Saturday, September 23, 2006

The thin skins of Muslims

How is it that everyone is free to criticize Christianity's history, but talking about Islam's bloody past (to say nothing of its bloody present) is somehow taboo?

This is what I call the "running up the score" phenomenon. We, in the West, are way ahead in the game. We are wealthier. We live longer. We have more access to goods and services that improve the quality of life. Therefore, it doesn't really harm us to have Christianity's past (the operative word being past) sins brought up. The Inquisition? Okay. It was bad, but that was six hundred years ago. It's a garbage touchdown late in the fourth quarter when their team is already down 56-0.

Conversely, any perceived criticism of Islam's [much bloodier] past is adding another touchdown and humiliating the losing team. It's why anyone is free to insult or slander Christianity, yet Islam must be handled with kid gloves. Does anyone remember last year's brouhaha over the cartoons of Mohammed? Yet, Madonna is free to don a crown of thorns and pose on a cross in her latest concert tour.

Of course, the Western media are accomplices in this. If they didn't report so eagerly (and slyly join in) the charges leveled by the Islamo-fascists, those who would take us back to the ninth century would have no forum to vent their unjustified spleen. They would then quicky realize that such tactics as inventing slights to their dignity gain them nothing.

1 comment:

Alain DeWitt said...

Susie,

I have traveled extensively in the Middle East. I find that, on average, Arabs like the trappings of modernity.

This is one of the things that I find most disconcerting about places like Saudi Arabia or Kuwait. There is the outward appearance of piety. Yet underneath one finds rank hypocrisy.

The same goes for things like TV and entertainment. While Arabs profess to hate Western culture, go into any well-off Saudi's or Kuwaiti's home and you will find that they own cell phones, DVD players, and personal computers. They subscribe to satellite TV services and the most popular programs are things like professional wrestling, Jerry Springer and "Desperate Housewives".

Like I said, rank hypocrisy.