RKMBs Forums .::Important::. Politics and Current Events Islamic ignorance

http://www.jp.dk/english_news/artikel:aid=3318352/

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Cartoons have Muslims threatening newspaper
By The Copenhagen Post
Daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten has been forced to hire security guard to protect employees from angry Muslims, after it printed a series of cartoons featuring the prophet Mohammed

Death threats have forced daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten to hire security guards to protect its employees, after printing twelve cartoons featuring the prophet Mohammed.
The newspaper has been accused of deliberately provoking and insulting Muslims by publishing the cartoons. The newspaper urged cartoonists to send in drawings of the prophet, after an author complained that nobody dared to illustrate his book on Mohammed. The author claimed that illustrators feared that extremist Muslims would find it sacrilegious to break the Islamic ban on depicting Mohammed.

Twelve illustrators heeded the newspaper's call, and sent in cartoons of the prophet, which were published in the newspaper earlier this month.

Muslim spokesmen demanded that Jyllands-Posten retracted the cartoons and apologised.

'We have taken a few necessary measures in the situation, as some people seem to have taken offence and are sending threats of different kinds,' the newspaper's editor-in-chief, Carsten Juste, told national broadcaster DR.

The same day as the newspaper published the cartoons, it received a threatening telephone call against 'one of the twelve illustrators', as the caller said. Shortly afterwards, police arrested a 17-year-old, who admitted to phoning in the threat.

Since then, journalists and editors alike have received threats by email and the telephone. The newspaper told its staff to remain alert, but then decided to hire security guards to protect its Copenhagen office.

'Up until now, we have only had receptionists in the lobby. But we don't feel that they should sit down there by themselves, so we posted a guard there as well,' Juste said.

Muslim organisations, like the Islamic Religious Community, have demanded an apology, but Juste rejected the idea. He said the cartoons had been a journalistic project to find out how many cartoonists refrained from drawing the prophet out of fear.

'We live in a democracy,' he said. 'That's why we can use all the journalistic methods we want to. Satire is accepted in this country, and you can make caricatures. Religion shouldn't set any barriers on that sort of expression. This doesn't mean that we wish to insult any Muslims.'

Juste's opinion was not shared by Århus imam Raed Hlayhel, who gave an interview to the internet edition of Arabic satellite news channel al-Jazeera to protest the newspaper's cartoons.

Hlayhel told al-Jazeera's reporter that he considered the cartoons derisive of Islam, and described one of the drawings as showing Mohammed wearing a turban-like bomb, and another as brandishing a sabre, with two burka-clad women behind him.

Hlayhel said he did not understand how such illustrations could be printed with reference to freedom of expression, when Denmark did not tolerate the slightest sign of anti-Semitism.

Al-Jazeera concluded that the drawings seemed bizarre

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More juicy bible quotes:

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[Lev 26:33] And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

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Exodus 21:20-21 If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.

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Leviticus 25:44-46 "Both thy bondmen, and thy bondmaids, which thou shalt have, shall be of the heathen that are round about you; of them shall ye buy bondmen and bondmaids. Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour."

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I see you have the ability to take a single passage of Scripture out of context to prove your point. Congrats, you're in good company. Such an ability was also demonstrated by the KKK, the supporters of Southern slavery, and... oh yeah! The devil.

Keep up the good work.

Yay! I'm a fundie!

Danish television reports that an extremist Islamic party in Pakistan has put a 50,000-kroner bounty on the heads of artists who had the gall to draw images of Mohammed and allow them to be published in a Copenhagen newspaper.

The Danish ambassador in Islamabad, Bent Wigotski, says the extremist Jamaaat-e-Islami party and it youth organization have also demanded that Denmark's ambassador leave Pakistan. The embassy has told all Danish citizens in Pakistan to lay low.

The adherents to the "religion of peace" are irked because the daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten published a dozen images of Mohammed a couple of months ago.

I think, G-man, that you should keep in mind that the most vocal of any religious group are the most radical. I don't think all Christians are accurately represented by Fallwell and Robertson.



Do you?

Before he dies, I personally would love to see Billy Graham step out and denounce Robertson and Falwell for the extremists that they are. I think that'd be friggin' terrific. My mom phoned me the other week and informed me that my dad did the exact same thing from the pulpit at a gathering of several local churches from our denomination. I was pretty impressed. Apparently, my dad labeled Robertson and Falwell as "the Pharisees of this day and age" and said "if Jesus were to come back tomorrow, he'd say the same thing to [Robertson and Falwell] He said to the Pharisees".

Hardcore.

The Stockton Record says an art gallery at Delta College in California has been asked to remove a piece of art that features a Kalashnikov wrapped in images of Koranic script because it is offensive to some Muslim students on campus.

The piece, part of a show titled "My Country, Right or Left: Artists Respond to the State of the Union" in the L.H. Horton art gallery, consists of a ceramic assault rifle and is intended to make the point some that people in the world are using religion as a weapon.

Muslim students contend the work descrecrates the Islamic holy book and falsely equates Islam with terrorism. They want it removed, a request that school officials have so far resisted.

Scorecard so far:

--Radical Muslims kill over 2,000 American civilians, with no denunciation.
--Radical Muslims continue to bomb civilians overseas, with no denunciation.
--A piece of artwork offends those who believe it distorts their religion...


Huh?

Moderates of all western religions are a greater threat than radical fundamentalists like Osama, Pariah and WBAM. The perpetuate the survival of the irrational belief systems upon which all 3 of the western religions are founded.

God Wrote a Book my ass!

A group of Danish Muslims is said to be refusing to eat a traditional yuletide treat there because they are offended by their name -- "Jewish Cookies."

The cookies, which are made with cinnamon and hazelnuts, are not particularly Jewish. But they are popular during the pre-Christmas period.

The Danish daily B.T. quotes one Ole Poulsen, head of the public food consumer department, as saying that the name may have to changed at some point.

Denmark’s chief rabbi, Bent Lexner, said he wouldn't mind a name change, but added that "I think that it would be better to educate Muslims to respect the culture of the majority in Denmark, if they want the majority to respect their culture."

Yeps, that's true G-man. But I don't see that happening anytime soon. I'm ashamed to say that the level of rascism has risen drastically these past years in Denmark. In conjunction with that the percentage of crime committed by immigrants has eclipsed that committed by danish citizens.

It's easy to say that they should respect danish culture before we will respect theirs, which is also true. But I just don't see that happening anytime soon. I should think it's only a minority of the immigrants who will not show respect for the nation which have taken them in, but they are still setting the agenda for all their people.

Another problem is that many immigrants send their children to "schools" in their home countries to relearn the muslim culture. Because in their opinion, Islam must take precedence over ANYthing.

This is not helping the integration process into danish society. And the danish government has responded to this by banning people from doing so. And if they do, the entire family will have their asylum or visa or whatever they have rescinded and be sent home.

Now, that's an extreme reaction, in my opinion. But in ít's defense, I don't really see any other option. Sadly, the danish people is at the end of patience. We have been very patient and there are those who simply will not listen.

What to do?

I think you're on the right track. If people are stubborn about refusing to acclimate to your culture to the point that they're willing to ignore fairly simple rules over it, they don't need to be there.

Urm................Wow.

Sooooooooo.......By your definition, who else would you call a religous moderate.

I hate scumbag arabs.

I wonder what Luke Skywalker feels about this extremism.

The above post was found to be thoroughly Ray-Gay™.

http://www.jp.dk/english_news/artikel:aid=3465056/

Muslim organisation calls for boycott of Denmark

An Islamic cultural organisation warns that 51 Muslim states will boycott Denmark unless an official apology is offered for the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed printed in national newspaper Jyllands-Posten


An Islamic cultural organisation has called upon its 51 member states to boycott Denmark in response to cartoons of the prophet Mohammed printed three months ago in national daily Jyllands-Posten.
The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) stated on its webpage that it sought a condemnation of 'the aggressive campaign waged against Islam and its Prophet' by Jyllands-Posten.

Abdulaziz Othman al-Twaijri, the organisation's secretary general, reportedly told Arabic TV station Al-Arabiya that member states would impose a boycott until an apology was offered for the drawings.

'We encourage the organisation's members to boycott Denmark both economically and politically until Denmark presents an official apology for the drawings that have offended the world's Muslims,' al-Twaijri said.

Egypt's ambassador to Denmark, Mona Omar Attiah, warned against not taking the boycott seriously.

'The organisation has a broad appeal among the world's Muslims, and if the government doesn't make new efforts, Muslims around the world will follow the boycott and international pressure against Denmark will increase,' she told daily newspaper Information.

Tensions have run high between Muslims and official Denmark since the newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons in September that depicted the prophet Mohammed. The newspaper said printing the cartoons was a way to ensure the freedom of speech in the face of intimidation from radical Islamists.

Trade organisation Danish Industry said that so far, none of its members had reported feeling the effects of a boycott, however.

http://www.jp.dk/english_news/artikel:aid=3468452/

Arabic League criticises government

Arabic foreign ministers express their dissatisfied with the government's reaction to the fallout over Jyllands-Posten's Mohammed cartoons

Foreign ministers from the 22 Arabic League nations criticised the Danish government on Thursday for its actions following daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten's decision to publish twelve drawings of the prophet Mohammed.
The foreign ministers also decided that the league's secretary-general, Amr Moussa, and secretary-general for the Islamic Conference, Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, would take up the issue with the Danish government.

After Jyllands-Posten printed the drawings of Mohammed this September, raising the ire of the Muslim community in Denmark, ambassadors from 11 Muslim nations protested to the Danish prime minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, asking him to meet with them to discuss the tone of the debate over Islam in Denmark.

Rasmussen refused to meet with the ambassadors, calling it a matter of freedom of speech, which he had no influence over.

Rasmussen instead told the ambassadors that if they felt Jyllands-Posten had broken Danish laws, they could bring the matter up before the courts.

In their declaration on Thursday, the foreign ministers expressed their 'surprise and indignation over the Danish government's reaction, which was disappointing, despite the political, economic, and cultural bonds with the Muslim world'.

At the same time, the league also criticised 'European human rights organisations for not having distanced themselves from the situation'.

Other Muslim organisations have previously criticised the Danish government in the matter, but the declaration from the Arabic League is seen as the most serious response so far.

Although it takes the matter seriously, the criticism will not cause the government to change its position, according to Troels Lund, foreign affairs spokesman for the prime minister's Liberal Party.

'Now it is important to stand our ground and say that we have a separation of powers in Denmark and something called freedom of expression,' Lund said

http://www.jp.dk/english_news/artikel:aid=3475596/

PM's speech translated into Arabic

The prime minister's New Year's speech was translated into Arabic, earning praise from Egypt's ambassador to Denmark

During his New Year's address to the nation, Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen stressed the importance of protecting freedom of expression, but he also stressed the importance of demonstrating 'mutual respect and understanding' for others.
'Let me state it clearly: I condemn any statement that attempts to demonise groups of people on the basis of their religion or ethnic background,' he said.

Strained relations between the Danish government and Muslims led to a decision by the government to translate the speech to Arabic for the first time ever this year.

Normally, the speech has only been translated into English, but overwhelming interest from Arab countries led the prime minister's office to translate the speech to Arabic as well, according to Michael Ulvemann, the head press officer in the prime minister's office.

Egypt's ambassador to Denmark, Mona Omar Attia, praised the decision to translate the speech.

'It's a positive step toward a dialogue, and I hope that my own and other Arabic governments will see it as a positive signal,' Attia told daily newspaper Politiken.

Tensions have run high between Muslims and the government since daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten printed 12 cartoons of the prophet Mohammed last September. Muslim ambassadors led by Attia called upon the prime minister to meet with them so they could voice their protest. The prime minister refused, however, stating that he had no power to restrict the free press in Denmark.

In relation to the above post...



http://www.stm.dk/Index/dokumenter.asp?o=6&n=0&d=2468&s=2

Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen’s New Year Address 2006

Good evening!

One year ago, the World was face to face with a catastrophe of unbelievable magnitude. More than 200,000 people lost their lives when the tsunami struck Southeast Asia.

In October, Pakistan was ravaged by a terrifying earthquake that cost the lives of more than 70,000 people.Many in this country lost family members or close friends in the tsunami or the earthquake. Our thoughts and our compassion go to all those who so tragically lost some of their loved ones.

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For Denmark, 2005 was a good year. Today, we have one of the strongest economies in Europe. The vast majority of Danes have experienced the benefits of this prosperity in one way or the other.

2005 saw the publication of several international reviews that assigned the highest mark to Denmark. One of them declared that Denmark has the World’s best business climate. Another report proclaimed that Denmark operates the World’s best international assistance when considered as a whole.

These reports tell us two important things about Denmark: we have well-ordered finances, and we have the surplus to think of others than merely ourselves.

This applies to our development assistance to poor countries, first and foremost in Africa. But also in other parts of the World.

This applies when Danish emergency relief workers, through rapid and determined response, help alleviate the harmful impact of natural calamities, like the tsunami one year ago, and most recently after the earthquake in Pakistan.

And when Danish soldiers and police officers participate in peacemaking and peacekeeping missions. In Kosovo. In Afghanistan. In Iraq. In Darfur. And in other flashpoints around the World.

The Danes we have sent out perform their assigned tasks with great skill and commitment. We can be proud of their contribution to moving the World in the right direction.

I would like to express my warm thanks to each and every one of you.

Our soldiers in Iraq make a highly commendable effort to help the Iraqis to live in freedom, peace and prosperity.

This is a difficult job, because groups of fanatics attempt to block the road to democracy with terror and threats.

However, the people of Iraq have demonstrated three times that they reject the terrorists. The first time by turning out to vote in large numbers in the election in January. Then in the referendum on the new constitution in October. And now, most recently, by a high level of participation of voters in the parliamentary election in December.

For the first time, the Iraqis make democratic decisions on the future of their own country. This is encouraging.

We must assist the people of Iraq in building a free and democratic Iraq. We must help the new Iraqi Government to assume its own responsibility for the security in Iraq.

The aim is the withdrawal of the international troops from Iraq. This applies also to the Danish soldiers. We will not remain in Iraq one day longer than is necessary.

However, elected politicians, not terrorists, must make this decision.

*

Here in Denmark we experience growth and prosperity. The employment rate is rising. The unemployment rate is falling. In less than two years, the unemployment rate has been reduced by approximately 35,000. We now have the lowest real unemployment level since 1979.

For a couple of years, there was concern about rising unemployment. Now, there is concern that there will be a shortage of manpower. Let us make a proactive effort to exploit this situation. We now have the opportunity for people who have experienced serious difficulties in finding employment to gain a solid foothold on the labour market.

We have a surplus. On the public sector budgets, and on the balance of payments. The foreign debt is being steadily reduced, and in a couple of years it will have been paid off altogether.

Previously, direct and indirect taxes increased every year. Now we have a tax freeze. And the tax on earned income has been reduced by approximately DKK 10 billion. For a typical family, this has meant an annual gain in excess of DKK 10,000.

And house owners need no longer live in fear that they will see their taxes increase every time the value of their property increases.

So yes, things are going very well in Denmark.

And it is precisely when things are going at their very best that we must make the necessary decisions that are crucial to the future of this country. Because it is in this way that we will be able to sustain the prosperity of the good times. If we make the decisions well in advance, we will be able to achieve considerable impact in the long term by means of carefully considered adjustments. This will benefit not only us, but also the generations to come.

In future, we will have a larger number of elderly people, and we will have fewer people on the labour market.

At the same time we live longer, and this is, of course, a positive thing.

However, this also brings some challenges. Because, at the same time as our life expectancy grows, we spend less time on the labour market.

If this development continues, an increasing number of people will be drawing on public benefits, while there will be fewer and fewer to pay taxes. It goes without saying that this scenario is not sustainable.

For this reason I say: we will have to make a gradual postponement of the point in time at which we normally retire from active employment.

This means that we must take a look at the rules on anticipatory pension and state retirement pension.

Fortunately, we are in a favourable situation. We have no need to introduce hasty interventions forced on us by a crisis. With our current healthy economy, we will be able to implement the necessary changes gradually over an extended number of years. So that the individual will be provided with ample time to make the necessary adjustments to the new situation. Of course we must maintain the possibility for those who are worn down to retire early.

We must protect the security we have today. However, the world around us is changing. Therefore, we must pursue innovation if we are also in the future to remain among the richest and socially most well functioning countries in the World.

Because security in the future requires that we improve our ability to create new knowledge and new ideas. That we become better at translating new ideas into production and jobs. Better at starting new initiatives. Better at providing good education for all young people, and better at updating and innovating our education throughout life, so that we, each of us, become better at adapting to new conditions.

Everyone must be part of this. A good education for all is the most important prerequisite for our ability to maintain a society without large financial and social divides. A society characterised by cohesion.

At the end of February, the Government will introduce its proposals for reform. Reform proposals that involve, among other things, that in the future we will have to stay on the labour market for a few more years and get more immigrants into active employment.

And reforms that make Denmark stronger and better equipped to perform in international competition. Through strong initiatives in the field of research and development. Education for all young people. Adult and supplementary training. An improved environment for entrepreneurs. These are the initiatives that in the future are to improve our ability to generate new jobs. The factors that will provide the foundations for security.

We will invite all the parties of the Folketing to the negotiations. Our aim is a broad political agreement and legislation in 2006.

We must make the necessary decisions now. So that also our children and grandchildren will be able to live in a good, secure and prosperous society.

*

During the past year, we have witnessed a heated debate about freedom of speech, and limits to freedom of speech. There are some who find that the tone of the debate has become too shrill and unpleasant.

I wish to state this very clearly: I condemn any expression, action or indication that attempts to demonise groups of people on the basis of their religion or ethnic background.

It is the sort of thing that does not belong in a society that is based on respect for the individual human being.

We have a long history of extensive freedom of speech in Denmark. We are to speak freely and present our views to each other in a straightforward manner. However, it must be done in mutual respect and understanding. And in a civilised tone of voice.

And fortunately, the tone of the Danish debate is in general both civilized and fair. There have been a few examples of unacceptably offensive expressions. And as a matter of fact, they have come from more than one party to the debate. We must strongly repudiate those expressions.

However, the few instances of offensive behaviour must not be allowed to overshadow the fact that the debate and the general situation in Denmark is much more quiet and peaceful than in many other countries.

In Denmark, we have a healthy tradition of putting critical questions to all authorities, be they of a political or religious nature. We use humour. We use satire. Our approach to authorities is actually rather relaxed.

And to put it bluntly: it is this unorthodox approach to authorities, it is this urge to question the established order, it is this inclination to subject everything to critical debate that has led to progress in our society.

For it is in this process that new horizons open, new discoveries are made, new ideas see the light of day. While old systems and outdated ideas and views fade and disappear.

That is why freedom of speech is so vital. And freedom of speech is absolute. It is not negotiable.

However, we are all responsible for administering freedom of speech in such a manner that we do not incite to hatred and do not cause fragmentation of the community that is one of Denmark’s strengths.

Danish society is very strong in the sense that usually we are rather good at achieving results through dialogue. And the reason is that in general we treat others with consideration and we have confidence in each other, confidence in the institutions of society, confidence in a set of principles that are fundamental to our society.

We have based our society on respect for the individual person’s life and freedom, freedom of speech, equality between men and women, a distinction between politics and religion. Our point of departure is that as human beings we are free, independent, equal and responsible. We must safeguard these principles.

For they are some of the ties that produce cohesion. That is why we find it easy to cooperate, easy to perform common tasks, and that is why we also find it easier to address new challenges.

Let us stand united to protect a society that allows us freedom to differ. And a society in which there is a strong sense of community based on fundamental values.

A Denmark that has not only strong competitive power, but also a strong sense of cohesion.

Happy New Year!

How unusual. A candid politician assessing the needs and accomplishments of the nation. I'm sure Our State of the Union Follies later this month will bare no resemblance to such a statement.