I keel you!

I die hard!

I thought Muhammad would be having sex with a camel or something... geeze... all the fuss is over THAT???

Not even a joke about marrying a 9 year old girl... weak.

BTW The sex with a 9 year old comment has come up on my blog though in some of the threads that have spun off the from the cartoon images.

The response was illuminating in that it decayed swiftly into crude name-calling and a bizarre justification that it is OK to marry and then have sex with any girl who is menstruating.

You are all fucking son of pitches. You are blody people of the west. May ALLAH destroy you.
Ameen

"I do my thing and you do yours. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, then it is beautiful."

If muslims don't like the west then why are they on the internet calling me a "son of a pitch" and a "blody person"? Why don't they all just do the world a favour and die?

you should feel shame for your ignorance.and you Mr Ben as it is abvois you are a Jew.So instead of living in the dark I advice you to go read about Mohamed and Islam maybe then you will know how wrong you are.

i have asome thing that could be an anser for your sek
i think one of the bad muslems had fucked you hen you ere child and then fucked your mother in here mouthand hene you got married he faucd you and your wife on the same bed this is your problem o you have to bite adog on his ass and hi shit and thin drink his urine thin go shit in your fathers mouth ait for 2 hour and eat his shit you may recover we ak your god to help you when e kill you respectable man

You infidel blasphemers. May your stomachs roast in hades and a thousand snad fleas live in your family jewels. Next you will be blaspheming L. Ron Hubbard and Jim Jones.

If Islam is such a kind, compassionate and decent religion, why are Europe and America over run with muslims seeking protection from persecution at the hands of Islamic regimes?

I AM???? Doesn't it sometimes seem as if the whole world has gone crazy?

I generally think this whole Cartoon situation has gotten 100 % out of hand! I hate the tone in this debate, and the fact that only a minority of people wants to debate the “Mohammed cartoons” in a decent way.

The short version of the story is: that a Danish, privately owned, newspaper (Jyllandsposten) on September 20th, 2005, published a series of ten cartoons where one of the drawings was satirizing Mohammed as a terrorist.

The drawings were meant as satire! The same way we in Denmark use satire in regards to Jesus, God himself (or herself…), and the Prime Minister etc. No one that is mentioned in the public debate can expect to go free. Not even the prophet Mohammed.

When I see the Danish flag and pictures of the Danish prime minister burned in Muslim protests against Denmark, I get angry and very offended. Properly the same way Muslims were offended by the “Mohammed-cartoons”. However, I do not threaten to kill Muslims, I don’t boycott Muslim merchandise, or threaten to attack Muslim targets. I am a Dane, and I can debate in a decent tone!

The cartoons were NOT anti-Islam! Denmark is NOT anti-Islam! In Denmark we respect the Muslims right to believe in the prophet Mohammed. However the Muslims must respect that most of us do not.

The reactions to the cartoons have been very harsh. Jyllandsposten have reviewed bomb-threats and some Muslim have threatened with suicide attacks in the Danish Capital. And THAT is offensive reactions that we are not used to. It seams as if some Muslims only wants to participate in a conflict, rather than a solution.

First they wanted an apology from Jyllandsposten – they got it! Then the Prime Minister had to give an apology – he gave it! NOW, some Muslims want an apology from the Danish Queen! Nothing seems to satisfy anybody, except from blood and conflict.

I hope that people that participate in this extremely sensitive, culture and religion debate, would adapt a polite tone and remember that this world belongs to ALL OF US and we have to be able to debate even the most sacred and sensitive issues in order to understand and accept each others differences.

Some of these comments are so over the top that they could almost be used as satire. This is a satirical website, and satire is frequently misunderstood by people who take it literally. The cartoon I posted above is obviously satire, and intended to poke a little fun at people who take themselves so seriously that to further their beliefs they are willing to murder innocent civilians. I think we owe it to the latter to engage in ridicule or satire in the hope of discrediting murderous beliefs. Why would anyone who believes in peace mind that?

Basically I believe that the Muslim world should stop it’s attach on Denmark and get on with there lives with or without Danish products. If you continue it will defiantly not be a more peace full world. May bee some argumentation that it would have been better not to make the drawing is understandable but really they can not be unmade.

So kill us all or get on with your life’s if you attack us I think we would have a good chance of wining. I mean 1, 5 billion against 4, 5 we would not miss with on single bullet and just for the recorded it was a joke.

Poking fun at billions of human's religious belief is not a freedom of speech.
Mohamed era was 1400 years ago, and making fun of a long gone, dead man can never be anyones right of freedom of speech.
Why to begin something that we can not finish , but with voilence?
World belongs to all of us who wish to live in peace and harmony , and insults to your neighbour can not be a good way to win their heart

"Poking fun at billions of human's religious belief is not a freedom of speech."

That is simply incorrect.

Under our Constitution, Americans have the First Amendment right to poke fun at Jesus, Mohammad, Krishna, Yahweh, Allah, Buddha, Zeus, Gaia, Huitzilopochtli, or any other deity, entity, or human, no matter how long he is deceased, whether he lives, or how many people hold a favorable or unfavorable opinion of him or her.

Whether it is a good idea or whether someone might consider it insulting is utterly irrelevant.

But as to the merits here, the clear intent of the above cartoon is to criticize an idea -- that idea being that suicide bombing earns the bomber a place in heaven with 72 virgins.

I rather enjoy the fact that in the cartoon, Mohammad is shown as a voice of surprise, restraint, and maybe even remorse. If that gives pause to people who might think they'd go to heaven by killing innocent people, well, that's the whole idea. If it doesn't, well, how best might suicide bombers be debated?

Like it or not, debate it is. A religious debate -- fully protected under the U.S. Constitution.

Those cartoons are hilarious!

Except for the one where Muhammad has his turkey on a leash. I don't get that one.

Can somebody explain that one to me?

About Mohammed and him bonking his 9 year old wife..
I heard he made her cry a second time, when he wiped the blood from his dick on her teddy bear

The sexual references in some of the above comments are not only off topic, they tend to get my blog blocked by content filters. This is of course my blog, and my free speech rights include the right to delete these comments. Because they are coming in from new commenters in other countries in the context of an international debate, I'm allowing them for now, but I think gratuitous and pointless insults of a sexual nature speak for themselves. Normally, my policy has been to delete them (as I have in past posts) so please be warned.

Re: France-Soir, the paper that fired its editor over the cartoon:

"Formerly titled Défense de la France (“Defense of France”), it was founded as an underground paper during the German occupation of France in World War II .... A majority interest in the newspaper was purchased by Egyptian entrepreneur Ramy Lakah in November 2004."

If the workers at Le Soir have any balls, they will all hand in their resignations. One would hope that every newspaper would havethe sense to print these cartoons in solidarity with the Danish newspaper. The Muslim worlds outrage only indicates that this is a religion infected with intolerance and paranoia. (This goes for most of the other major world religions). My advice: dont take yourself so seriously - its only a joke.

hey
we need some support. can your president not give us some?
the other Eu members are to scared. we will end up muslim hear.

We should realize that our freedom ends when somebody else's starts. Also, do not judge others and their cultures from your point of view.
Show kindness, sensitivity and thoughfulness.
Making fun of somebody's else's religion and their prophet is hardly a laughing matter.
For example, depicting the Pope as a Nazi because he is German would not be a joke. Same thing should apply to showing Mohammed as a terrorist because of radical Muslims.

I agree with tareq neman: islam is the religion of peace and harmony. Wait.. maybe I better read that again.

Unver: the mohamedians are just going to have to get used to it, like the rest of us have over the past 300 years or so.

Jesus gave his life to save these sand wretches. Ignorant beasts that they are, they invented a make believe god and prophet, mohammutt. Now these idiots want to tell the western world what we can say or not say?

Here is what I say about mohamutt - he is a fornicating phony pedophile, humping poor camel boys. Another crusade is in order, this time all arab countries that don't adopt christianity shall be exterminated.

Mohamutt is a fraud, arabs are fools, lets show them Jesus and save them or kill them.

Muslim, Christian, Who cares? We've suffered terribly under repressive, intolerant, ignorant, vicious doctrine for thousands of years because of blind stupid ignorant faith, perpetrated by mindless idiots who'd rather turn their greatest gift - humanity - over to crippling dogma. It's prevented us from evolving and reaching our true potential as humans and it's kept the fires of hatred burning for millennia. Your gods and prophets are RELICS, people - they only serve to divide you and keep you at each other's throats. We've suffered under the shadow of religion for long enough. It's time we had something better. We ALL deserve it, you know? We all deserve to live in a peaceful world with the best of all cultures at our disposal. If we're all waiting for some great apocalypse or revelation, then where is it? Which one of these deities is going to descend from the sky first and prove all the others wrong? Will the others hastily follow once they see one of their rivals has taken the initiative? Are we gonna have a televised knockout tournament with the grand prize being dominion over the human world? Bring it on! I'm SICK of all this stupidity, intolerance and the immense arrogance in thinking that because you're born and programmed into a system of worship, yours is infallible and all others are blasphemous. WAKE UP and take charge of your own imortality for pity's sake. We're tearing ourselves and our planet apart because of belief systems that amplify our worst human traits and exploit our greatest weaknesses - guilt, pride, arrogance. Every one of you is your own deity, ladies and gentlemen - claim your right to a life of wonder and riches free from theological chains, and do it soon - while we still have some planet left to enjoy.

Please do delete stupid comments like the one from Christian Crusader. Now that is offensive and not deserving of publication.

this debate reminds me of a recent cartoon when Pope John Paul died. It depicts him arriving at the gates of heaven and St Peter is there to welcome him... in the background are thousands of people of all backgrounds. The pope, pointing at the multitudes, asks St Peter "They came to welcome me?" "No" says St Peter, "they are catholics who died of AIDS, when you banned the use of condoms"

Carl, I think Christian Crusader's comment is utterly despicable (so are the comments from "tareq neman" and "Disturbed'). I would normally have deleted all three of them as soon as I saw them. But the reason I'm leaving them in -- for now -- is because I think they might belong in a museum of hate and rudeness somewhere.

Even if I delete them, I'll keep a record somewhere.

the ignorant don't get the humor

Christian Crusader: You are evidently unaware that the 'make believe god' of the Muslims is the same one worshiped by Jews and Christians. Don't let the name fool you. Muslims call Jews, Christians and themselves 'the people of the book' because the book you know as the old testament is central to all three religions.

From the outside, you, Ben, Tareq Neman and a few other posters come across like Swift's Big- and Little-endians or the character in the joke voted the best religious joke of all time (http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,2763,1578374,00.html) by visitors to Christian website shipoffools.com. You're members of different sects of the same religion, fighting like petulant siblings. Get a life, for [insert name of preferred deity or prophet thereof]'s sake.

let's all calm down and share a bacon sandwich

I am a muslim and i am ofended by the cartoon. consider myself a moderate in many respects but i think this is beyond the pale. This speaks to a much larger attitude Europeans have towards foreigners. Europeans are racist period. This cartoon could easily have depected a jew or a hindu. The fact is given a chance, Europe would not hesitate to engage in mass killings of muslims just like they did the jews. After all, the Holocost started with seemingly harmless cartoons of the jews under the guise of freedom of speach then it gradually moved in to violence. The overwelming feeling in Europe is currently is how to get rid of the muslims living within their boarders. This was the artitude before WW2 towards the jews. That was why it was so easy for hitlar to succeede in killing so many of them. To tell you the truth, even though muslims have a long conflict with the jews, they are both victims of Europes racism. This current conflict in Palestine was farmented in Europe.

The question now is whether Europe would face up to its racism and start looking at human beings as humanbeings and not perpetuating a false sense of superiority Much is said about the marrages of Muhhamad. Much of what is written is childish and do not need dignifying. To christians i would say if you want to talk about marrage, ask your self who the prophets of christianity were marrying. Go to the old testerment and find out how many wifes Moses Abraham .....had and how old they were. Even by todays stanards, i lived in Utha and i know many polygamous families there and indeer i know of people marrying girls as old as 12. Look to Europe for a second, i know that barely a hundred years ago, or even less than that, people married girls that are 12 yrs old. Even today, Europe's freedoms have allowed the rape of young children, sex slavery child porn. Virtually all european girls above the age of 14 have had sex atleast once. Europe and America are also home to chatolic prists who molest the young children. Everyone knows that the extent of child abuse in the chatolic church is massive. they have just scratched the surface. How would you like it if there was a cartoon of the pope molesting a young boy? Would your reaction have been different or would you still be clowning arround saying it is just a cartoon. Europe has an inflated sense of themsleves that is truely infantile.

People say this is just a cartoon but would the reaction have been different if it was directed against the jews or would you have dusted your jew drag nets again and ready yourselves for another blood bath?

By the way,last year a friend of mine sent me a cartoon of jesus in which he said jesus was a FAG and that is how com he was not married or dating. I wrote to him and protested that he should never send me such garbage that i respect christians even when i disagree with them on many issues.

as a muslim myself. my faith is constantly being threatened by muslims who feel that they are hollier than the prophet(SAW). I wonder when they will understand that we are no longer living the dark ages and one has to change with the times. i guess that is the problem with majority of the imams who hold clouts in majority of the islamic countries out there. The religion above all else is a religion of peace and tolerance. these days people are just practising their own special brand of islam.it's getting harder to differentiate between terrorism and islam. definitily not the one practiced by the Prophet. Islam is the most tolerant religion of all, check the History books, shame on any muslim who protests over such triviality like a cartoon. the whole protest itself is a mockery of the religion. A real life cartoon.

khalid, is it true that all Muslim men are gay? In my somewhat extensive experience, that's the case. Why is this? I think it must have to do with the fact that women are all locked in the cupboard. I was just talking about this with this Egyptian guy I was fucking at the Steamworks. He said he didn't know.

And another thing, what's with the human stapede at the hajj every year? Can't they run camels or something? I don't get it

The world has to learn that they cannot live on beliefs anymore. Beliefs is a time bomb waiting to explode within the Human race. Man stole knowledge from the GODs, and Man's knowledge will reign over beliefs.

FUCK YOU ALL YOU MOTHERFUCKING REPUBLICANS.
BUSH IS a fuckin piece of shit

There is a major flaw or loophole in the religions of the world. No matter how you look at it and try to explain it, the religions of the world allows one to sin or commit crime openly and be forgiven or rewarded. The world cannot live on beliefs anymore. Its been 2000 years. How long more do you want to wait for your GOD. If there is a GOD, there must be a devil. If there is no GOD, there is no devil. There is only Man's intellectual, knowledge, morals and rule of law.

"Islam is the most tolerant religion of all, check the History books"

Sorry LSB, last I checked islam was spread overwhelmingly by the tip of a sword; Throughout the Middle East, in India, Eastern Europe, up into the Iberian peninsula. I appreciate your attempt at moderation but the simple fact is that islam has been at war with the rest of the world since day 1.

Stating that islam is 'the most tolerant religion of all' so completely flies in the face of history and reality, its like saying fish are the best animals at mountain climbing. At which madrasah did you learn history?

"How would you like it if there was a cartoon of the pope molesting a young boy?"

Ever see the "Piss Christ"? Slightly more insulting than these tame cartoons I think. We see things like this daily. Welcome to the West. Check your thin skin at the door pal. My right to say things trumps your (imaginary) right not to be offended.

Sucessful societies cannot function if their response to insult is violence. So you're insulted? Fine. Call the papers, tell them your unhappy. Dont buy them. This is the proper civilized response. Not threatening people and burning flags like spoiled children.

Jewish owned newspapers want to stir hate between the muslim and the western world!
Bringing war over the world,so the big jewish owned banks can give loans to the bombed countries for rebuilding-and cash in on the intrest!!!

muslims are idiot. draw picture of their idiot prophet and they run around like a camel fucked with a cucumber. other religions can't be hurt by you comments or drawings or screaming of idiots. islam on the other hand is so fragile. a cartoon makes every muslim p|ss their pants!

Prophet Mohammad married a small girl so that she could benefit from the budget reserved for the family of our prophet, also another old lady that was 80 years. If you want to make fun of something,talk about how christianity is full of lies you umcircumcized filth bags...

I wonder how long the Simple Christians in Europe are going to remain in Hostage for the few Jews.

Sham on you

While I belive in freedom of speech,and the newspapers have the right to print whatever they want printing the cartoons is was a plain stupid idea. I never see photos of dead soldiers in Iraq and this is done so as not to cause further grief to their families, but the truth is the newspapers have the right to publish any pictures, why can't they think along the same lines when it comes Islam, everybody knows their anger and the consequenses of offending them when it's regarding their religeon. Now so far 200 Danish jobs have been lost because they are losing the market due to boycotting of their products, can anyone justify this price for the sake of publishing stupid cartoons in the name of freedon of speech.

ÇáÓÇÏÉ ÇáÏÇäãÇÑßííä ÇáãÏÇÝÚíä Úä ÇáÕæÑ ÇáÊí äÔÑÊãæåÇ äÍä ÇáãÓáãæä äÊÚÈÑ ÇáÓíÏ ÇáÑÓæá ãÍãÏ Õáì Çááå Úáíå æÓáã Ãåã ÑÌá Ýí ÇáÊÇÑíÎ áãÇÐÇ ¿ áÃäå ÃÚØÇäÇ ÇáØÑíÞ ÇáÕÍíÍ ÇáÐí íÌÚáäÇ ãÎÊáÝíä Úäßã ÈÔßá ÌÐÑí æãÎÊáÝíä Úä ÇáÍíæÇä ÈÔßá ÌÐÑí ÃíÖÇ Ëã ÃääÇ áã äÓÎÑ ãä ÇáíåæÏ æÏíäåã æáã äÓÎÑãä ÇáãÓíÍíä æäÈíåã áÃä ÇáÑÓæá ãÍãÏ ÞÏ ÚáãäÇ æÑÝÖ åÐÇ ÇáÊÕÑÝ ÇáÈÛíÖ æÇáÍíæÇäí æáÃääÇ áÓäÇ ÃØÝÇáÇ äÑÓÓã ÃÚÏÇÁäÇ áäÛáÈåã

do you really know hell we know it every one ho make mistakes will taste it its abig hall of different kinds of fier I think you un moslimes ill get it if you still fool and ediant
follo me i ill lead you to the right think ddr@shuf.com

THE WAR YOU WANT THE MORE YOU GOT

some of you of course are good at being idiots so they deserve no reply. Europe is got a problem. They have become the most racist place on the face of the earth. Also, you think that you can build a society where nothing of substance no longer matter. Morality, truth faith .... do not matter to you but they matter to the rest of the world. Your society is rotting from within. You think you can do anything in the name of freedom of speach. How come you are not answering my question. Didn't the mass murder of jews in europe start from a simple cartoon? Would you like to kill or expel some more jews? Are you planning the same for muslims? Are you ever going to overcome your racist mentality?

May ALLAH destroy all Islamic terrorists, and of course Mohammed, false prophet.

I am a Buddhist. I was, like many Buddhists in China and around the world, was extremely offended when the Islamic Talibans blew up the statues of Buddha. But we did not threaten to kill Muslims. The Muslims are telling all of us to live by their rules—a biggest joke I have ever heard. They are just too childish.

"They have become the most racist place on the face of the earth."

Islam is a race? Go figure. Tell me then, why does Saudi Arabia outright forbid Christianity? Why do muslkims kill Christians in Indonesia and Malaysia. What about the persecution of Coptics in Egypt?

"Also, you think that you can build a society where nothing of substance no longer matter."

How about respect for human life? I see muslims have a lot of that. You know "Behead those who insult islam" and all.

"Didn't the mass murder of jews in europe start from a simple cartoon?"

No it didn't.

"Would you like to kill or expel some more jews?"

This coming from the most rabid Jew-haters on the planet? "Drive them into the sea" and whatnot? Do you really expect anyone to take you seriously?

"Are you ever going to overcome your racist mentality?"

Sure, right after you do.

3 simple questions:

1)Can anyone please explain to me where it says in the Koran that Prophet Muhammad was a pedophile? Not one credible source of information for it has ever been presented.

2)Can anyone please explain to me where it says in the Koran that jihadists get 72 virgins in Heaven? I have NEVER heard of that one before 9/11, and again, no credible source of info has ever supported this concept despite it being repeated just about everywhere.

3)Does anyone have another link to the cartoons? The one presented here probably is seeing too much traffic. I only saw two of the cartoons ("stop we ran out of virgins!" and the guy's head as bomb).

"Not threatening people and burning flags like spoiled children."

Actually, in a civilized Western society, people with thick skin wouldn't care if they saw a flag being burned. While doing so presents a very strong message, it's not something for you to get all offended over (kind of like the cartoons).

I fully agree with the muslims, the cartoons of Mohamed are a disgrace,and therefore I think all muslims living in Denmark should in protest leave that country and emigrate to anywhere in the middle East-that will show the Danes, and I am sure they will be sorry –If you are a good muslim stand up for your principles
leave that place.

I'm a Christian living in a muslim country, which taught me to respect others' beliefs no matter how different they were from mine. Honestly i was offended by the cartoons but i truely cannot understand all the fuss, LSB i totally agree with you that what's happening is merely "a mockery of the religion". Muslims wake up, it's as if showing the world that Islam is a fragile riligion that could be threatened by a cartoon. Everyone knows it's not, so stop acting like that, and stop demanding "respect" by force, threatning to kill is just a barbarian way to protest.

A writer in a weekly newspaper in my country was dismissed because he was wondering that if muslims think that the danish cartoons have insulted Islam, where were these protestors when innocent people were killed in terrorists attacks in the name of Islam? he was also wondering which of them gave a negative image about Islam an muslims, the cartoons or the attacks?

People please understand that coming from a different culture means having different reactions to different subjects, and if we Christians do not really object to cartoons mocking Jesus, then it might be a problme, or merely a belief that our faith is not that fragile to be affected by a cartoon. Press should also control their so called "Freedom of Speach" so as not to insult others, for no one has the "right" to insult others.
Salam

Im no more offended by thier flag burning than I would be by a child throwing a tantrum in a supermarket, for the very reason you mention. I've seen flags burned thousands of times. So what?

I AM however offended by death threats over a cartoon.

Dinah:

You can justify thier anger all you want. I think they ARE in fact justified in being angry. They are NOT justified in torching embassies and kidnappings and death threats. That is the difference. Adults can properly control their emotional reactions. Children cannot. Cultural identity is not an excuse to act like spoiled, bomb-wielding children.

Your fundamental understanding of the freedom of speech is quite limited. The right is there for the explicit purpose for people to express their opinions without the fear of retribution by either violence or imprisonment. It was set in place to protect people from monarchs and dictators from arising.

When one cannot speak negatively about a group, be it religious or political, then that group wields real power. What happens when someone says "The king is unjust" or "the mullah is a liar"? The king/mullah is offended. Then starts the killing. Mullahs in Iran anyone?

Heres how it works in a civilized country:

1.Press/TV/media insults a group.
2.Insulted people boycott advertisers that supports the press.
3.Press/TV/media loses money.
4.Insults stop.
5.Nobody dies, families aren't ripped apart, peace remains and economies continue to grow uninterrupted.

This is what makes certain societies SUCCESSFUL, while others continue to eat sand for breakfast.

"for no one has the "right" to insult others"

I do. And I will continue to as long as it keeps others from having control over what I say. Get the idea?

I think the people who make death threats on the streets of Europe should feel lucky. If they dared to do this in China, the communist government will without a second of hesitation throw every single one of them in jail or send them to labor camps, some of which are in the remote desert in Northwest of China. Go to China to protest if you dare, Muslim friends. Mohammed is routinely mocked there, because it is a religious figure and any religion according to Marx is the opium of the mass.

WE ARE MUSLIMES E ARE TRIING TO TAKE YOU AAY FROM HELL BUT YOU WANT IT ITHINK

Take me to another hell? Islamic ideology is as evil as Communism, maybe worse. At least the communists don't do suicide bombing, the ugliest tactic.

http://blog.newspaperindex.com/2005/12/10/un-to-investigate-jyllands-posten-racism/

For those of you that haven't seen the 'toons yet.

Axiom: Religion will be the downfall of the civilized world.

See ya all in hell....(bring your own bacon sandwich)

http://www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/

and another kick....

Saturday January 12, 2002
The Guardian

In August, 2001, the American television channel CBS aired an interview with a Hamas activist Muhammad Abu Wardeh, who recruited terrorists for suicide bombings in Israel. Abu Wardeh was quoted as saying: "I described to him how God would compensate the martyr for sacrificing his life for his land. If you become a martyr, God will give you 70 virgins, 70 wives and everlasting happiness." Wardeh was in fact shortchanging his recruits since the rewards in Paradise for martyrs was 72 virgins. But I am running ahead of things .
Since September 11, news stories have repeated the story of suicide bombers and their heavenly rewards, and equally Muslim scholars and Western apologists of Islam have repeated that suicide is forbidden in Islam. Suicide (qatlu nafsi-hi) is not referred to in the Koran but is indeed forbidden in the Traditions (Hadith in Arabic), which are the collected sayings and doings attributed to the Prophet and traced back to him through a series of putatively trustworthy witnesses. They include what was done in his presence that he did not forbid, and even the authoritative sayings and doings of his companions.
But the Hamas spokesman correctly uses the word martyr (shahid) and not suicide bomber, since those who blow themselves up almost daily in Israel and those who died on September 11 were dying in the noblest of all causes, Jihad, which is an incumbent religious duty, established in the Koran and in the Traditions as a divine institution, and enjoined for the purpose of advancing Islam. While suicide is forbidden, martyrdom is everywhere praised, welcomed, and urged: "By the Being in Whose Hand is my life, I love that I should be killed in the way of Allah; then I should be brought back to life and be killed again in His way..."; "The Prophet said, 'Nobody who enters Paradise will ever like to return to this world even if he were offered everything, except the martyr who will desire to return to this world and be killed 10 times for the sake of the great honour that has been bestowed upon him'." [Sahih Muslim, chapters 781, 782, The Merit of Jihad and the Merit of Martyrdom.]

What of the rewards in paradise? The Islamic paradise is described in great sensual detail in the Koran and the Traditions; for instance, Koran sura 56 verses 12 -40 ; sura 55 verses 54-56 ; sura 76 verses 12-22. I shall quote the celebrated Penguin translation by NJ Dawood of sura 56 verses 12- 39: "They shall recline on jewelled couches face to face, and there shall wait on them immortal youths with bowls and ewers and a cup of purest wine (that will neither pain their heads nor take away their reason); with fruits of their own choice and flesh of fowls that they relish. And theirs shall be the dark-eyed houris, chaste as hidden pearls: a guerdon for their deeds... We created the houris and made them virgins, loving companions for those on the right hand..."

One should note that most translations, even those by Muslims themselves such as A Yusuf Ali, and the British Muslim Marmaduke Pickthall, translate the Arabic (plural) word Abkarun as virgins, as do well-known lexicons such the one by John Penrice. I emphasise this fact since many pudic and embarrassed Muslims claim there has been a mistranslation, that "virgins" should be replaced by "angels". In sura 55 verses 72-74, Dawood translates the Arabic word " hur " as "virgins", and the context makes clear that virgin is the appropriate translation: "Dark-eyed virgins sheltered in their tents (which of your Lord's blessings would you deny?) whom neither man nor jinnee will have touched before." The word hur occurs four times in the Koran and is usually translated as a "maiden with dark eyes".

Two points need to be noted. First, there is no mention anywhere in the Koran of the actual number of virgins available in paradise, and second, the dark-eyed damsels are available for all Muslims, not just martyrs. It is in the Islamic Traditions that we find the 72 virgins in heaven specified: in a Hadith (Islamic Tradition) collected by Al-Tirmidhi (died 892 CE [common era*]) in the Book of Sunan (volume IV, chapters on The Features of Paradise as described by the Messenger of Allah [Prophet Muhammad], chapter 21, About the Smallest Reward for the People of Paradise, (Hadith 2687). The same hadith is also quoted by Ibn Kathir (died 1373 CE ) in his Koranic commentary (Tafsir) of Surah Al-Rahman (55), verse 72: "The Prophet Muhammad was heard saying: 'The smallest reward for the people of paradise is an abode where there are 80,000 servants and 72 wives, over which stands a dome decorated with pearls, aquamarine, and ruby, as wide as the distance from Al-Jabiyyah [a Damascus suburb] to Sana'a [Yemen]'."

Modern apologists of Islam try to downplay the evident materialism and sexual implications of such descriptions, but, as the Encyclopaedia of Islam says, even orthodox Muslim theologians such as al Ghazali (died 1111 CE) and Al-Ash'ari (died 935 CE) have "admitted sensual pleasures into paradise". The sensual pleasures are graphically elaborated by Al-Suyuti (died 1505 ), Koranic commentator and polymath. He wrote: "Each time we sleep with a houri we find her virgin. Besides, the penis of the Elected never softens. The erection is eternal; the sensation that you feel each time you make love is utterly delicious and out of this world and were you to experience it in this world you would faint. Each chosen one [ie Muslim] will marry seventy [sic] houris, besides the women he married on earth, and all will have appetising vaginas."

One of the reasons Nietzsche hated Christianity was that it "made something unclean out of sexuality", whereas Islam, many would argue, was sex-positive. One cannot imagine any of the Church fathers writing ecstatically of heavenly sex as al-Suyuti did, with the possible exception of St Augustine before his conversion. But surely to call Islam sex-positive is to insult all Muslim women, for sex is seen entirely from the male point of view; women's sexuality is admitted but seen as something to be feared, repressed, and a work of the devil.

Scholars have long pointed out that these images are clearly drawn pictures and must have been inspired by the art of painting. Muhammad, or whoever is responsible for the descriptions, may well have seen Christian miniatures or mosaics representing the gardens of paradise and has interpreted the figures of angels rather literally as those of young men and young women. A further textual influence on the imagery found in the Koran is the work of Ephrem the Syrian [306-373 CE], Hymns on Paradise, written in Syriac, an Aramaic dialect and the language of Eastern Christianity, and a Semitic language closely related to Hebrew and Arabic.

This naturally leads to the most fascinating book ever written on the language of the Koran, and if proved to be correct in its main thesis, probably the most important book ever written on the Koran. Christoph Luxenberg's book, Die Syro-Aramaische Lesart des Koran, available only in German, came out just over a year ago, but has already had an enthusiastic reception, particularly among those scholars with a knowledge of several Semitic languages at Princeton, Yale, Berlin, Potsdam, Erlangen, Aix-en-Provence, and the Oriental Institute in Beirut.

Luxenberg tries to show that many obscurities of the Koran disappear if we read certain words as being Syriac and not Arabic. We cannot go into the technical details of his methodology but it allows Luxenberg, to the probable horror of all Muslim males dreaming of sexual bliss in the Muslim hereafter, to conjure away the wide-eyed houris promised to the faithful in suras XLIV.54; LII.20, LV.72, and LVI.22. Luxenberg 's new analysis, leaning on the Hymns of Ephrem the Syrian, yields "white raisins" of "crystal clarity" rather than doe-eyed, and ever willing virgins - the houris. Luxenberg claims that the context makes it clear that it is food and drink that is being offerred, and not unsullied maidens or houris.

In Syriac, the word hur is a feminine plural adjective meaning white, with the word "raisin" understood implicitly. Similarly, the immortal, pearl-like ephebes or youths of suras such as LXXVI.19 are really a misreading of a Syriac expression meaning chilled raisins (or drinks) that the just will have the pleasure of tasting in contrast to the boiling drinks promised the unfaithful and damned.

As Luxenberg's work has only recently been published we must await its scholarly assessment before we can pass any judgements. But if his analysis is correct then suicide bombers, or rather prospective martyrs, would do well to abandon their culture of death, and instead concentrate on getting laid 72 times in this world, unless of course they would really prefer chilled or white raisins, according to their taste, in the next.

may allah spank my monkey when there are no more virgins left.

allah be praise there are infidels to introduce us the concept of hetrosexuality else we all be in hell for pedophilia

Funny how we didn't see Buddhists behaving like this after the Taliban blew up two ancient statues of the Buddha in Afghanistan.

Funny how we didn't see Buddhists behaving like this after the Taliban blew up two ancient statues of the Buddha in Afghanistan.

The world has gone insane!!! Everyone needs to get a grip, stop crying like babies and MOVE ON!!!

The Muslim does not worship the God of the Christian. Christians worship Christ as God, Muslims do not.

Funny how it's perfectly okay for Jews and Christians to be depicted in cartoons in the most offensive way in the Muslim world, but when someone does the same thing to them; LOOK OUT! Muslims are the biggest hypocrites alive! Does Jews are monkeys and pigs sound familar!

Kalid says Europe is racist against Muslims, then why is europe catering to them and why are they letting an unlimited amount of muslims in their countries! Why does the EU send the palestinians 10 million dollars a month then if Europe hates Muslims so much!

By the way Kalid a perfect example of just how Muslims are racist against Christians is when they beheaded someone in Saudi Arabia back in 1993 just because they were caught with the bible. Three girls in Indonesia were beheaded by Muslims just because they were Christian. A teacher in Afhganistan was beheaded last month by one of the Taliban just because she was Christian! The Muslims during WW2 served in one of Hitler's SS units! Bosnian Muslims. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem formed a very strong alliance with Hitler!

Why dont the dumb ass West threaten to Nuke and Nuke a self declared Holy city for every suicide bomber. One suicide action deserve another. Make sure they strap a suicidal Godly person to the missile.

The destruction of 200,000 in split seconds stopped the war in the EAST. The bad news is it might take the destruction of 200 million in split seconds to stop this worldwide violance in the name of GOD.

The best way to stop the Islamic thugs is to use the Chinese communist iron fist. Democracy sometimes introduces its own destruction.

Jesus and Mohamed are gay! They blow each other!

This is so funny. Muhammad was murderer, thief and sexual pervert. He founded his sick religion to further his deviant behavior. He was nothing more than a David Koresh 400 years after Christ. He also liked boys. The hysterical response from the "True Believers" is because there's too much truth in the cartoons.

I have read the Koran. Of course it was in English and therefore a tainted writing; not in "god's language"; god's language is the stagnant Arabic language. One can only understand Islam by reading in god’s language. A vast majority of the ignorant Muslims can't read Arabic and just recite it from rote. Anyway the text about violence far out weighs any thing about peaceful actions.

And by the way the asses believe that there is no free choice, that god makes infidels and believers and there is no changing. Infidels go to hell and were meant to go there from the get go. That's also why it's ok to kill an infidel or two every once in a while.

Women are pretty much worthless too. Actually they’re worth ½ a man as far as their courts are concerned. Two women witnesses equal the word on one man, sometimes. It’s ok to beat your wife as punishment for disobedience, you just shouldn’t make her bleed. However if she should be unfaithful it’s ok to cut off her head.

We are in a war against a sick religion. There are no Muslims that are against the so called radicals, they just aren’t on board yet. They all swear allegiance to Mecca and swear to take up arms in the name of Islam. In their creed ask a towel head.

Fuck Muhammad and the camel he rode in on!

And fuck Jesus too and his stupid followers!

man,some of the less fundamentalist muslim reckon it is a religion of peace.What the hell.The prophet himself killed in the name of god...committed peodaphilia..and even massacred his cousins.And they went on to kill...

to all the muslims out there... how do you justify the reward of virgins in heaven,how do let the appaling treatment of women to go on,they are you mothers and sisters..why don't you admit that it was a made up religion..how come you don't have a muslimm named gabriel since he appeared to mohammed to give him the news,(because it is a christian/jewish name).If you admit that Christ was born from Mary,via an immacullate conception,it is in your Sourat mariam.Then why would anyone follow the words of a lesser prophet born from man.mohamed is the 666 ibcarnate.Please convert and save your souls.

Mankind is doomed!!!!

Convert to christianity? From one crap religion to another? Just drop the stupid religion! All this for a dead man on a stick! Such hypocrisy. Christianity: the religion of peace. Come all yea faithful and lets shoot the abortion doctor!

Muslims are just racist with religion as an excuse. They hate every kind - Christian, Jewish, Hindu, Buddhist, you name it. Everyone but themselves. Isn't it all a big game?

No one can fucking take religion seriously anymore, you stupidos!!! Only those who got brainwashed enough at childhood. Just like I once believed in the tooth fairy. IT'S ALL A CONSPIRACY, I TELLS YA!!! Get over it already, otherwise you go to Hell and there's green and blue lights which pass straight through your hollow skulls... AND there's NO WINE OR PUSSY! Ohhh, how tragic... If you listen to me I'll give you gold, cannabis and unlimited bosom... COME TO MEEE... Do I sound insane? I think so.

if you think you have problems with the "crusaders'..wait until the chineese wake up.they hate your fucking guts,muslim piece of shit!!!

My two cents worth...

The Muslims are upset because they believe these cartoons are insulting to the Prophet (PBUH). My question is – would He really be insulted? The only reason I ask, is because if I were in Jannat (heaven) with 72 willing females and an everlasting raging hard-on, I wouldn’t care too much about what some mortal in Denmark was drawing on a piece of paper…

Bismi-Allahi ar-Rahmani, ar-Raheem (In the name of Allah, most compassionate and merciful), how can the Muslims threaten the world with violence?

I have to ask some posters in this thread, do you have any adult supervision in your life?

Were it in my power a number of people would be grounded for a week, and a few for a month or so. You can't act like grown-ups, you don't get treated like grown-ups.

As for Mohammed's purported child molestation; were you aware that most sexual activity by 13 and 14 year old girls with a man are initiated by the child? Do a search on the phrase "childhood sexuality" sometime. We lie about our children and what they're like, and those lies end up hurting them.

In our attempts to keep them pure we end up corrupting our children. This is known as an unintended conesquence, and it is one that destroys lives.

Many of these comments are indeed appalling. This is just another reminder that I accept no responsibility for any comments unless they come from me.

That Islam is a religion of peace is a big lie. In fact Islam makes enemy everywhere, not just with the West. Muslims terrorists blew up a bus killing dozens of people, in China a few years ago. This was not widely reported because the communist government covered it up for the shame of inability to control.

in islam, no one including themselves can question whatsoever about their religion. even no matter how stupid islamic laws are. they will go straight to hell if they question. example, "why can i not eat those delicious bacon sandwiches" or "why is it ok to threat my own mother and sisters like shit".

and some people here are trying to get them to understand what?? islam is a blind faith. it is a "take it up the ass and say thank you religion."

Well.... Just one more head-shake that some cartoons of Mohammed can cause so much trouble.

This is not about cartoons or hurt feelings anymore. This is about the usual hard-core muslims taking up every chance the get to create riots, trouble, stir hate and generally behave like the un-controlable persons they are and always will be. I think there can never be a organized, logic debate with such people but most people don't realize this since we are trying to moderate the debate in a westerly fashion - something that these people simply don't grasp.

Freedom of speech and free press are some of the basic things of our society - we should NEVER back down from this or even let our selves be half convinced that these values are worth less than the hurt feelings of muslims. Sorry, but.... Muslims want us to accept their oppinion of what is acceptable to print, and perhaps they should also accept our oppinion as well. And the printing of the cartoons were totally within the limits of any law, morale and journalistic ethics in the Denmark and in the major part of the world. This is the way things are in Denmark and should the Danes appologize for that ? I think not.

Hurt muslim feelings over some cartoons ? Well, I guess that certain muslim TV stations airing of videos of totally innocent and defenceless victims being butchered with a slow knife through the throat and finally having the head separeted from the body was intended as a good-night show for western children ? Or when the Talibans destroyed statues of Budda ? Or when the iranian president insists that the Hollocaust didn't take place ?

Personally I have nothing against muslims - I have something against any person of any religion behaving like this and hiding behind religious motives. And I am really sorry for islam, but it looks like you guys are really good at it....

Lots of credit to the islamic priests who tried to control the crowds talking against the violence and even got a few rocks in the head for the effort.

I see that on this site a lot of people view Mohammed as a small dehydrated pedophile thief boning away on his child-wife. Well, whatever. That's a matter of difference in oppinion and respect for other peoples religion.

But what saddens me most is that the hooligan muslims didn't really get until now what islam is really about.

... last thing: If they really want to let Danish diary producing firms pay for the cartoons, well, then.... Mustafa, learn how to make your f****** feta-cheese yourself.

JJ

The Islam violence lies squarely in the Muslims’ feeling of a civilization in decline -- and the adoption of terror and intimidation as the road to restoration. It is one thing for the Muslims to have fallen behind the West. But to fall behind South Korea -- also colonized, once poor and lacking any of the Muslim world's fantastic oil wealth -- is sheer humiliation.

The Islamic violence lies squarely in the Muslims’ feeling of a civilization in decline -- and the adoption of terror and intimidation as the road to restoration. It is one thing for the Muslims to have fallen behind the West. But to fall behind South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore -- also colonized, once poor and lacking any of the Muslim world's fantastic oil wealth -- is sheer humiliation.

That doesn't look like Mohammed at all. That looks like my buddy, Singh-ot Kulahngoth, who passes by the stalls every afternoon to collect payments for his 5-6 business.

If mudslum lands are so holy to them why don't they stay there.U.S and Danish flags should be made with toxic chemicals and handed out at protests so they choke on the smoke.

Ugh what a bunch of ugly comments. Welcome to the clash of civilizations, I guess... Now I have to side with the religion bashing jerks or the Muslim jerks... Guess I'll side with the religion-bashers, but talk about the lesser of two evils.

As respect for other people's religion go, what do the Muslin community think of the destruction of the giant Bhuddas?

The islamics are showing themselves for what they are: midevel backward little people who have not graduated to the modern world yet! screw mohamed!

I gotta say my Muhammad cartoon T-shirts are making me a lot of money I made £2,500 in 3 days. I just wanna thank the Danish people for what they have done for me. Opened up a good little business opportunity. I shall keep people posted on the T-shirts for those that want to buy online when I get little business established.
Man I can now pay off my university fees I never thought the prophet Muhammad could be so useful, thank allah ( wateva he he is donkey, cow , gorilla ) for dis muhammad felleh.

I gotta say my Muhammad cartoon T-shirts are making me a lot of money I made £2,500 in 3 days. I just wanna thank the Danish people for what they have done for me. Opened up a good little business opportunity. I shall keep people posted on the T-shirts for those that want to buy online when I get little business established.
Man I can now pay off my university fees I never thought the prophet Muhammad could be so useful, thank allah ( wateva he he is donkey, cow , gorilla ) for dis muhammad felleh.

Violence will not prevail. The WEST will keel (this sounds violence but its not) the Arab and Muslim violence through solidarity and peaceful response. And if that wont work, then there's always nukes. :-).

The prophet says that the rich lives on the poor and the poor lives on beliefs. He would rather be rich.

"Islam says it's all right to demonstrate but not to resort to violence. This must stop," senior cleric Mohammed Usman told The Associated Press. "We condemn the cartoons but this does not justify violence. These rioters are defaming the name of Islam."

defaming? they are idiots!

We should dump Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Its been close to thousands of years. We should start a new religion where all can agree to. The UN should intervene and propose a New Religion where all in Mankind can follow, believe and agree. Maby start with a 5 to 10 year Project and eradicate the virus of Judaism, Christianity and Islam create a new all loving and non lethal virus. We can call it Project Genesis - The NEW ZEUS.

The GOD (Allah) of Christians and Muslims does not need defending by angry mobs. In fact he is as hurt and saddened with the violent reaction as he is with the printing of the ads. It's not about Muslims, Christians or Secularists (yes, they are a religion)it is about the rejection of God and his son Jesus. Yes, I am a Christian.

We can keep pointing fingers and being manipulated by organized religions/governments or we can cry out to GOD for the way we sin and reject him on a daily basis. Yes, Christians, Muslims and Secularists are all sinners and only by belief in Jesus (Gods son) and his death for our sins can we ever hope to have eternal life with him.

I don't share the beliefs of many of my fellow created human beings but I do respect the fact that they are all GOD's created beings and he loves them and want's a relationship with them.
As he set out in creation though he has given each of us a free will to choose eternity with him or eternity with Satan (Lucifer, Devil etc...)

Don't be manipulated by the forces in this world around you but seek GOD's will for your life. And I can tell you that it does not include violence or mocking others.

Have a nice life but look to eternity!!

Pray. Pray. Pray.

in order for islam to exist, it must attack other religions and disprove other religions. this is like an atheist trying to convince every one around him god does not exist in order for him to continue to be an atheist.

idiots destroy the buddhist statue in afghanistan and buddist continues like nothing happen. this is why no matter how much other religions are mock, it doesn't effect the religion whatsoever.

draw a cartoon the the whole world islams jumps up screaming like a craze moron. becareful another cartoon or two, islam might be destroyed...thats what islams is alll about. it needs protection to keep going. hahahaha..

Does it seem strange to anyone else that here in the United States, where freedom of speech is guaranteed by the First Amendment (and where several founding fathers felt free to criticise religious orthodoxy), our mainstream media insists on protecting the public from seeing cartoons?

Has the visibly violent Muslim response to these cartoons convinced a whole lot of Westerners that the path of discretion is to treat the issue with kid gloves now . . . and perhaps cut back on the entrance visas from Islamic nations asap?

For the people making fun of Jesus and everyone else, your judgement day will come. If muslims want to act like this over a cartoon it doesnt say much about them, but when they die and go up to the gates, its gonna be a sad day. Just remember eternity is a long time to spend in hell. It will actually probably feel a lot like forever.

It's all one big fat lie imposed on your fuckin' heads by your so-called glorious god. McCartney was right ... live and let die! Long live the murderous religion!! see u in hell!!!

I once had sympathy for these muslems but now I am very disillusioned by them,they can't be helped.they only know violence. My sentiments are 'SEND THEM BACK WHERE THEY CAME FROM!!

I am a muslim, and I don't mind of making ajoke about anything, because our people also making a joke about Jesus....so...why you are so angry????

I hate sie fucking muslims and say dead to sem all. I hase alle JUDENSCHWEIN!

This is the biggest bullshit I have ever seen.
Spilled fucking milk. Jesus Christ or should I say Allah! Stop taking the piss and get over it!

Hello I am a representative of the Swedish Democrats( Sverige Demokraterna ). We believe that a country with less imigrants would benefit us all. Maybe this will affect their opinion about leaving our precious Arien Country.

P.S May Hitler Rise Once Again!

From: Thor Gänner.

damput kabeh kowe... wong - wong kui wes diatur karo sing moho... awake dewe gari njalanke wae,.. rasah nganggo ribut - ribut/// yen pancen nabi kui ora trimo, mesti de`e iso bertindak... kecuali nek de`e yo ga iso opo - opo//... raperlu sing nang dunyo iki podo sok - sok`an....

damput kabeh ora sing barat ora sing timur.... damput !!!!!!

I intend to buy as many Danish products as I can from now on

"I made up all the religion of the world to keep the ignorant fighting. I did not think the joke would continue for so long." Satan

You people are not very clever. Do you really think a God(supposing he exists) who created all the universe in its diverse splendour needs to be worshiped ?

Do you really think you are going to live for ever in some sort of personal paradise ? And with Virgins ?

In the entire history of the world how many times have we spilled the blood of innocent women and children in the name of peace, love and our special flavour of divinity ?

and the lord said Love thy neighbour in exactly the way I told one person. If you are smart enough to create the universe. then I am guessing you are smart enough to pass the message to more than one person at a time.

Religion has made the Devil redundant, He could never find the time to committ the atrocities of Christians, Muslims or Jews.

If you study the theological "mission Creep" of all religions and research the past rules and regulations you will find nothing but manipulation and spin. Changing slightly to fit the times but always to maintain power and obediance.

It was the politics of the past used by the powerfull to control the masses.

Imagine this.... You are born...You live...You die. You are not significant and you are going to decompose in the ground with all the previously living creatures of the earth.

PS. The world is not flat and the stars will never fall from the sky and on the day of judgement (again if there is going to be one) I will be quite perky because I have not beheaded anyone or made war in order to create peace.

The real problem is that we do not have the answers to the big questions about life. With everyone struggling with uncertainty it is easy to place your faith with some half arsed rubbish to make you feel better. Delusions keep people happy.

you fucking allah lovers are a bunch of fucking terrorist

Let's face it...Islam is a vile religion that encourages infidels head be chopped off, and, in the Quran clearly states that all Christians and Jews should die as the enemies of Allah.

People have mocked Jesus in movies and books for a hundred years and Christian nations haven't gone around chopping their heads off...

People have made fun of Buddha (the fat little porker) and Buddhists have not stopped chanting and picked up machine guns...

It is only that violent and vile faith of Islam that encourages its followers to kill...

Mohammed wrote in the 'Koran' (as you westerners call it) to behead and kill those that reject Islam...

Jesus said "love your enemies and do good to those that despitefully use you'

Given the choice it seems Mohammed needs to find Jesus.

WHY DONT ALL YOU FUCKING ALLAH HUGGING TWATS GO FUCK YOURSELVES OR BETTER YET GO FUCK A GOAT LIKE YOUR USED TO AND LEAVE US ALL ALONE YOU FUCKING CAMEL FUCKERS

Wow! check out 'Khalid's post - he says "Europeans are racist period."
If thats not a racist statement itself then what is?!!!
"Everyone knows that the extent of child abuse in the chatolic church is massive"
You seem to be confusing the prejudices of your tiny spiteful hate-ridden mind with public opinion at large- a trait often to be observed amongst the intellectually-deprived..incidentally..I wonder
just why would so many Muslims are so touchy around the issue of paedophilia?
After all if the Qu'ran is a direction fit for all time then, seeing as the Prophet (at circa 53 y.o) penetrated a nine year old child then surely the Wests' sexual morality laws are completely wrong and against Allah's will? Surely Muslims will be now be protesting at the treatment of those criminalised and vilified for such sexual proclivities?What does islam say about the likes of ,say, Gary Glitter? After all, if Mohammed was the perfect example of how to act..Is poor old gary not getting a raw deal?? Perhaps you should organise another protest march.

On the issue of whether or not satire cartoons are protected by the first ammendment here in the U.S. it's a yes/no answer. I studied media law in college and looked over the supreme court cases based off the 1st ammendment. There is a clause the supreme court came up with called hate speech or fighting words. In short it basically says you have the right to say anything you want, but the moment you infringe on someone else's rights to life, liberty, and justice, then you are not covered by the first ammendment. For example telling someone to F#^@ck off or harrass someone to the point of fighting you is not covered under the 1st ammendment.
This is why when a child tells the teacher about someone picking on him/her in school the other child is repremanded. However, satir and political cartoons do not relate to this. I'm just merely saying people don't have the right to say whatever the hell they want in public. Cartoons inciting hate crimes, riots, or desent against the government are actually illegal in the U.S. (look up the Supreme Court cases against the KKK, and WWII desenters). Papers in America even walk a fine line between what is freedom of speech and illegal speech. This is why you can't swear on the radio or in papers, because it's public forum.
Radical islamic fachist (not spelled right) think western civilization is the devil and going to hell in a hand basket. They think our sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll society needs to be destroyed and converted back to conservative ideas. Western civilization with it's acceptence of "anything goes" is a cancer and needs to be removed and converted to islam. Where good moral values lead the way. Kinda sounds like some of the christian fundamentalist here in the U.S. like those on T.V.
This would mean no freedom of expression, no porn, no drugs, basically no freedom of choice! So here's the solution to fight off terrorism without violence. Because violence begats more violence. Have Western Society go even more left in political thought. Vote for you democrats, create big socalist goverments and programs, buy porn, have sex with your brother/sister/co-workers guy or girl openly and show these fundamentalist conservatives just how liberal we can be. Martin Luther King protested non-violence take heed to his message. Instead of dropping bombs on Al Quida encampments drop teddy bears, candy, along with porn, Brittany Spears music, and chick flick movies showing love.
If you haven't guessed I'm being sarcastic. But it is something to think about. Rather than take the republican idea of bombing the hell out of everything, or the democratic idea of "understanding" where these jihadist come from and improve our culture to stop them from hating us, just make them hate us even more to the point where they give up. Shock and awe baby!!!!!!

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/698

well- what a lot of fuss. don't you know you'll all be dead oneday turn to dust and return to the stars. There is no god no matter howmuch noise you make about it. That's the problem - people are afraid of death and there is no god but if they make enough huff & puff they hide their fear in their own delusions. Ther is no god and blowing people up or whatever will not make it so.

Well, here goes my first-ever attempt to post my two cents' worth:

I can't believe the furor over the cartoons published months ago. Worse, are the anti-Jew and anti-Muslim comments I've read in here, as well as right-wing Christian condemnation of Muslims. The Christian Comments I read in here are just as narrow-minded and intolerant as are the protestors I see on the news, and his/her words are much more inciteful than those cartoons were. Those comments were downright extremist-scary, like shooting abortion-performing doctors scary: flip-side of the same coin.

I've searched many years for the right religion for myself, for one that fits me, and I've looked at all of them, although I was brought up Christian. I finally decided I believe strongly in God/Allah/Jehovah, but I also believe that when people turn their belief into organized religion, they screw it up, without fail, and eventually develop beliefs that they are RIGHT and every other religion or religious branch-off of their religion is WRONG. The longer the religion exists, the more anal they get about their intolerance - take Baptists and Methodists sprinkling or dunking, take Orthodox versus Conservative versus Reform versus Hassidic Jews, take Catholics versus Protestants, or vice versa. The longer people have a hold of a religion, the more they damage the intent - worshipping God and allowing others to do the same in peace and as they see fit.

My father once told me during a phone call that Catholics and Mormons (Latter-Day Saints) are cults, and he condemned them for their false beliefs. I asked him with surprise, "Dad...YOU are GOD??? I didn't know YOU are GOD - what an honor to find out my dad is God!"

I kept repeating myself as he tried to spread intolerant poison he'd probably heard from the pulpit that morning at church, until he replied with irritation, "No, I am not God, why do you keep saying that?! Why do you keep interrupting me?!"

I replied, "Well, Dad, I thought only GOD has the right to judge or condemn. I figured you must be God, if you believe you have the right to judge and condemn other branches of your same faith or other faiths. I figure you must be God if you feel you have the privilege of God to judge and condemn. I'd sure be absolutely sure that I WERE God, or at least his prophet, before I took such liberties as to condemn others' beliefs. Otherwise, Dad, I'm afraid you might get to the pearly gates and find out that not only were you wrong, and one of the other religions you judged as a cult was the more true religion in God's view, such as one of the ones you so readily condemn...but even worse, Dad...you might get there just to find out God is REALLY UNHAPPY with you whether or not you believed the closest faith to God's Will or not. Because God might just be really angry with you specifically FOR judging and condemning any other believers or religions - AT ALL!"

Unfortunately, my Dad is so enraptured with his Born-Again-Christian faith (or Born-Again-fanatacism), he didn't get the message.

It was: Believe what you feel comfortable believing, but don't judge or condemn others who believe differently. IF you believe in God, or a Higher Power, then, in doing so, you concede such judgments and decisions to God alone.

I thought the comment about the Pope joke with all the AIDS victims dead from not using condoms was a good counterpoint to the Muslim cartoons. More examples of similar humor might help Muslims to feel that their faith is not the only one focused upon. Besides, it was funny.

The press likes to poke fun at truth, hypocrisy, irony, correlation and so much more. Always has. But if it offends thee, don't pluck it out, PLEASE PEOPLE, just CHOOSE not to read it. Censorship of the press because one offended faith demands it, is still censorship. And when threats of harm or retaliation with violence or explosives are involved, I'd call that "terrorism" in order to coerce/force censorship. As in we'll bomb your Capital if you don't apologize? Do they realize how ironic that is or how such a response serves to lend credibility to the cartoon of Muhammed with a bomb poking out of his head? Jeez.

Look at the cartoons, see the offensiveness or the humor or the irony or whatever you personally see in them, and then round-file them (i.e., throw them in the trash) and move on with your life.

You know what this reminds me of? Do you remember when Clinton was being investigated for the blow-jobs and cigar-sex with Monica Lewinsky? I was SO embarrassed for my country! Not that he and she had committed such acts, but that my own government spent millions to scrape every little dirty detail up for public consumption that should have remained private and personal (of course include his wife Hillary in the limited circle of who should have been in-the-know). I listened to foreign news about it on my PC, and America was the laughingstock of the world for such inane wastefulness of millions of dollars over fairly minor sexual indiscretions (and gross, the cigar-penetration bit was disgusting, and, just F.Y.I, I bet they only did that THE ONE TIME because one time is all it took for her to find out that tobacco WITHIN your private parts BURNS - don't even ask me how I know that).

TRUISMS:
1. Sexual indescretions among government/elected officials = common worldwide and always has been.

2. Spending millions to anally and publically force out and dredge up every little detail from the participants = Only In America.

I'm not certain, because I am not Muslim, but if I were a Moderate (read: non-terrorist-prone) Muslim, my best hunch is that I would probably be really embarrassed at the fuss being made by my fellow believers over some stupid published cartoons. I'd turn away from them as inappropriate and want them to go away, like I wish the U.S. had done about the Clinton Sex Scandal.

Frankly, since I've seen news of the worldwide cartoon-protests running every time I've turned on CNN yesterday and today, I got curious about the blasphemous infidel cartoons enough to look online and see for myself how bad a few Danish cartoons had to be to incite such a worldwide reaction, which, actually, is how I wound up in here.

But, from my admittedly SUBJECTIVE, non-Muslim, non-organized religion follower but devout believer in a Higher-Power and Democrat-leaning-toward-socialist, female American perspective (that was a mouthful), the MORE threats I hear about, the LESS I view the bomb-in-the-head cartoon of Muhammed as a cartoon caricature, and the MORE it appears to be an unfortuitous yet apropos example of "the writing is on the wall"...or...in other words...of a highly ironic cartoon, as it were, but one that is based at least in part on some unpleasant truths in regard to some extremist Muslims...
...so...now that practically the whole Muslim world is protesting the cartoons...how much credibility are their actions giving to the very thing they protest?

What I'm saying here, folks, is that the outraged reactions by Muslims, the intolerance and threats because their prophet and belief was the focus of cartoon caricatures, was simply an example of the media poking at another institution - like the media poke at EVERYTHING. If anything, it shows me that the media views the Muslim religion as a credible institution worthy of taking a few pot-shots at. Like the Pope, like Clinton, like Bush and his non-hands-on-initial presidential response to Hurricane Katrina, like everything else that is mainstream, accepted or current. I read the cartoons as disrespectful, sure, but that is usually what caricature cartoons are. They should make us think, they should make the recipients think and also think twice about how they may be perceived by others. But I also see the fact that published caricature/humor cartoons are a sign of mainstream acceptance of the Muslim religion ranking alongside the Pope/Catholicism, Christianity, Judaism, with governments, with ENRON...with current events and an innate assumption that the reader already has a level of common/cultural knowledge on the topic. That's a BAD thing?

In short, the cartoons themselves are not complimentary but the fact that the Muslim religion was the focus of mainstream media cartoons IS.

However you view them, whatever your faith, please people...Get Over It. Threats and protests over uncomplimentary or even blasphemous cartoons...GOOD LORD! With Global Warming, Starving People, AIDS, Environmental Pollution, the dry winter and wild fires already starting and burning here (Arizona) and in California, a tax-dollar-sucking-yet-not-a-war-but-people-still-keep-dying-over-there-and-I'm-sick-of-lies-about-it-and-want-it-over whateveryouwannacallit Bush-initiated thing going on in Iraq, and with the U.S. Patriot Act probably going to cause ME to be monitored or blacklisted from taking commercial airlines JUST FOR WRITING THIS in here, with intolerance and prejudice of race, heritage, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, riding a Harley in leathers (that's me), and with politician improprieties every day on the news, sexual or otherwise (I'd take sexual improprieties over misappropriating millions of tax or employee retirement dollars any day), with Mad Cow disease and bird flu and AIDS and cancer...can't we find something more pressing to get riled up about than a few disrespectful cartoons published months ago in Denmark? If the people protesting spent that time in prayer asking for forgiveness and tolerance, for themselves and for others, their time would be better spent. Get over it, people, or, in my kind of jargon; Get A Life. Please.

Thank you for your time. We can agree to disagree.

The guarantees of free expression that are so basic to Western culture are not needed to protect those who say what others want to hear. It is specifically in defense of the right to be outrageous and insulting that such freedom is needed. Nobody needs to be protected when claiming that the king (or God) is a great guy. What needs to be protected is the right to blaspheme, to insult, to tell people that the king is a murderer. Perhaps alot of what is wrong with the world is that there are too many people who are afraid to question "axioms" that don't make sense to them.

Consider -- If God is a single living being, who has a will, then at most, only one of our religions knows what it is, and all the rest of us are acting in opposition to God's will. Opposition to God's will is the very definition of "Evil".
Consider -- We have only our own particular religion's God's word that His/Her will defines "Goodness" (and, by extension, "Evil").
So perhaps God is not a being with a will, and is instead our particular culture's concept of "Goodness". Perhaps, if we move from one culture to another, it requires a change in our own concept of God and of Goodness. Perhaps protest would be more effective if the protesters would not call for the death of any who dare call the protesters' particular religion violent.

Okay, let me get this out of the way. I don't believe in religion of any kind. I (personally) think that religion is a way for people to feel more comfortable with dying. However, I also feel that free speech can be taken too far. Some people are just too stupid and crude to have free speech, however, who's to decide who can speak and who cannot? There's no one. I am an advocate for free speech, but I'm also an advocate against ignorance. If you think that you, and only your way of thinking is correct, you're ignorant. I have no problem whatsoever with the thought of there being a God...thus proving me wrong. In fact, kudos to those that tried to sway me otherwise, if that is the case. Bible thumping Christians, who say that Muslims and other religions should follow Christianity or die are ridiculous and ignorant bastards. I love diversity in culture and otherwise, and anyone who makes such rash remarks is obviously taking themselves much too seriously...just as the Muslims are taking themselves and the cartoons much too seriously. There is fault in both places, and I think that both are wrong. If we just accept each other, live and let live, everything would work out fine, instead of judging each other, using biased, non objective information.

A favorite quote on free speech to sum things up:
I do not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. -Voltaire

Hey FauberMaus:

I really lik