Why insulting prophet Muhammad?!

Quickie answer...

Steve (as 41oo) wrote:

You can change your religion like you can change your clothes.

This, unfortunately, is just not true. Witness the painful, drawn-out process of dis-attachment to religion (any organised religion) by those who did step away from it - and often at the cost of bitter family conflict, too.

For those who do not go through troubled spiritual disengagement or are simply not willing to take on the costs, their religion is very much a given - something you are simply born into.

As such, slandering or insulting people on the basis of their religious adherence is, in my opinion, comparable to doing so on the basis of someone's race.

i don't think people should speak badly to a person if they don't like that religion, because people are born into it, and if they change religions they are often frowned upon, and disinherited.
i know that would happen to me if i changed.
(just a random comment )

Swiss Criticize Danish Paper for Cartoons

2006/02/21 · Angus Reid Global Scan

Many Swiss believe a Danish newspaper was wrong to publish drawings depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed, according to a new poll. 60% of respondents believe the Jyllands-Posten was wrong; 30% think it was right. Meanwhile, three organizations - including Switzerland's UN Watch - urged the UN to reject an attempt of at least 56 nations to include a special reference on "actions against religions, prophets and beliefs" into the charter of the new UN human rights council.

Muslim cartoon row timeline

2006/02/19 · BBC News

The BBC News website outlines key events in the escalating row over the publication of cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.

Alliance may calm cartoon unrest

2006/02/18 · United Press International

A joint Spanish-Turkish initiative backed by the UN, the Alliance for Civilization, is mentioned as a possible forum for restoring calm between Europe and the Islamic world following the Mohammed cartoon debacle. The idea was taken up at an EU meeting in which the Austrian Foreign Minister brought together senior Danish officials and leading Muslim representatives to discuss ways of reducing the current tension. Just what the Alliance's role would be is not clear, but observers said it could turn out to be the right initiative at the right time. Its "high level group" is due to meet in Doha later this month.

Regular Report by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media (includes analysis of the recent cartoon controversy)

2006/02/17 · Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe

The first regular report in 2006 by the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Miklós Haraszti, deals with current media freedom issues in the OSCE region, including an analysis of the recent cartoon controversy. "The debate should not pit freedom of speech against more respect and more care. Enhanced awareness of Muslim culture, and better responsiveness to global imperatives in the editorial work, should come as an addendum to free speech, not as a restriction on it," the report points out.

Anatomy of the Cartoon Protest Movement

2006/02/16 · Washington Post

The publication of a dozen cartoons on a page inside a Danish newspaper has transformed into a global conflagration. It has been a 21st-century battle, a conflict steeped in decades of grievances, but propelled forward by a digitally interconnected world. It has yielded a rare moment of empowerment among Muslims who have felt besieged, but it's also been replete with unintended consequences. Protests have erupted in three continents, and given the moral certainty pronounced by each party, some in the middle feel forced to take sides. This is the story of how it all unfolded.

Britons Defend Freedom of Speech in Cartoon Case

2006/02/16 · Angus Reid Global Scan

Many adults in Britain see no problem with the cartoons depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed, according to a poll by YouGov. 56% believe it was right to publish the drawings in the interests of freedom of speech, while 29% believe they should never have been published.

Americans Chide European Papers Over Cartoons

2006/02/16 · Angus Reid Global Scan

Many adults in the U.S. believe some media outlets made a mistake in publishing cartoons depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed, according to a Gallup poll. 61% of respondents believe certain European newspapers acted irresponsibly. But 57% did also say that the U.S. news media have an obligation to show controversial items that are newsworthy even if they may offend the religious views of some people.

Lebanese PM: Pope Backs Protests

2006/02/16 · CBS News

Pope Benedict XVI expressed support for peaceful demonstrations in the Muslim world over the Prophet Muhammad caricatures published in Europe, the Lebanese prime minister said after a private meeting at the Vatican. The Vatican has previously said the cartoons represented an "unacceptable provocation," and the right to freedom of expression "cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers."

Signis on Muhammad cartoons

2006/02/10 · WACC News Blog

The President of SIGNIS (The World Catholic Association for Communication) today condemned the publication of the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad which were published recently in the Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten. In a statement on behalf of SIGNIS he added, however, that the 'provocation of the cartoons does not justify the violence and fanaticism of some of those who have protested against them'.

So, you would let them off with no explanations, no rationale... Just let them taut a religion and cram it down your throat because daddy might cut them out of a will if they don't?

I don't think he, or many here, would accept "because my parents told me I had to."

At least they wouldn't accept that from Christians...

Didn't I read here somewhere that religion was so freely attacked because it is a choice?

It IS still a choice....?

No, I don't think it's just like that at all. Sure don't think anyone should be attacked for their religious beliefs at all. Whether it is a choice or not shouldn't enter into the equation IMO.

i think it's okay to disagree with a religion, but not to totally be rude and unreasonable about it.

Even here, churches have a crazy habit of combusting compared to other buildings in their vicinity.

Before one passes it off as just a choice; I think the level of conditioning towards that choice needs to be considered. I'm spitting hairs here, really, because my personal belief is that Freedom of expression trumps any and everyone's right to not be offended, no matter how hateful or unpopular the speech may be. At the same time; I don't think it at all accurate or even reasonable to suggest that one can change his religion as easy as his cloths. I did… but that doesn't mean everyone can.