Posted on 10/04/2010 11:19:31 AM PDT by Kaslin
I am curious to see what happens when President Obama invites Molly Norris to the White House for a beer. Oh, Wait…Molly Norris can’t go to the White House for beer because Molly Norris no longer exists; any trace of her has been wiped clean.
Norris, a Seattle cartoonist, was the unfortunate, creative mind who conceived of “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day.” Ironically, her satirical comment on the demise of free speech in America led to protests and death threats from fundamentalists Muslims, who apparently take cartooning very seriously. Anwar al-Awlaki, the American-born cleric who became an al-Qaida leader, then issued a fatwa. According to this man of God, the mere suggestion that people should draw Muhammad was cause for assassination. The FBI then suggested that Norris “go ghost,” which is to say, move from her home, change her name, stop drawing her cartoon—essentially wipe away any trace of her existence. Molly Norris is dead! So too, apparently is the American notion of freedom of speech as well as any vestige of American back-bone. Since when can those living in other parts of the world threaten American citizens with impunity?
It’s too bad that Norris didn’t pick-on Christians. Imagine if, instead of encouraging her fellow cartoonists to draw Muhammad, Norris had implored them to draw Jesus Christ. Sure, she would have been the subject of a few fiery Sunday sermons, received some nasty letters, and even been the object of some loud protests, but she would still have her life. In fact, there are even those Christians that would have prayed for her, rejoicing that drawing Christ might be the first step in coming to Christ.
Moreover, she may have even become a star in the artistic community, celebrated as a “provocative, post modernist, commentator on contemporary religious life.” But, alas, she chose to throw a punch at Islam and practitioners of the “religion of peace” threatened to kill her.
And the guardians of free speech—those same good folks that expressed such indignation at protesters of the Ground Zero mosque, that would have hailed her as a hero had she pointed her pencil at born-again Christians—have simply shrugged their shoulders and whispered, “what a shame. I knew Molly when.”
Clifford May, president of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, notes that: “The saga of Molly Norris has elicited hardly any notice from political leaders, elite journalists, and celebrities. Nor has it stirred to action [among] those who claim to represent America's Islamic community. Nor have I seen anything from Human Rights Watch. The ACLU is actually defending al-Awlaki. At the UN, Islamic countries are pushing to ban criticism of Islam under international law.”
Indeed, there has been no outrage expressed by the moderate Muslim community. Other than the remarks of the Seattle area executive director of CAIR, the organization has had little to say. Celebrities have not turned out in mass to decry the injustice. And sadly, this president, who felt compelled to lecture Americans about the constitutional rights of Muslims to build a mosque anywhere they desired (a right NO ONE was questioning), has not felt moved to rhetorically defend the right of Molly Norris to her life. Ironically, rather than defend Norris, celebrities, journalists, and politicians are still choosing to lecture Americans about the increase in Islamaphobia.
There should now be little doubt that the cultural elites are in fact cultural bullies and like most bullies, deep down they are cowards. The proof is discovered in the silence with which they have greeted the death of Norris and in the fact that as of yet, no artist has deigned to toss elephant dung on a Muslim icon or have sex with the Koran. No. They stick to the easier fare of fundamentalist Christianity.
In some sense, it makes perfect sense. The fact is that we Christians can be annoying. Christians tend to consult God about, well, everything. We all know Christians who have consulted the Lord about everything from their health to which shoes to purchase on sale. And there is all the moralizing! Christians have a habit of preaching about “living the right way,” and warning all within ear-shot to get right with God.
For some, this behavior can be downright bothersome. Who are all these smiling, flawed people to comment on the behavior of others? It is therefore little wonder that Christians take so much abuse and criticism. It might also be because Christians tend to pray for those that persecute them, not assassinate them.
He should, and he should do so very publicly.
If he had any respect for this nation and its founding principals he would have invited her already.
Hollywood fell over themselves to sign a petition and protest the arrest of Roman Polanski, a child rapist.
But when a artist such as Molly Norris, using freedom of the same expression and “artistic freedom” these people demand, is silenced due to threats, Hollywood the this administration is takes the vow of silence.
Their silence speaks volumes.
I doubt that a request to draw Jesus would have riled anyone.
Since Jesus didn’t leave any autographed photographs, there probably would be a lot of different ideas about his appearance.
“...because Christians tend to pray for those that persecute them, not assassinate them.”
Nice summation there in the closing line of the article.
Mathew 5:11
Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
I think we need a National Use the Koran as Toilet Paper Day.
You’d get a few folks wailing about “graven images”, but for the most part Christians would be offended only if the cartoons were of an overtly offensive nature.
Hollywood is well aware of the difference between child abusers and observant Christians. Naturally, they’d be mortified to be seen with a Christian.
Europe is more aware of such principals than the Red Diaper Doper Baby in Chief.
Merkel to honor Mohammed cartoonist at press award (reuters.com ^ | Sep 8, 2010 | Stephen Brown and Knut Engelmann)
German Chancellor Angela Merkel risked angering Muslims by speaking at an awards ceremony on Wednesday for a Dane whose cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed provoked sometimes violent protests by Muslims five years ago.
(note this was what was happening in Europe while Obama was critical of a pastor in Florida's plan to burn a koran... note that President Obama and our Hate Dept. do NOT speak out against the Saudi government seizing and burning Bibles).
Our pro-Islamist anti-Christian president is silent over this taxpayer funded outrage:
It's smut, not art, Loveland protesters say (The Denver Post ^ | 10/1/10 | Monte Whaley)
About 25 to 30 residents stood outside the Loveland Museum/Gallery this morning protesting a portion of an exhibit that appears to show Jesus Christ involved in a sex act...."This is a taxpayer supported, public museum and it's family-friendly," Rice said, adding a court-ordered injunction may also be in order. "This is not something the community can be proud of."
Salman Rushdie was the only artiste who was permitted by the Left to blaspheme Islam.
He can’t invite her as she does not exist anymore
I have a number of pictures of Jesus, all different in many details. I’ve also seen many cartoons of Jesus; I don’t think it’s offensive to imagine what Jesus might have said or done in various situation, particularly if the author is attempting to be consistent with what the Bible reveals about Jesus.
And even offensive depictions or cartoons (as Mr. Phillips points out) lead me to think of the artist or author, “It must be very painful to be such a rotten person!” and to pray for him or her.
I enjoy heaping coals of kindness on liberals.
They don’t know how to react.
Did the New York Times do a front page story on this? Or the Washington Post? Where's the famous MSM backbone? Here's a link to 'peaceful liberals' beating up a tea Party member - another story the MSM isn't interested in...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFeUhSlHiUQ
Yes, it’s very satisfying. I call it “the Molasses Miasma of Niceness.”
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