#7 Heaven (and Fred) only knows the work that goes into this website, (especially Thugburg) but I wonder if anyone is keeping a comparative tally of "muslim world outrage" - as in analyzing the premeditation, reactions, and outcomes of the various episodes. There are discrete differences to each of them, and sifting out the patterns may be a useful exercise in cultural anthropology, or the comparative madness and delusions of crowds.
In no particular order, from the Danish cartoons, to the urinated-upon-Korans, to Abu-Ghraib, to the Nike/Starbucks logos/printing (or do I have my brand names wrong), to the flying Imams, to French Car-B-Ques, to whatever CAIR has cooked up this week, to Teddy, and surely a huge number of lesser local incidents - it's a target rich environment, and there's a sufficient variety piled up to examine the how, why and where the reactions unfold.
Finally, we dilute the conversation to say that common sense prevailed. Common sense prevails when this discussion doesn't occur - this remains common sense under attack, or common sense sorely lacking. There's very little in common between sense and fanaticism. |
The storm in a teacup episode created by the Sudan government over an issue that was much ado about nothing finally concluded with a gracious pardon by the government and releasing Ms. Gillian Gibbon from jail. The Sudanese got their “riots” from “angry mobs who felt insulted” and Ms. Gibbon was spared the six months in jail and forty lashes that could be inflicted on those who “insult the Muslim religion.” This writer believes the entire episode was fabricated by the Sudan government in order to deflect world opinion away from its horrendous policies in Darfur which are leading to the death of thousands. The entire episode was akin to a Kabuki dance in which everyone played their role, an “angry mob,” expressions of concern from noted “religious figures,” cries about insulting the Prophet Muhammad, and then serenity when Ms. Gibbon was released with a pardon.