I
fully support the right of the media generally and
The Blanket in particular to publish the
cartoons about the Islamic prophet Mohammed because
this is not about having a go at Muslims; this is
about defending the freedom of the Press.
The
real insults to Islam are radical Muslims who scream
their lungs out calling for the beheading of those
who made the cartoons and publish them.
Let's
be clear – so-called radical Islam, as it has
been dubbed, is not a religion in the proper sense
of the term, aimed at developing a spiritual peace
among its followers.
Radical
Islam is a violent cult whose followers believe
fanatically in their warped interpretation of the
Koran.
The
big challenge is not just to defend the freedom
of the Press, but also to prevent democratic, moderate
Muslims from being eradicated by modern-day followers
of the Middle Ages Islamic tyrant and butcher, Saladin.
Radical
Islam is growing in popularity because it is founded
on two key pillars – violence and fear.
The
primary purpose of the Danish cartoons was to depict
how Mohammed's memory has been hijacked by Islamic
radicals to justify suicide bombing.
Other
faiths have protested in the past about events they
found offensive. Sikhs successfully prevented a
play being shown in Birmingham because the setting
for a rape was depicted in one of their temples.
Unfortunately,
the same mass outcry cannot be said about the Christian
faith when people produce films and images which
insult Jesus Christ. Any Christians who oppose such
expressions are written off as Bible bashers lacking
a sense of humour.
What
about the Monty Python classic, The Life of Brian,
with the notorious crucifixion scene of those hanging
on the Cross singing 'Always look on the bright
side of life'?
Then
there's the equally offensive flick, The Last
Temptation of Christ, which showed Jesus having
a dream of an affair with a woman whilst being crucified.
There have also been films suggesting Jesus was
a homosexual.
And
what about the legion of British TV sitcoms where
Christian clergy have been portrayed as bungling
buffoons? Dad's Army, Oh Brother,
Father Ted, Vicar of Dilby to name
a few.
There
was also the offensive tee shirt depicting Christ
holding a piggie bank with the slogan 'Jesus Saves'
– a slur on the 'born again' section of Christianity.
In
all these cases, Christians exercised their right
to a muted democratic protest – but they did
not issue global threats for TV and film producers
to be butchered and murdered.
The
core value of the Danish cartoons was to warn about
fundamentalist strains in religions, using Islam
as an example.
Fundamentalists
believe it's their opinions which are right; there
is no room for debate because everyone else is wrong.
That is not a faith or a religion – that is
an evil, brainwashing cult.
Unfortunately,
the Christian faith contains such nutters. A respected
Protestant cleric once told me how he'd tried to
confront a fundamentalist aged in his mid 30s who
claimed to have found six verses from the Bible
justifying him having a relationship with a 15-year-old
girl.
Whilst
there will always be those who develop perversions
of the Bible and the Koran, the hard fact within
Islam is the fanatical wing is fast becoming the
majority voice.
Democratic
governments have the moral duty to protect society
from such extremists, just as the free Press has
the right to publish cartoons telling the public
about the views of insane radicals.
It
is not to provoke headline-grabbing stories these
cartons should be published. The right to publish
them must defended by all free-thinking journalists.
It
is in the public interest to publish them so we
might get a glimpse of the warped mentality posing
as faith which believes in putting human no-warning
bombs on buses and trains.
This
is not a war against Islam – it is a fight
against the lunatic excesses of fundamentalism in
any faith.
The
Americans have the controversial Camp X Ray. The
real question which many citizens may be asking
as this month marks the third anniversary of the
Iraq war is – if British troops continue to
be stationed in Iraq, at what point will the Blair
Government be forced to take action against the
supporters of the radicals and insurgents living
in the United Kingdom?
Will
we see a return to the British security policy of
the early 1970s in Northern Ireland and the re-introduction
of selective internment?
Will
it be a case that the longer coalition forces remain
in Iraq, the closer the day that to ensure the protection
of the greater good, the perceived evil few must
be removed from our streets until they are no longer
a threat?
In
World War Two, British fascist Oswald Mosley and
his Blackshirts were interned along with many Nazi
sympathisers.
How
close are we to a situation in the UK that the right
to publish cartoons, the right to freedom of worship,
make speeches and legal protests can only be guaranteed
if we remove those in our society who advocate physical
harm, promote hatred and call for murder against
those they have branded 'the enemy'?
