6 February 2006

Today I'm Danish

| johnboy
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For those who haven’t been following the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Drawings controversy, the wikipedia is covering it well here, and the SMH has coverage here.

Jyllands-Posten Muhammad drawings

So, (and I bet you were wondering where the local angle is) can any of our panel of experts suggest where one can buy danish produce in Canberra?

UPDATED: Just had the following email from “(the Infamous) Mr. Squiggle”

Johnboy

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful I respectfully ask that you put thwse pictures I provide in response to the disrespect to the Prophet Muhammad you have commitedqw1234.

All praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of everything else.

Jesus Ikea

Jesus is your buddy

We’re all free to make bad jokes.

UPDATED: Christopher Hitchens has written, better than I, why these cartoons need to be published.

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One of my favorite webcomic writers Chris Wright has put together this piece on the situation which gives a nice little comparison, nothing at all Canberra related, but thought I’d throw it up anyways because I like Ubersoft so much and Chris’ ideas

Did anyone see that Queen of Denmarks comments on the issue? She said, in short:

BRING IT BITCHS!!

Why are they provoking us?

They, being the violent element in these events, aren’t. They are showing off to god.

Although I didn’t intend to comment on this issue here, I think the incident has perpetuated enough to actually have a long term effect on Canberrans now.

Whilst the effect of this will not be immediately felt in Canberra, the threads of what is going to occur in the future are already starting to unfold.

The question is, when will the anti-christian messages be published for the Christians to get all het up about ?

Will the Christians burn down embassies, go on riots, etcetera, or will the archbishop of whereverville just quietly denounce the incident on his way to the opening of a new shooting gallery ?

The behaviour of those of Muslim faith during this event has been appalling, and I hope that the film footage be used to prosecute individuals in the same way Cronulla beach footage has been utilised.

All these events begs the question – are they asking for another crusade ? Do they want the western world’s retribution ? Why are they provoking us ?

(Yes they are provoking us, those cartoon images are pathetic, I’ve seen heaps better ones on the Al-Jazeera website).

We will respond eventually, but it won’t be sword on sword like the crusades, it’ll be 5.56mm on 5.56mm. Last time I checked though, pointing your gun in the air and letting off the full 30 round clip only makes you look like an idiot, us westerners like the term, “when your target appears, watch and shoot, watch and shoot”.

Well i would defend any publication’s right to publish what they choose to.

I’d also say I thought the crikey approach was particularly cowardly.

But that’s just my opinion.

There was an interesting counterarguement in Crikey yesterday (original text run in the the New Zealand Herald:

“As soon as an issue is framed as a test of press freedom, the temptation is to publish for no better reason than to assert that freedom. And in some circumstances, where the threat is real, that might be reason enough to publish. But in this country, and most others where newspapers have strutted a hairy chest on this issue, Muslims are a small minority of the population and we are free to offend their religious sensitivities if we want to.

The only question to consider is, why would we want to?”

From Christopher Hitchen’s piece in Slate.

Islam makes very large claims for itself. In its art, there is a prejudice against representing the human form at all. The prohibition on picturing the prophet—who was only another male mammal—is apparently absolute. So is the prohibition on pork or alcohol or, in some Muslim societies, music or dancing. Very well then, let a good Muslim abstain rigorously from all these. But if he claims the right to make me abstain as well, he offers the clearest possible warning and proof of an aggressive intent. This current uneasy coexistence is only an interlude, he seems to say. For the moment, all I can do is claim to possess absolute truth and demand absolute immunity from criticism. But in the future, you will do what I say and you will do it on pain of death.

Q: “In the spirit of understanding, what would RA players do if they were in a position of power in the current Danish Government?”

A: Freedom of expression is not for sale. Its a core value of fairdinkum democratic societies. That’s how you can tell we don’t live in one – all the makor Australian press have demonstrated a distinct absence of back-bone.

I think it was Rowan Atkinson who said something like – to ridicule a man because of his race, well that’s simply illogical. To ridicule god – well thats just common sense…

In light of the various sackings of Danish diplomatic missions around the middle east (and Africa?) it may have been unwise for the Danish Gov’t to tell them to get stuffed… Although the people responsible for the burning, bombing and sacking are now just perpetuating lunatic stereotype. Not only do some of these freaks have no sense of humour, they seem to be spoiling for a fight.

In the spirit of understanding, what would RA players do if they were in a position of power in the current Danish Government?

Tenuous link to Canberra, but I’ll lend some thoughts anyway;

1) Bahahaha, the ‘Stop, we’ve run out of virgins” one is gold.
2) The Gov’t of a nation should not censure a document that was not published by them or one of their agencies. Kudo’s Denmark for sticking to your guns.
3) Why are there so many freaks w/o a sense of humour? This is not singularly applicable to the fringe Muslim’s, but many other freaks as well.
4) Yeah, the bomb/turban thing was probably a bit rough (and not very clever or funny), but it’s no worse than the Catholics have been saying (and depicting) about Moh’d for years and years. See DoppelFrog’s link for a larf.
5) Why do we have to import Danish sperm? Just tell me it’s not for Danishes… in fact I don’t really want to know.

I don’t know whether JB’s willing to take his campaign to buy all things Danish quite that far…

I believe Canberra also imports sperm for the sperm bank from Denmark (it might have been Holland tho)

its a stat in Virginia Hausseggers book Wonder Woman

barking toad10:25 am 03 Feb 06

hahahaha – how ghey is that!

Saw a T-shirt once that said “Jesus Saves” – and had a picture of a jewish looking JC dropping a coin in a piggy bank.

Probably get hit by Mossad for wearing it now

I’ve always wanted one of those Californian Jesus statues, well them and a pair of thongs that write “Jesus” and “Loves You” as you walk down the beach…

http://www.shoesofthefisherman.com

barking toad9:01 am 03 Feb 06

and for other thoughts about this storm in a teacup have a look at :
http://twentymajor.blogspot.com/

(sorry, can’t do the linky thing)

From what I read, one of the cartoons wanders remarkably close to the line of vilification (the Muhammed with a bomb in his turban one). It’s not that far from, say, the yellow peril cartoons that the Bulletin ran in the not-sufficiently-distant past, and it’s a fairly irresponsible and unintelligent use of free speech.

The rest of them are merely annoying to fundamentalist Muslims. Only one of the cartoons strikes me as actually funny, though (the “stop, we’ve run out of virgins” one).

barking toad7:59 am 03 Feb 06

there’s a report in today’s orstralian that the loonie section of the muslim kiddies are upset that anyone else dares to reproduce the cartoons

watch for the fatwa agin ya!

The Carlsberg was excellent.

Also I hear most of the world’s insulin is made in Denmark.

So good luck to diabetic boycotters with that.

Danish foods are marzipan (from Odense), feta cheese and salami. They are also the only country to have alcohol as part of their national breakfast – little shots of orange stuff – but I can’t remember what it is called.

if this IS villification then are laws are stuffed.

we’ve all got to learn to take a joke and accept that our religion may dictate our own lives and choices but doesn’t dictate anyone else’s.

I think I’m drinking Carlsberg tonight.

Oh, and Bill Clinton has really shown himself to be the sack of crap I always suspected him to be.

bejebus – I can hear the wambulance in the background…sensitive lot you are!

And just in case there’s not enough controversy, images of The Prophet, throughout history: http://www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/

Hehe. That licorice is definitely an accquired taste. I like it tho. The Dutch do something similar as well. Potent stuff.

Very tenuous link to Canberra.

D’oh – guess that’s the one. Cheers DoppelFrog – I had a Danish housemate for a while who was crazy for the stuff, just assumed it was Danish.

Anyone ever tried Danish salt licorice? My god that shit is salty. Peh. (And available at that Chocolate Shop in that arcade in town – Chocolate box?)

colsim, are you thinking of Ritter Sport ?
If so, it’s actually German (and very very good)
I know several Danes who will drive down to Germany just to buy the stuff. (Also cos’ it’s a lot cheaper south of that particular border)

a big stretch for a Canberra angle

after seeing that it was an argument against self censorship I guess you couldn’t help yourself

and hopefully people will actually read the article and see that is the point is about self censorship rather than thinking its just straight out anti-islamic sentiment

Absent Diane9:14 am 02 Feb 06

jesus, mummahamed – they are both some kind of sick joke as is….. anyone dumb enough to believe some fairy tale deserves to get offended by those cartoons… and in my books they also deserve to get laughed at severely… fire when ready…

Bit of a stretch for a post isn’t it JB?

Trying to provoke some discussion here SGS style perhaps?

(For the record, I think the SportzRitter – something like that – chocolate bars are Danish and can be found in a fair few supermarkets around town)

Johnboy: I believe that you are severely overstepping the mark here and the posting of the Danish cartoons here is both in poor taste and of no relevance to Canberra (or the region).

It is close to bordering on religious vilification considering you have done it to provoke a reaction.

And in answer to your question… if you want Danish produce try a deli or the supermarket.

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