Those who say 'We cannot poke fun at Islam' don't get it

[onager]

Guest Post by Leo Igwe, over at B&W:

People across the world are slowly being coerced into treating Islam with ‘respect’ or, better, with fear. We are gradually getting to a point where criticising the Islamic faith is a form of death sentence.

The reason which some people give for this ugly development is that ‘Many people believe in Islam.’ They say: ‘There are over I billion muslims in the world’. And my question is: And so what? That billions of people, including children, youths, illiterates and semi illiterates, profess Islam or believe that something is true does not make it true, does it? Billions of people have held mistaken, absurd and irrational claims over the centuries and still do.

http://freethoughtblogs.com/butterfliesandwheels/2015/05/guest-post-those-who-say-we-cannot-poke-fun-at-islam-dont-get-it/

[Tobin S.]

1. It is very disheartening to me..

...to see so much of the world's population, in our advancing times, still beholden to superstition. As a non-believer in any religion, I'm in a pretty small minority on the planet as a whole. To think that there are still areas of the world where I can be executed for my beliefs is astounding given what is known to be true about the planet and the universe. It's terrible.

[onager]

3. Info on the writer...

He's a Nigerian human rights advocate and skeptic. Interesting guy.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Igwe

[beam me up scottie]

2. And many of the ones who do so on DU also mock scientology and other religious lunacy.

I can't afford any more irony meters.

[LostOne4Ever]

5. Don't you know those religions are not "REAL" Religions

[font style="font-family:'Georgia','Baskerville Old Face','Helvetica',fantasy;" size=4 color=teal]Their made up bullshit is not as legitimate as the made up bullshit of the older religions....[/font]

[Arugula Latte]

10. Magical carpenter zombies are the real deal,

but not golden tablets and spaceships. Come on. That's just logic.

[Cartoonist]

4. It's time for world leaders to stand up!

Enough of this bullshit. If your faith can't stand criticism, then your faith is weak and your God is an insect.
I don't mean that they should say that, exactly, but they do need to say that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and the freedom to believe or not believe. Laws of apostasy need to be abolished worldwide, or those countries should face sanctions.

[Binkie The Clown]

6. I've posted this before, and I'll post it again:

If Pam Geller had called her movement a religion, there are a lot of people who would call us bigots for pointing out her bullshit and accusing her of hate speech.

(For example, in every other forum where I have posted this sentiment I have been accused of being a bigot for supporting Pam Geller. I don't support Pam Geller. I never have. I never will. But as soon as you point out the special kid glove treatment that religions get, the uber-religious come unhinged and do everything they can to discredit the one doing the pointing out.)

[beam me up scottie]

8. I was just saying the SAME thing in GD.

When Westboro Baptist tells lgbt people they deserve to get AIDS it's called free speech because ...religion.

When Geller hosts a cartoon contest it's called "incitement" because...religion.

[AlbertCat]

11. When Geller hosts a cartoon contest it's called "incitement" because...religion.

"When Geller hosts a cartoon contest it's called "incitement" because... one of those other Abrahamic religions that doesn't get along with the other 2 Abrahamic religions."


There fixed it for you.

If you lump all the Abrahamic god believers together (and why not...they get their "authority" from the same pace&quot you have a dreadful, disruptive, divisive, dangerous large group of people.

Hinduism and Buddhism don't seem to bother us too much over here.

[beam me up scottie]

12. No, you didn't.

The people in GD who demand we respect religion don't specify.

As a matter of fact they regularly throw "non-threatening" religious beliefs into the mix and claim their very existence is a reason we should refrain from criticism.

[mountain grammy]

7. I heard David Steinberg on John Fuglesang's show today..

he told the joke about the Jewish guy stranded alone on an island. He built two synagogues because he had to have a place he would never go. If there are 3 Jews, they need 4 synagogues...
I remember David Steinberg telling those jokes and my Jewish mother just laughing and laughing...

I was listening to Dean Obudallah saying the problem with the Muslim faith is no humor. I think he's got a point there.

[Binkie The Clown]

9. Pick one: I will not mock Mohammed because...

A) I respect him, his beliefs, and his followers.

B) I acknowledge that a significant percentage of his followers are violent and may kill me if I do.

[Cartoonist]

13. Batman says:

[trotsky]

14. But onager, you don't understand.

Religion is special. If you can't PROVE a belief is wrong, why then it's just as likely to be right and therefore SHUT UP YOU ATHEIST.

I think I have summarized the argument.