Saturday, February 04, 2006

Self Hating Liberal of the Week

In a week of fierce competition, listen to mockney BBC person Stewart Lee (of Jerry Springer fame/notoriety) on the Today programme yesterday, explaining (RealAudio) why "Christian iconography is up for grabs" but how Islam is off limits.

Some great editorials yesterday too.

Indie - "there is an important distinction to be made between having a right and choosing to exercise it."

Translation - abusing "our" religion is OK, abusing "theirs" - well ...


Guardian - " It is one thing to assert the right to publish an image of the prophet. But it is another thing to put that right to the test, especially when to do so inevitably causes offence to many Muslims "

Translation as above ...

Telegraph - "Our restraint is in keeping with British values of tolerance and respect for the feelings of others. However, we are equally in no doubt that a small minority of Muslims would be offended by such a publication to an extent where they would threaten, and perhaps even use, violence. "

Translation - we don't want to be attacked.

Times - "To move from there to holding ministers responsible for the editorial decisions of a free press in their nations, to urge that all products from a country be ostracised or, worst still, to engage in violence against people or property is to leave the field of legitimate complaint and enter one of censorship enforced under threat of intimidation. That free speech is misunderstood in much of the Islamic realm shows how much progress has yet to be made."

Translation - as above.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

I take it you don't read the Mail? Its line the past two days has been just as self-consciously 'even-handed' as (say) the Indie, quite possibly more so. More specifically, its actually being consistent regarding Christian and Islamic blasphemy, unlike your good self.

Anonymous said...

I notice Steve Bell's cartoon on Friday was surprisingly gutless coming from a man who viciously lambasts US Christians.

Where is Mr. Bell's solidarity with his fellow cartoonists? What a worthless "scab" he is.

Will any British cartoonists show solidarity with their European brethren or are we a bunch of cowards?

Anonymous said...

Well I don't blame them for not publishing them in Britain, as in your previous post we know who the Police and government will side with (regardles of the law), and we know there will be big trouble if they get published.

Anonymous said...

The Mail has been very careful to equate the BNP case with that of rampaging Muslims. Shows what toss the Mail is.

Anonymous said...

the Mail ? Wouldn't have the rag in the house, though I believe the servants read it.

James G. said...

Yes, it seemed, surprisingly, that the Mail's coverage of the Nick Griffin trial was to the left of the BBC...What's happened over there?

Anonymous said...

From the Guardian: "It is one thing to assert the right to publish an image of the prophet."

Have you noticed that newspapers are starting to use the phrase "the Prophet" when they mean Mohammed? Would they also use, "the Lord" to refer to Jesus?

Dom