Why insult Mohammad?

[flobadob]

There seems to be a lot of effort in recent years to insult Mohammad, seemingly just for the heck of it. This has led to a lot of unpleasantness due to Muslims feeling they need to protest against this sort of thing and so in and so forth.

So why bother insulting him in the first place, what does it achieve?

[naomi24]

Sith, that's a little simplistic, to say the least.

[flobadob]

I understand people's need to debate religious ideologies but this thing of drawing cartoons so as to offend Muslims adds little to any debate. It's a bit like your trump card involving putting your thumbs in your ears, waving your fingers and sticking out your tongue.

[argorstran]

Because you do not share a person's religious beliefs or you do not like a person's religious beliefs does not give you the right to insult that person's religion .
Insulting somebody is not freedom of speech .

[naomi24]

^^That has to work both ways - but it doesn't. Killing innocent people is not freedom of speech either.

[argorstran]

Naomi who said that killing innocent people was freedom of speech ?

[naomi24]

argorstran, No one said it - but religion doesn't have a monopoly on freedom of speech. That must apply to all.

[Zeuhl]

most of these 'insults' or 'offense' are in the eye of the beholder

making fun of something or someone is definitely freedom of speech - if people choose to be offended by it that is their decision.

Nobody has the right to impose their values and beliefs on others

If someone wants to draw a funny cartoon of Mohammed - so what?
Any muslims who feel 'insulted' should ask themselves whether it is because they are insecure or because they are arrogant

[Duncer]

Can you insult someone if you don't believe they existed/exist?

[Ellipsis]

I think most people are skirting around the OP by going for the free speech angle. We know we have the right of free speech, but do we have the responsibility to use that right properly ...

To paraphrase the OP: What do you hope to achieve by insulting Mohammed?

[lightbulb247]

//Insulting somebody is not freedom of speech //

well said

[chakka35]

Oh, angorstran, you are so so wrong. Freedom of speech very much does include the right to insult and offend. Can you explain why you think otherwise, rather than merely making an assertion of your opinion?

[Zeuhl]

<What do you hope to achieve by insulting Mohammed?>

They weren't insulting Mohammed

They were presenting him in a way that wasn't as respectful as others would like and they chose to 'feel insulted'

One might do such a thing in order to make people think, make people smile, make people laugh

Why not?
Fear that others will choose to commit crimes and use it as an excuse?

[lightbulb247]

a good article

http://www.gulf-times...te_id=46&parent_id=26

[naomi24]

Difficult to insult someone who's been dead for several hundreds of years.

[Zeuhl]

lightbulb

yes - as the article says; there's no rational connection between a crappy video on youtube and us embassy staff

I've just checked out the french cartoons that are causing so much 'offence' this week

As far as I can see there is no explicit 'insult'

They show him as a funny looking bloke with a scrappy beard and a big nose - which is what most people in cartoons look like.

[hc4361]

Christ has been lampooned and lambasted in the UK and other national newspapers for ever. Films have been made that could be said to ridicule Christianity, such as The Exorcist; The Omen.
We have sitcoms that lampoon the Christian faith - Father Ted; Vicar of Dibley; Rev; Oh Brother
Today's papers report that evidence has been found that Jesus was married.

Political leaders worldwide are ridiculed; the Royal Family is ridiculed; religions and religious leaders are ridiculed.

Traditions and long held beliefs are ridiculed and all classes of people are stereotyped and ridiculed.

A person has several choices - choose to take offence; be amused; be totally ambiguous about it.

If a person chooses to take offence there are more choices - mutter to yourself; make a formal complaint; blow people up.

[lightbulb247]

yes, but for muslims even showing the prophet is an insult

[hc4361]

If thine eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee.

Muslims may not be allowed to depict Mohammed, but I can. If a non-Muslim chooses to do so, it does not matter a jot because his or her opinion of Mohammed is not important to a Muslim, is it?

[lightbulb247]

yes, you could draw it if you want, but than you should not publish it. There are certain boundaries you should not cross, otherwise than you say that islam is violent, when in fact you're doing everything that goes against their religion.