Overreaction Central

It would seem that our friends in the Muslim world have taken the voicing of their displeasure over the infamous "Muhammad cartoons" to new heights. Storming embassy lobbies and burning flags apparently failed to bring the needed "oomph" they were looking for, so the protesters have now taken to burning some embassies to the ground. Now THAT is a statement. The Muslim world has spoken! The publishing of cartoons is reason to commit acts of violence, destroy property, and to show abject hatred of entire nations from which an offending publication might have originated.

I was a youngster in 1989 when the “artist” Andres Serrano presented the world his infamous work "Piss Christ". In case you have forgotten what the "Piss Christ" was all about, basically the piece was a plastic crucifix dropped in a jar of the artist's urine and passed off as art. I remember the outcry from Christian conservatives, and in particular Jesse Helms on the verge of blowing a gasket on the Senate floor as he railed against the National Endowment for the Arts funding of Mr. Serrano's "work". I recall a lot of hurt feelings, intense debate, some protests and the usual gnashing of teeth - but I do not remember any structures being burned to the ground by even the most hardcore Christian conservatives. As an aside, I am a Christian and do find the "Piss Christ" mildly offensive. I have read the arguments by art critics that say that Mr. Serrano's piece displays the humanity of Jesus. I am not sure if I subscribe to that bit of artistic illumination, as I have not met many humans who swim in urine. I have heard rumors of some German porn that dabbles in this sort of thing, but that isn't my cup of tea. That being said, I try to avoid flying off the handle every time someone does something that might be offensive to my religious beliefs. The Muslims are complaining about politically satirical cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad – because any depiction of said figure is deemed heretical. Listen. The central figure of my religion (Jesus Christ, for anyone not paying attention) is depicted on the animated television show South Park as a Denver-area talk-show host! And you know what? It is funny! If Christian fundamentalists reacted the way their Muslim counterparts do, the offices of Comedy Central would have been a smoldering heap long ago, and Matt Stone and Trey Parker, comic geniuses that they are, would have been dragged through the streets of Los Angeles.

In my previous post, I applauded the Danish newspaper (Jyllands-Posten) for taking a stand against Islamic fundamentalist bullying of free speech in Europe and beyond. For the past five years (at least), the Islamic fundamentalists have had the world press cowering from their wrath. I was initially surprised by the relative quiet from the White House concerning the whole Muhammad cartoon issue. I theorized that perhaps our government was going to sit this one out and let the Islamic anger point towards someone else for a change. After watching the news reports last night it dawned on me that the US government speaking out on this issue would completely reek of hypocrisy – as we use our military strength to create a bully pulpit for US foreign policy the world over. As much as I hate to say it, this is one quagmire that our government is better served by sitting out, at least for now. Sure, in an ideal world where the US hasn't been strong-arming everyone and their mothers to conform to our whim, this would be a perfect opportunity to champion an ideal held dear by all democracy-loving nations: free speech. However, given where the United States is trying to be taken by our own religious ultra-conservatives, free speech might not very high on the causal pecking order in Washington.

I wondered aloud (if you write a blog and no one reads it, does it make a sound?) a few months ago if there might be some truth to theories which suggest that racial groups are wired differently. I backed down off of that ledge, realizing again that human beings are all cut from the same cloth - and that sociological issues play the biggest roles in certain demographic behavior patterns. This brings me to the clear differences between those of us living in the "West" (America, Europe, etc.) and our fellow human beings living in the Muslim-dominated areas of the planet (the Middle East, Indonesia, Pakistan, Afghanistan, etc.). We may all be made from the same biological building blocks, but these people are a little TOO keyed up. I once believed that American southerners, or rednecks as they are known, were the least tolerant people alive. It is now apparent that Islamic extremist fundamentalists have earned the title. If there is a more hateful group on Planet Earth, I do not know of them. Not only do many of these extremists hate all things not of Islam, all things Western, all things American, and all things Israel - they hate within their religion. The Shi'ite – Sunni rift is well documented, as are many other intra-Islamic blood feuds. The reason for all of the hatred, and for the ridiculous overraction over the Muhammad cartoon, came to me as I watched the protests on CNN. These people have nothing better to do. Where some people see religious devotion and piety, I see abject boredom. My theory: when people have nothing else better to do than subjugate their female populations and pick the sand granules out of their beards, rioting in the streets over the publication of political cartoons must seem like Mardis Gras. I am not suggesting that the people in these regions do not have harsh lives. They do. They live in inhospitable areas, usually under repressive governments, with nothing to look forward to in their day-to-day lives. Religion and the promises of a better (after)life is everything to many of these people. It is why so many of them are eager suicide bombers, it is why so many of them are easily led into lives of hatred and fear of those that are different.

Is it possible to reason with groups that are so hateful? I am sad to say that I am leaning towards an answer of no. I have always championed the causes of diplomacy over warfare, of peaceful co-existence. Even in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, I understood why some in the world would hate us - and why they would feel the need to attack us. It was in the days following the attack, when I watched people from the Muslim world celebrating in their streets, that I began to feel embittered. Thousands of innocent civilians were killed with no chance to defend themselves. This was a cause for parties in the Islamic world. There is something fundamentally WRONG with that. Similar parties will be thrown in these same areas if a Western nation is similarly attacked in the future, or should Israel be stricken. Both the U.S. and Israel have killed civilians in their various military dealings, but it was never cause for celebration. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that there is a lack of civility on one end of this spectrum. A civilized society does not celebrate the deaths of innocent civilians. Civilized people are able to co-exist with others of different sociological backgrounds. Civilized people do not riot over the publication of satirical political cartoons – realizing that while it is heretical for a Muslim to depict the Prophet Muhammad, that everyone in the world is not bound by the same religious laws you choose to live your lives under. This gets to the fundamental reasoning for why our American forefathers put such an emphasis on the separation of church and state.

I pray that the American people nip the growing power base of the religious right in this country in the bud – and that we prepare ourselves to support our European friends should tensions continue to mount between the Islamic zealots and the European democracies. I have known a number of Muslims and have been lucky to call many of them friends. The majority of Muslims are good people, peace-loving people who love their God, and who practice their religion and live their lives without imposing their will on others. Religious fundamentalists, whether it be hard-core Islamic or ultra-right-wing American Christians, should understand that religion is something that should not be force-fed to people. Not everyone wants to live according to your relgious beliefs. Life is short, and people should be living life the best way they can, and enjoying as much of it as real-life allows. If you want to shield yourselves from all things fun and entertaining, so be it. Don't expect everyone else to follow you and for the love of God, lighten up.

[Currently Listening: Dance Hall Crashers “Lost Again”]