Pakistan temporarily blocked access of its citizens to Facebook in honor of "Everybody Draw Mohammad Day" scheduled for today, Thursday, May 20. The controversial event was created last month in response to recent threats against South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker and quickly went viral.
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Censorship is when authority (i.e. the government) restrains expression. In our society, we have decided that government has a right to do so in certain very limited cases; when it causes immanent danger, as in the the classic shouting “fire!” in a crowded theater, or when it directly incites criminal behavior, as in “let’s lynch him!”
Terrorism is when individuals use illegal threats to intimidate other individuals into doing what they want; whether it’s Al Quaeda suicide bombings, a mafia arson, a police shakedown, or a bully asking for your lunch money. Our society has decided that the use of threats to compel behavior should be the sole prerogative of government, subject (ideally) to due process of law. Free-lance threatening should not be tolerated.
Unless we want to live in an unbearably restrictive police state, the only protection from random free-lance hit men is in numbers. If everyone’s your target, no one is. Hence “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day.” I’ve got no personal interest in drawing Mohammad, no interest in offending Muslims. But this is a unique situation: except once briefly in 1987, in the basement of the Rhode Island School of Design’s physical plant when I was mildly leaned on to keep my mouth shut about asbestos-covered piping in my office, I’ve NEVER, in my 47 years, felt frightened to say something, or draw something, or write something, until now. Are you scared to draw Mohammad? I am.
http://encyclopediadramatica.com/Muhammad_Cartoons
It is interesting that the founders chose to lump free speech together with the prohibition on establishing religion. Remember, the first amendment was drafted with lingering memories witch hunts. The point is, american culture is not without religious terror. Could I dress like jesus and walk around with a strap-on without being beaten up?
I think the ‘Everybody Draw Mohammad Day’ is a grand idea!, but as usual I’m a day ( 2 days) late.
Being beaten up and being murdered are somewhat different. Yes, I too am scared to draw Mohammad.
you can represent jesus just about any way you want and nobody’s gonna be too shocked. Christians have come up with plenty of other reasons to murder people. You might be scared to draw Mohammad, but imagine what it’s like to be scared to be a jew, or black, or a homosexual, etc.
Abolish all religions. They are divisive and hateful, and cause wars and suffering. When God is on your side, you can kill, pillage, steal and destroy.
Idolize an idea not a person.
I challenge you to walk into a church at the climax of the sermon dressed like jesus with a strap-on and cuss at everyone like a sailor or make orgasm sounds. (disclaimer: this is merely a joke, and I do not intend to incite violence, but seriously if you want to assume the risk, then you should see what happens).
Did anyone say anything about walking into a mosque dressed like a naked nine year old?
(don’t post drunk….don’t post drunk…..)
…that time isn’t correct. IT IS after 5:00.