The Violence, Delusion and Denial of Muslims

Every now and then, whether they appear to realize it or not, the BBC throws up a phrase or sentence that invites redistribution. Yesterday an anonymous staff reporter for the World News page, in response to the film, The Innocence of Muslims, wrote: "The film depicts the Prophet Muhammad as a womaniser and leader of a group of men who enjoy killing." Hilarious.

Not so funny however, were the comments of Egypt's current Prime Minister Hisham Qandil, who claimed it is "unacceptable to insult our prophet". Here, his use of the possessive pronoun, 'our', is rather jarring as it suggests he acknowledges that the prophet Muhammad is not everyone's prophet.

His statement also comes after President Obama, on Egypt, declared: "I don't think we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy." This is significant. Although one would be hard-pressed to think of Egypt in its present manifestation as an ally, for the President of the United States to say so is telling.

Qandil goes on, grinding his teeth, squirming in his suit, walking the PR line when he should have stayed silent:

Egyptians, Arabs, Muslims - we need to reflect the true identity of Muslims, how peaceful they are, and talk to the Western media about the true heart of the Muslims, that they condemn violence. At the same time we need to reach a balance between freedom of expression and to maintain respect for other peoples' beliefs.

He would do well to turn the volume up with regard to condemning the violence. There is a direct, linear relationship between Islam and the mobs who have killed civilians, marines, embassy workers and an ambassador. For Qandil to label Muslims "peaceful" is laughable at best, and deluded at worst. I'm in danger of repeating myself, but again, this is unacceptable.

Dissatisfied with a bullet in one foot, Qandil shoots himself in the other when asked about the First Amendment. He says:

I think we need to work out something around this because we cannot wait and see this happen again. [The United States should] take the necessary measures to ensure insulting billions of people, one-and-a-half billion people and their beliefs, does not happen.

Never has the pack mentality been better illustrated than during Muslim protests. Appealing in such a way to the supposed representation of Muslims across the world is sinister, threatening, and pathetic. Whether I insult one person or a billion persons, freedom of speech, and freedom of expression are both non-negotiable foundations to our principles.

Lastly, supporting my thesis that it's not about a movie, Lee Smith writes in the Weekly Standard:

To debate the right of an American to criticize religion does not indicate sophisticated sensitivity to the feelings of others but a willingness to turn tail and abandon our principles at the first sign of a fight. And to take seriously the notion that all those riots and attacks are about a video, not about American principles and power and policy, is silly

I strongly recommend reading his whole piece, here.