Is It Wrong To Make Light Fun Of A Belief System?

[agchristie]

British gymnast lands himself in hot water but what of his 'crime'?

http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/10/must-freedom-mock-islam/

[RATTER15]

Carry on making fun, if they don't like it, they can find a belief that isn't so bloody stupid!!!

[Jackdaw33]

It's a pity the crew aren't around anymore otherwise we could have a splendid film called 'Carry On, Islam'. Indeed, there is a scene in one of the films (Follow That Camel) which takes the mickey out of Islam.

[webbo3]

You never saw anyone getting in a hissy fit over Dave Allen or Frank Carsons religious jokes.



Dave.

[Cloverjo]

I don't think he's done anything wrong. Why do people in the public eye have to "deeply apologise" for every slightly dodgy thing they've said?

[naomi24]

//We’re witnessing the sly resuscitation of the stricture against blasphemy. England and Wales finally dumped the common law offence of blasphemous libel in 2008. Yet through the Racial and Religious Hatred Act (2006), which forbids the incitement of hatred on the basis of religion, and the rise and rise of Islamophobia policing, we are as restricted as ever in what we can say about religion. Well, about one religion. //

That says it all - and the final sentence is especially pertinent.

[hc4361]

Dave Allen was banned from an Irish tv station for a while.
Jerry Springer, The Opera got a lot of complaints from the Christian communities.

[naomi24]

^True - but no one wanted to lop anyone's head off.

[Ellipsis]

I wonder how this video, that was shot by Louis Smith, got leaked to the press ...

Anyway ... Louis Smith hasn't done anything illegal. What he has done is potentially break the code of conduct of British Gymnastics, for which he may face suspension or expulsion from British Gymnastics. Their club, their rules.

But if he is penalised, perhaps as a protest he could be voted Sports Personality of the Year ...

[Quizproquo]

Naomi, Stewart Lee, who co-wrote Jerry Springer:The Opera, had a whole load of death threats aimed at him, all of them from Christians. He has talked about this a lot.

[Maydup]

He might not have committed a crime, but Louis Smith is a first class to88er nevertheless. Look at how he behaved toward (the so much more talented ) Max Whitlock.

[Cloverjo]

Maydup, I must have missed that. What did Louis do to Max? I saw him shake hands and heard him say on the radio that he was pleased Max got the gold.

[Jackdaw33]

I am sure many on here have danced the Hokey Cokey without realising that it is a parody of the RC Mass.

[douglas9401]

No it's not wrong in fact it's absolutely essential that a required quota of mockery is introduced by government in an effort to bring even more world citizens into the light of the 21st century.

Or at least the 19th.

[Peter Pedant]

its here


I think Louie is saying.... Abdallah maleikum

a sortta "salaam aleikum" salad

when I accessed it only about 5,000 had viewed it

The phone was in selfie mode and he posted it himself apparently
you need to take an IQ test to a champion gymnast ....

[Mamyalynne]

Not a crime and an apology should suffice - however extremely childish and unfunny.


The origins of the Hokey Cokey run into the dozens JD - many have claimed it including your reference.

[TheChair]

"we are as restricted as ever in what we can say about religion. Well, about one religion."
Well, two religions. If he'd been taking the mickey out of Judaism, some of those currently defending him, would be yelling about antisemitism.

[naomi24]

Quizproquo, // Stewart Lee, who co-wrote Jerry Springer:The Opera, had a whole load of death threats aimed at him, all of them from Christians.//

Firstly two wrongs don’t make a right, and yes, he did receive death threats but not from mainstream churches, solely from a few religion-obsessed fundamentalist Christians. Unfortunately Muslims who take umbrage when their faith is mocked or criticised are rather more in evidence. Witness the furore – and more – that the publication of a few cartoons created. Mohammed Shafiq, chief executive of the Ramadan Foundation, says ‘our faith is not to be mocked, our faith is to be celebrated’. My question to him would be ‘Why?’

People who scream for apologies, or support those who do, are in fact enablers and conceding to that at every perceived slight serves only to invite further demands. We need to stop grovelling. Islam needs to get over itself.

[youngmafbog]

It appears only a crime to make fun of one certain religion. Areligion for which we must all bend over backwards to accommodate trashing decades of dragging ourselves into the liberal 21st century we are in.

The metropolitan liberal elite are to blame. Burn down all Islington Tibetan coffee shops I say.

[ToraToraTora]

well I don't go out of my way generally but religious belief is rather silly.

[ToraToraTora]

what about the Dalai Lama, yoghurt knitting drop in centres YMB?