard.com/mohammed-drawings.asp

Hurray for them!

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It is my humble opinion that a movement should be started where we all agree on One universal visage for the prophet. Put that on your site and use it as a promotion of free speech. If you have it on your site then you are a promoter of free speech. If you visit sites with the visage then you are not afraid of free speech and if you condemn or block the site that displays the image then you are a coward, moron, control freak and worst of all you will not be able to shop online!!!! (Wishful Thinking)

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“To me, this ‘social experiment’ that blasphemes the muslim prophet is completely justified… Is it offensive?  Of course it is.  But it’s really hard not to offend a religion that’s so unbelievably offensive to everyone else in the world.”

Hear, hear!

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