This entry will offend you. I don't care.

Ok. This is complicated.

Firstly I want to make one thing clear: I am not a racist. Not in any way, shape or form. I judge people completely on how they act, and even then... It's complicated. Leave it at that.I'

Anyway, I'm, ah, gonna be commenting on some pretty sensitive issues here, so if anyone takes offense I apologise. I'm not even sure this is really my view, so much as just some thoughts. Yeah.

As you're no doubt aware, pope benedict the umpteenth or whatever his name is recently made a speech which was, shall we say, a tad controversial. What his holiness was saying was that religeon should not be used as an excuse for violence, and he attempted to challenge people of all religeons to consider that, although his message was aimed primarily at muslims. Naturally a quote he made was taken completely out of context and thousands of muslims complained about his spreading religeous hatred whilst burning him in effigy. I'm sure the irony was not lost on most folk.

Anyway, it seems, from what I can gather, that the main problem here is a simple one. Islam isn't just a religeon- it's a nation. A community. In effect, if you make a comment about islam you insult them all. The muslim council of Britain makes it quite clear. In fact they've stated numerous times that they want to have islamic laws integrated into the british law. To turn Britain into a more islamic state. And that, to me anyway, is the problem. That's why British muslims are having such problems fitting in.

See, in some countries *coughcoughamericacoughcough* immigrants are citizens. The "melting pot" philosophy. You go to America, you're an American and it's a source of celebration. In Britainn it's not like that. Same as most of Europe in fact. We don't like immigrants. They're not part of our culture, and until they integrate they won't be. French culture has no religeon, thus they have such joys as banning religous icons and clothing in the workplace. Which is a far law, French culture being what it is. Those who don't agree with it don't have to be there, non? Well that's the theory anyway. Britain's similar. Unlike France, though, we're not an athiestic culture per say. British laws are based originally on christian teaching. Each country in Britain has an official church (the churches of England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland all have slightly different philosophies, admitably. The COS is calvinist, the others are episcipaleon(SP), but that's a minor detail. The Queen, the offical British head of state (as well as the head of state in Australia, Canada and the rest of the commonwealth iirc) is also the head of the Church of England. Part of the main result of that is that in britain we expect certain civil liberties. A certain way of doing things. Admitably many British people nowadays are athiests, but the church is still a part of the political process (there're church representatives in the house of lords, you know). Islam doesn't want to integrate, and that's what causes problems. The nation of Islam is seperate from britain, and thus from British culture. They want Britain to change to suit them.

There's also the little fact of politics. It seems that a large majority of muslims, british and otherwise, see the war in iraq as an attack on Islam. Same as insulting an islamic country is an insult to islam. That's a big problem. If someone attacks a christian, buddhist, hindu, jewish or siekh country, the people following that religeon won't take it as an attack on their religeon. Unless it is. If you make a comment against a religeon, or draw an insulting cartoon, it's freedom of speech. It's not an attack that demands an apology (on contraire, open any newspaper and you're likely to find a columnist insulting someone or other.) It's funny really.

Those of you who read this one on my tokyopop blog will notice this bit wasn't there. Well I did say I'd extend it. So here's the thing, and I understand this could be seen as a tad offensive, but here goes.
I think Islam as a religeon feels threatened. One of the main goals of Islam is to spread itself, force other people to follow their laws. Laws which, by the way, state that anyone who isn't a muslim and won't convert should be treated pretty badly. Christians and Jews in particular, although they at least get to be classed as citizens if they pay a ridiculous tax and acknowledge islam to be a superior religeon. And get marked as christians/jews.

Now there's an idea! Make people where identification so you know what religeon they are! Christians could have a cross, and Jews a star and... wait, that sounds somehow familiar.

Now here's the "feels threatened" part. If you say or do anything that is somehow percieved as a threat, they demand you be dealt with. According to Islamic law, natch. They wanted to kill those cartoonists, you know. The pope had to apologise, although admitably it wasn't what they wanted. He apologised for causing offense, but not for what he said. Which is surely all that was neccesary.

Acording to the president of Iran, and islamic, the holocaust did not happen. According to a gallery exhibit currently running in Iran, aaprently the jews are monsters, devil, hung-up over their holocaust whilst committing worse atrocities on muslims and more. It goes on. As it stands I can't find any of that artwork online. I guess no-one wants to make it available on english-language websites. I, ah probably wouldn't have stuck any up anyway. I'd rather keep this blog from containing voerly-racist content. Reagrdless, anyone spot the hypocrisy here? So, if you draw cartoons of mohammed you're an evil heretic and must die. But it's perfectly fine to draw horrendously racist and insulting pictures about jews? Why so defensive, guys? Why so anti everyone elses religeon? Is there something we should know?
How glad I am Islam only allows violence in self defense.

Incidently, I hear mohammeds sword can be seen in a museum in some arab country or other. In the interests of seeing such relics from all peaceful religeons, anyone know where I can go to see christ, buddha or guru nanek's sword?