Compare and contrast:
In liberated Iraq, Ayatollah Sistani, the top Shiite cleric in the land, said this about the Danish cartoons:
Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, condemned the publications as a "horrific action."In free Lebanon, the government actually apologized to Denmark!
But in remarks posted on his Web site, al-Sistani referred to "misguided and oppressive" segments of the Muslim community whose actions "projected a distorted and dark image of the faith of justice, love and brotherhood."
Lebanon apologized to Denmark _ where the cartoons were first published _ a day after protesters set fire to a building housing the Danish mission in Beirut. The attack "harmed Lebanon's reputation and its civilized image," Lebanese Information Minister Ghazi Aridi said.I don't think I need to bother with finding links about how the Muslims in unfree nations like Syria and Iran are behaving. I just thought this was a very interesting and revealing phenomenon, one that revives my faith in the value and wisdom of bringing democratic self-rule to the Middle East.
110 comments, latest by evariste at 12:06 pm 2/11
Oh make me gag.......
good morning bloggie:)
and what about the rioting in Afgahnistan, Iraq & Palestine?
Do you really think al-Sistani is influenced by Bush?
The rioting is definitely being spurred by the Syrians, Iranians, and Saudis. They're playing their games as we play ours. The Iranians are trying to force the Danes into rethinking their position on the Iranian nuclear program when it comes before the UN Security Council (with Denmark as the chair). The Syrians are courting the Islamists to stay in power both in Syria and in Lebanon (where their influence has shrunk, but not disappeared completely).
As for the rioting in Afghanistan, the fact is that most of the rioters have not likley seen the cartoons and are taking the word of folks who probably came back from the haj and listened to the Saudis spreading this stuff - and the bogus cartoons that the Danish imans threw in for good measure.
And the rioting in the territories? Considering that Hizbullah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas all have links to both Syria and Iran, is it any wonder that they're rioting? Like they need an excuse?
I don't think so either.
Good morning, bloggie!
I'm not sure every green flag with Arabic script on it is Saudi, but I'm not sure they aren't, either.
Does that make sense?
Good morning, zorkie! :-)
Morning all...
If the Islamic world doesn't turn on the Danish imams who produced the three most offensive cartoons, the entire world reaction was nothing but rank hypocrisy, a second global test in the Cartoon Kefuffle Clash of Civilizations.
The cartoons were first published in October 2005. In February 2006 there is rioting. These weren't spontaneous outpourings of Muslim angst.
Ayaan Hirsii Ali interviewed in Der Spiegel - English.
Happy, Happy! Joy, Joy!
European has been hinting at something for a few days, as well.
New 12Z GFS joins yesterdays Japan Met Agency Global Spectral, and smacks Tri-State area (well, Suffolk County could change to rain) with Biggest Snow storm this Millenium!
Snow would end, per GFS, Sunday afternoon, but I think enough falls for at least 1 day of no school. If the GFS is correct, of course.
Yes I agree but democratising the M.E. is not the answer.
Iran does have a semblance of democracy in its country - it certainly is not a Liberal Democracy but 25 years ago it was a popular revolt against a dictator.
I wish I could post my big Saturday/Sunday NYC Blizzard link where people could see it in great numbers.
BTW, my wife treated me to our first ever trip to Hooters together. FM 1960 near I-45. Next table over, a family came in. Grandpa, Grandma, Mom, Dad, a boy, two girls. Middle Eastern appearance. Grandma wore the hijab, but Mom and girls didn't. All appeared to be enjoying the meal, except Grandma.
Perhaps Hooters and chicken wings is a weapon in the battle to assimilate Muslim immigrants?
#12 from london:
I disagree - the Iranian revolution in 1979 did not create some democratic regime in Iran. The mullahs control the strings and Ahmadinejad is doing what the mullahs want. The Iranian revolution may have had a veneer of popularism, but it was a totalitarian and theocratic movement to its core.
The Iranian government is (and was) democratic in the same way that the old Soviet Union had 'elections' and popular representation in government, which is to say there is none.
#13 ed of many names:
How reliable is that forecast? I know they're predicting bad weather, but nothing like a blizzard - is it going to be cold enough for snow?
Oh yes the Bush doctrine to bring democracy to the muslim world is working very well. Terrorists elected by the palestinians, islamists with ties to Iranian mullahs elected in Iraq, the islamist muslim brotherhood winning seats in Egypt. Yes, we can all see how elections are moderating the arab world.
The Iranian "democracy" is nothing but a sham run by the Guardian Council. When the only candidates are ideologically-approved candidates, that's not democracy. Facts are, most candidates are rejected by the Guardian Council and most Iranians don't vote.
Laura, Islamism has been on the rise for the last 30 years at least, through various US administrations. Islam and Hamas didn't become popular overnight, we would have seen the same results on this, regardless of who was president.
Laura -
Now we no longer have the phony peace promises of Fatah. And Hamas is facing a major dilemma - will they make a pretense of supporting peace and recognition of Israel, and in doing so, abandon their "base", or will they cling to their terrorist campaign and in doing so, lose support from the rest of the world?
#16 Laura
Was Palestine better, in your view, when it was being run by unelected terrorists?
Look, either way, a substantial number of Palestinians support terrorism, and this has nothing to do with George W. Bush. If you're looking for someone to blame, you might want to start with the United Nations, the Palis' #1 booster for all these years.
Laura is right. The Hamas election is proof of failure of the Bush Doctrine. Because The PA and Fatah were totally committed to living in peaceful coexistence with Israel.
I'll feel more confident of a foot plus snow storm if the GFS, which changed radically for this run, shows something similar on 18Z and 0Z model runs, and other models that hadn't been showing it start to show it.
But Joe Bastardi has been calling for at least a chance of a big storm since this past weekend.
I disagree - the Iranian revolution in 1979 did not create some democratic regime in Iran. The mullahs control the strings and Ahmadinejad is doing what the mullahs want. The Iranian revolution may have had a veneer of popularism, but it was a totalitarian and theocratic movement to its core.
The Iranian government is (and was) democratic in the same way that the old Soviet Union had 'elections' and popular representation in government, which is to say there is none.
The Mullahs don't like Ahmadinejad. There are rumours that they are trying to whack him.
Now there is no way for sure to know how fair and free the elections were but they were not a complete sham like Saddam era elections. The Mullah's candidate Rafsanjani lost.
New 12Z Canadian says just light snow, too far out to sea.
But, the 12Z was weaker, and further out to sea, so Canadian trend is closer to shore.
Err, 0Z (last nights).
Now we no longer have the phony peace promises of Fatah. And Hamas is facing a major dilemma - will they make a pretense of supporting peace and recognition of Israel, and in doing so, abandon their "base", or will they cling to their terrorist campaign and in doing so, lose support from the rest of the world?
Quite right. And Hamas now has to run a government. Construct a framework for a viable economy. Their social service side may have been highly accountable but taking the Palis from international basket case to viable nation will be a huge, perhaps insurmountable task. A continuing terror policy toward Israel will surely sink them. The Euros may be less likely to accomodate them given the strong dose of reality they received between the Madrid bombings and the Hamas victory.
Bonfire of the Pieties: Islam prohibits neither images of Muhammad nor jokes about religion.
Bonfire of the Pieties: Islam prohibits neither images of Muhammad nor jokes about religion.
Its ironic that Islam in the Middle Ages was probably more tolerant than it is now.
Its ironic that Islam in the Middle Ages was probably more tolerant than it is now.
Where is the irony ? They made a conscious decision to return to the 7th century with the 11th century defeat of the Aristotlean philosopher known as Averroes. Jews continued in the Aristotlean tradition with Maimonides, Christians with Thomas Aquinas.
Ask a contemporary Muslim why they jettisoned Aristotle ? Aristotle was an ancient Greek and the ancient Greeks were . . . pagans. Nothing good can come from a pagan
barnstorm-interesting thesis! Do you have more on this, a book or a link I can read?
Ev
working on it. Not my original idea.
Thanks barney!
Try this brief link for a start.
In contrast to his predecessor al-Ghazali, Averroes believed that religion and philosophy (or science) were compatible but that reason must prevail. He was brought down in his lifetime. The al-Ghazali school again became paramount. Islam has remained with al-Ghazali since.
He along with Avicenna are considered in the West to be the height of Islamic philosophy. Highly influential on Christian and Jewish philosophers. A grandfather of the Enlightenment and the West as we know it.
Books on Averroes are many at Amazon. No recommendation. Haven't read any. Books on Averroes in Arabic are few if any.
Thank you barnstorm.
This is a personal anecdote based on a conversation with a very intelligent Moroccan born acquaintance.
Fuck bush up his ass. That motherfucker is gonna pay. we're gonna fuck his mother while he watches and cries like a little whiny bitch. Bush is a child fucker. he rapes the lives of the innocent. instead of going after the issue he would rather kill them all and let god sort them out. I am compelled to say FUCK YOU! accept for that whole thing about listening into conversations and then telling the world by mistake. That was kind of bad ass. FREE SPEECH CHILD FUCKER!
How come one in three Muslim trolls pretend their name is Randy? Now that's a puzzle.
"Randy", I hate to point it out to you, but you're a moron.
Fuck muslims, I am not a sand negro. where did you get your facts bitch? You cant say the N word on here. what the fuck. RAPE of my rights!
Aww. I weep for your inability to say "nigger" on this blog. You must be terribly traumatized, you poor thing.
you are arguing with a moron. what does that make you? A fuckin hypocrit
I wasnt talking about "nigger". what the fuck is wrong with you. They are people too you know.
So explain to me how your name can be "Randy", and yet you can't even speak English.
Liar.
I see everything that happens on this blog, you moron.
It all started when I was born and my mother said lets call the little bastard randy. Then after the fourth grade I decided to become a fuckin muslim.
Shocking. So you are a muslim, and you were lying before claiming not to be one.
look are you going to blow me or not? I've got half a hard on from all your bitching. and for the record muslims dont use the word FUCK.
Huh, that's funny. About 50 muslims have used the word "fuck" on this blog, "randy".
I am the only muslim that says fuck and fucks. I am the only muslim who comes from a white family and hates blacks and god. fuck alah up his ass. I came on here to post my opinion and all you care about is my race. who gives a fuck what color i am. what benifit do i have by lying about it. you are so fuckin clueless.
maybe they were not muslims you stupid bitch. My name does not sound muslim. Where do you get off.
Randy, I'm going to have to whack you three times on the knuckles and send you to the boys room to wash your mouth out with soap!

Is it a full moon tonight?
Somebody has anger management issues.
yeah I am muslim. I live my life with these beliefs and then for some reason pretend I am not. That is like somebody swearing they love a band that they hate. there is no motive. fuck you. if somebody uses the word fuck then they are not realy muslim. the definiton of muslim would be somebody who follows their beliefs and rules. Thats like sombody saying they are a rapper and listening to rock. It makes no sense. If people like you could get over the race thing you would find the truth. I think you are black. How does that make you feel? should it matter. like I said, you are fuckin clueless
Muslims pretending to be white guys almost always claim their name is Randy. Color me experienced in your bullshit, buddy :-)
I am totally surprised and shocked. No wait. I'm not. I'm lying. "Randy".
i guess everyone who has the name randy is fucked then.
Randy, I'm not black (not that there's anything wrong with that), but I am a Palestinian and a former Muslim. Islam is a bullshit cult. One day you may figure this out. Until then, you're just another moron allowing stinkbeards to tell you what to think.
wash me MARY!
No, but every fake "Randy" who is actually some muslim fundamentalist asshole is pretty easy to tell, the same way you were. "Randy" is a very incredibly common "fake name" for Muslims. Come up with something more creative and maybe you can fool us for longer.
And stop being such a pathetic liar. I can't believe you denied trying unsuccessfully to say nigger. How can you live with yourself, being such a lying little shitstain? Don't you think Allah deserves a little better representation than your lies? If not, why not?
seinfeld quotes and shit. "not that theres anything wrong with that" we must watch seinfeld over here in Palestine
Since when is Islam a race?
Randy is a fake name everybody uses over here in the US. I know, I write for a cartoon and did an entire episode on people useing the name RANDY. Why the fuck whould you blame it on muslims? I know you are not black, it was a statement that obviously went over your head. If you realy wanted to know you would have asked a question that only someone from the US would know but I think you already know you made an ass out of yourself. do muslims realy pose os others to get theyre point accorss? i used to be a christian and never posed. Most people are proud of who they are.
Clerks 2 comes out in August. Another kick ass kevin smith film. I was in it fuckers. And yes I did meet Ben Affleck.
Islam is not a race. I never said it was. Muslim is. Fuck Islam up it's ass. Not that the US is much better. But it's still better. CLERKS TWO FUCKERS. Filmed in buena park CA a few months back. It really is a kick ass movie. When I was on the set I saw some funny shit between jay and scilent BOB. Kevin Smith rules
"Randy", you're a boring fraud.
FUCK YOU. LOVE RANDY. Hows BOB. Is that a good cover name? maybe next time. Garret? has that one been used by alot of Muslims? how about Judala? Is that a good cover? Tim Burton? Is that a good cover. has any muslims claimed to be tim burton yet? suck my nuts. FUCK TIM BURTON AND HIS MOVIE MAGIC. HIS FLICKS SUCK BALLS like your motherfucking mother.
Boy, you're really convincing everyone to join your noble religion...Hah.
you have nothing to say. you are stupid. stupid and gay like those cowboys from Broke back mountain.
ask me a question that only somebody from the US would know. Why the fuck whould a muslim know about kevin smith's movies. maybe broke back mountain but why would muslims be in a movie about staners, sex, and the word fuck.
Oy.
ev, this one's too dumb to bother with.
you were really a fuckin muslim? why? did your parents drag you into it? I dont know about you. Stop fucking around. we are two fuckin white assholes typing bullshit on a fucked up site. all we really want is sex. thats what I came here for. thats what you came here for. what part of CA are you from?
What does Ben Affleck's dick look like?
Project much?
"youre chasing amy" the sign, on the back of the bus said critters of hollywood you dumb fuck" these are some of his few words. usually he smokes and bobs his head. I know the fucker. kevin knows my producer
thats my bob impression. I never saw ben's dick but from what i hear it's big, but overrated.
Isn't Silent Bob played by Kevin Smith himself?
I write for a cartoon for a living. decided to come on here and share my thoughts on bush. name is actually randy and somehow got labled as a muslim. I'm not saying muslims are fucked because i know one. I just think that relligion gets people in alot of trouble. thats why I am no longer christian.
yes kevin plays bob, writes the scripts and dirrects the shit.
project much? where the fuck is that?
has anyone seen the first CLERKS?
FUCK BUSH. thats my point. i voted against him. alot of good that did. whoever hates or dislikes Bush type FUCK BUSH now
Yes. The video store guy is my favourite character. I donn't like Kevin Smith's other movies much. Dogma sucked because religion just isn't funny, ever.
everyone loves bush.
Randal kicks ass. i loved dogma. I thought It had alot of good points and I found it funny. I am in CLerks 2. not to brag
clerks two is in COLOR!
the bitch who runs this shit thinks i am a fuckin muslim so I am not going to comment on anything that has to due with politics. anybody who pays attention would know that I am a whit bastard. shit gets fucked when people care about race.
so I am going to continue to talk about clercks and my job co writing for family guy.
The thing about Bush is this: he may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot, but don't let that fool you. He really IS an idiot.
clerks* i had nothing to do with the first 3 seasons but I think the new shit we have done is just as good. What do you think?
bush sucks cock. I hate that guy. I don't follow shit that close but just look at him.
I listen to heavy metal. how am i a wigger?
Is it because i said i was a bastard. not only black people are bastards
i hate bush. i was in clerks. i write for a cartoon. thats all I wanted to say. not a wigger. i dont hate the blacks, i just think we are a little better. They should not burn, just hurt a little bit. fuck the muslims. fuck TIM BURTON, fuck everiste, fuck everyone who likes bush, ben's dick is none of your concern. it tastes like any other cock. how do you think i got a roll in clerks? Look for my freind and I. we are the ones buying pot off jay and bob just before bob reads from the bible. how would i know about this shit before it came out? I was relly there. i fuck you not.
Is it because i said i was a bastard. not only black people are bastards
and yes i am really muslim incognito sent here to bash on your leader! ha! got you good! real good! I dont know why i lied about my name. My name is really cockule eatalotofshit. i cum from gods land. We use randy to fuck with you. it works everytime! it really helped too. I changed the fucking world. Fuck usa! But really watch clerks 2. it's a good movie.
you are right, i am chris rock. I said i sisten to metallica, pantera, slayer, and rape the dead. Fuck rap. why would there be a black man in a kevin smith movie
fuck god. deal with that.
i do wear baggy pants. fuck head dont judge me. FUCK IT ALL FUCK THIS WORLD FUCK EVERYTHING THAT YOU STAND FOR DONT BELONG DONT EXIST DONT GIVE A SHIT DONT EVER JUDGE ME! metal up your ass
fuck dmot for being judge mental. I feal compelled to say fuck you. ten min ago i was called muslim because of the way i write now I am a wigger. fuck you up you ass.
Bingo, I was right. You are a wigger! Told you so. Don't be in wigger-denial about it. Accepting that you have a problem is the first step on the path to changing yourself.
What's wrong with being judgemental? If people stop judging then society doesn't have any standards anymore. Why settle for being a wigger when you can be a White guy?
Basically I'm trying to help you here, wegro :D
Hey, how's about a few Muslim jokes in the next Family Guy episode, Mr Screenwriter? Perhaps you can feature a cartoon version of Mohammed (if that's not against your religion).
DMoT...just w-h-a-t did you put in that guy's drink?
Okay, that's funny.
Is Randy the product of MTV's "Rock the Vote", or a sad result of smoking marijuana soaked in Ny-Quil.
WTF??
"i fuck you not."
ROFLMAO!!
Holy shit, I'm never sleeping again...
Hey, watch it, Bub! This name is COPYRIGHTED!!!
randy, if you really are a writer for Family Guy, that explains a lot about Family Guy.