What the Muslim Riot Thing is About

[mishalak]

For the radical muslims in Denmark this is an opportunity to get lots and lots of attention and increase attendance at their mosques. This is no different than the US "War on Christmas" story that comes out every year from the usual suspects, just with a rioting twist because unlike the rich western christians who get in a twist about christmas the people protesting have nothing to lose. It is similarly a manufactured story; the radicals from Denmark who went around the Middle East to stir up this thing made up three of the cartoons they are rioting about. This is a great big reqruitment drive on the part of radicals, nothing more. This is not a commentary about freedom of the press and islam, this is about the effectiveness of propaganda.

Comments

WTF?!?

[cindy-reddeer.livejournal.com]

"the radicals from Denmark who went around the Middle East to stir up this thing made up three of the cartoons they are rioting about"

Do you have a link to where this info is? I would like to read more on it. Tnank you. :-)

Re: WTF?!?

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Twelve are real, three are not. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?view=BLOGDETAIL&grid=P30&blog=newsdesk&xml=/news/2006/02/06/bleurope06.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/02/06/ixportaltop.html)

Re: WTF?!?

[cindy-reddeer.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the link. That is an interesting read that makes one think "What is behind this campaign?". September...I was surprised by that, but I might have missed them saying when the paper was published. Wonder why mainstream media hasn't mentioned these 3 other cartoons. If they report on all sides it plays into the extremists hands. But we know the media is all about ratings and stirring up contraversey.

Re: WTF?!?

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Well yes, and also twelve were real. Also it should be noted that though the riots broke out over this last weekend the cartoons were published like four months ago. It took some time to get people stirred up.

[elemirion]

Completely off topic, sorry
When did you move to San Francisco???

I should be back living up there this summer.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I'll be gone by then. I moved here in August, I am leaving my job as of tomorrow or Wednesday. I'll be back in Colorado next week.

[nikulai.livejournal.com]

Your post reminds me of what Jack Kenny said about the AFA. They don't get donations and membership by saying 'its all fine' or 'this is a good quality program'

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Exactly, only much more succinct that what I wrote. Plus I should have added a bit about the violence, as opposed to just protesting which in my opinion is just fine, is not actually terribly widespread. Cameras go where the action is and so we get a distorted view of things like riots.

[nikulai.livejournal.com]

Agreed - I tend to be very Voltairian in my perspective. Of course, I request others be the same. Unfortunately, they tend not to be.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

The thing is what is to be done about the fact that the cameras only go where there something interesting happening? For years I thought what I saw about protests in Iran was representative, when it turns out they only did things like burning flags and shouting "death to America" when the cameras were on. I think most Americans (myself included) have a warped view of the world because of the way that the news media works.

Heck that's true of things like evolution as well. Since the news gives equal times to people on both ends I think it gives the impression that there is some sort of debate within the scientific community about the truth of evolution.

At times the absolute Voltaire style freedom of speech makes me uncomfortable. One of the sad truths about we human beings is that if we hear the same falsehood enough times we tend to give it more credence. Yet where does it stop if saying things like "the holocaust never happened" are outlawed? I'm not smart enough to know what the optimal solution would be.

[nikulai.livejournal.com]

I remember in college a prof who used to work for a majopr network showed us coverage of protests outside the DNC convention in Chicago. It looked like a ton of protesters all getting very nasty. Then he shoed us the section of tape that was not aired - where the camera pulled back and you saw that it was really a very small group.

And yes, perception is reality.

As for the last, had a prof who also said he was fine with prayer in school as long as he got to write the prayer. ;) I am fine with censorship, long as I get to decide what gets censored.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

I am just going to have to agree to disagree with you, I like penalties for the verbal and written equivalent of "shouting fire in a crowded theater" and for libel. I also think that the remedy for libel should be more like the repair of the damaged reputation, for example forcing newspapers and news programs to do stories about when they get it wrong with more exposure/prominence than the original mistake had.

[nikulai.livejournal.com]

thats odd... I didnt see us as being in disagreement...

And I like your remedy for libel. f course, forcing someone to say something would have its own free speach difficulties as well... but its a very interesting idea.

Well SAID!

[yohannon.livejournal.com]

I said something remarkably similar in my LJ today (a mutual friend pointed me this way after reading the post) -- it all comes down to the power of numbers. The very people who should be talking about the message of Peace in the Koran are actively making comparisons to Salman Rushdie and anyone who would dare make a joke about their prophet.

Of course, that's a puzzling threat -- Mr. Rushdie is still alive after 17 years of living under the threat of death from the entire Muslim world... or at least the mercifully, if disproportionately noticeable, immoral minority thereof.

~Y~