The Dragon's Eye View: Draw Mohammed Day

[athelind]

"Draw Mohammad Day" offends me, despite the fact that I read Gods Playing Poker, which depicts Mohammad in every single strip.

GPP is irreverent and snarky, but it isn't in the least mean-spirited, and this "crusade" most certainly is.

(Of course, it's in "defense" of one of the most mean-spirited shows in U.S. television history, so yeah.)

This little stunt offends me because it's not just aimed at the Fundamentalists; this is a deliberate slap at moderate and progressive Muslims, as well (not that many of the Draw Mohammed Day crowd actually bother to acknowledge that there's a difference). It's a wide-sweeping smackdown of an entire group, and it's saying the same damned thing that the real offenders keep saying: "all of them hate all of us."

Gods damn it, people. how hard is it to grasp? If you're really opposed to an ideology, don't let its adherents frame the argument.

I'm not saying "don't do this". I'm not saying "it shouldn't be allowed". I am saying that we need to examine the motives and sincerity behind it. So much of the output is a tedious repetition of hackneyed Prophet-As-Terrorist memes that it's hard to see it as a statement of "artistic freedom".

If this were really about "free speech", we'd be following it with "Draw Christ Getting Raped In The Nail-Holes Day".

---

Wow. I think that's the most Regrettably Appropriate use of the word "crusade" I've invoked in a long time.

Comments

[pathia.livejournal.com]

I don't see how that compares at all. How is drawing a religious figure the same as a racial slur?

Addition: And, as for using something to ruin its power. There's lots of instances of that. Gays use Fag, I personally use shemale and dickgirl to describe myself, because it saps the power of the insult that was hurled at me daily on the east coast.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Gosh. That's a good question. How is a deliberate and calculated insult to the members of a religion different from a deliberate and calculated insult to the members of an ethnic group?

[toob.livejournal.com]

I think you can view it as a deliberate and calculated insult to all members of a religion (it could be argued that progressive and moderate Muslims would NOT find a drawing of Mohammad offensive) -- OR you could view it as people standing up to threats with defiance. No one has the right to demand or attempt to force others to adhere to the rules of his religion. After all, if hundreds or thousands of people draw Mohammad, continuing to threaten one or two of them makes no sense. I have an idea that that was the initial concept, however poorly conceived it might have been. And I think people feel that their own sense of religious freedom is being threatened. They have a right to respond to that.

Hanlon's Razor suggests I go with the latter explanation, despite the obvious meanness and stupidity of some of the participants.

It's kind of interesting, if you think about it -- the Christian church has had its own, similar, prohibitions against artistic depictions of Christ. It caused a schism that may or may not have been described as Great, as I recall, though it's hard in retrospect to see what was so great about it.

At any rate, I'd caution against equating irreverence with insult, and refusal to kowtow to threats with bigotry.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

Hanlon for the win.

As I noted further below, I still think it's damned rude.

[pathia.livejournal.com]

I have several coworkers that practice Islam, none were offended by the day. They think the extremists should wake the fuck up too. Some of them...PARTICIPATED. They have pictures on their doors today.

[odiedragon.livejournal.com]

Religion is a choice. You are born with your genetic background. To me, that's a significant difference.