How should catholics respond to muslim protests

  • Thread starter Thread starter catholicguy23
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
C

catholicguy23

Guest
I wanted to get someone catholic advice on how catholics both as a church and as individuals should be responding to the Muslim riots. On one hand I want to be compassionate to those who have been offended but on the other I see there are serious issues which need to be confronted. For example in the below article the author seems to make fairly valid arguments which I can’t help but agree with but at the same time I wonder if him and commentators like him are taking a too aggressive approach.

radicalideas.weebly.com/10-reasons-we-should-be-worried-about-the-muslim-riots.html
 
I don’t think many of the points are in any way good.

The writer basically seems to be condemning Muslims because they don’t have the same views as Americans. The writer’s inability to accept that not every good person has the same values shows an immaturity that is worrying. Moderate Muslims are upset by this film and are not supporting the riots. I think they have every right to be upset, just as Catholics have that right when our Faith is insulted. The fact that the film is cheaply-produced, badly written and poorly acted does not lessen the insult.

The writer also uses this as an excuse to criticise Obama, despite the fact that this video is hate speech, as it was clearly designed to insult Muslims rather than as legitimate artistic expression, and is therefore against YouTube’s own policies. To then alledge that Muslims shouldn’t be upset that the US (and UK) went to war in Iraq on false pretences, even though that led to the rise of Islamist power there, is arrogance of staggering proportions. I think women in Iraq, who used to be able to dress how they wished and now have to wear the chador or even a burqa, have every right to be angry. That doesn’t mean that US or UK servicemen or -women deserve to die, far from it, it just means that we can’t destroy a country and then expect gratitude from those who lived there or their neighbours.

I can’t help but wonder how the writer would feel if this video were made by a Muslim protraying Jesus as a gay, brothel-owning drug user. Somehow I don’t think he’d be as supportive of the film.
 
Pray for all people who are ignorant to the fact that Jesus is the Savior of the world and not some mythical person from a halucination. God will be the final judge
 
I’m not sure thats really fair to be honest. I think its fair to say Free speech is an objective good which is worth defending. If some Muslims disagree they are just wrong.

Also I don’t think anyones disputing that Muslims should be upset. Its just their response which people are questioning. Similar films have been made about Jesus and I have been personally offended but I haven’t called for blasphemy to become illegal nor have I taken to the streets and demanded beheadings.
 
It’s important when you see these riots to remember that in many Middle Eastern countries, it would be impossible for someone to make a film without the approval of the authorities, so it is natural for people in these places to think that the US government approved it. That suits the ideology of a small group, who then whip up emotion to the point where a riot breaks out.

That does not excuse the riots in any way and certainly doesn’t give anyone the right to kill. I am simply trying to explain why the protestors are attacking the US (and other Western) embassies.

Just as the writer of the article in the link can’t understand a country with laws or values different to his own, condemning them for not being like the US, so the people in those countries cannot understand why the US doesn’t have their blasphemy laws. Is the writer of that article really so different from those he criticises? Given a crowd of people with his mindset and a small group who want to cause trouble, a riot of this magnitude would be possible anywhere. There were riots in the UK last summer, this summer we hosted an Olympics noted for its friendly welcome and enthusiastic support for athletes from all countries. It can happen anywhere.

I think that Free Speech gives you the right to say what you wish, but it also places on you the responsibility for the consequences of what you say. The people who were involved in making and interpreting this film knew full well the likely response in the Muslim world. It was deliberate provocation. If they want the right to say this, they should also have the courage to stand up and say who they are, not hide behind the anonymity of the internet.
 
I’m sorry,but I can’t feel even a little sympathetic to somebody’s feelings when they go out and KILL just because they got their feelings hurt. I don’t care how anti-Islam the video was, as soon as they respond to free speech with violence, that’s it, I see no reason to respect them or their belief system at all.

Even the peaceful protestors I don’t feel very sympathetic for, since they’re still calling for censorship and they’re allying themselves with people who do kill. Catholics get mocked all the time, we just learn to deal with it. We’re not calling for censorship of anti-Catholic things (at least, most of us aren’t). Add on to the fact that nobody would even care about this video if some muslims didn’t kill people. Seriously, nobody would even know or be concerned about the muslims’ feelings, if other muslims hadn’t gone beserk and killed people. Which means the peaceful protest muslims are basically just piggybacking on the aggressive muslims. And to be more concerned about them just because some of them are violent terrorists means the terrorists have already won.
 
starsmurf said:
It’s important when you see these riots to remember that in many Middle Eastern countries, it would be impossible for someone to make a film without the approval of the authorities, so it is natural for people in these places to think that the US government approved it. That suits the ideology of a small group, who then whip up emotion to the point where a riot breaks out.

That does not excuse the riots in any way and certainly doesn’t give anyone the right to kill. I am simply trying to explain why the protestors are attacking the US (and other Western) embassies.

Just as the writer of the article in the link can’t understand a country with laws or values different to his own, condemning them for not being like the US, so the people in those countries cannot understand why the US doesn’t have their blasphemy laws. Is the writer of that article really so different from those he criticises? Given a crowd of people with his mindset and a small group who want to cause trouble, a riot of this magnitude would be possible anywhere. There were riots in the UK last summer, this summer we hosted an Olympics noted for its friendly welcome and enthusiastic support for athletes from all countries. It can happen anywhere.

I think that Free Speech gives you the right to say what you wish, but it also places on you the responsibility for the consequences of what you say. The people who were involved in making and interpreting this film knew full well the likely response in the Muslim world. It was deliberate provocation. If they want the right to say this, they should also have the courage to stand up and say who they are, not hide behind the anonymity of the internet.
Click to expand...
Nobody was killed by the rioters in England last summer nor was the English/UK flag was burned (as far as I know/remember). If someone riots , burns flags, and muderrs over some dumb video maybe they should not complain about another’s critesem of the riots, murders, and flag burnings. 🤷::knight1::knight2:
 
kbwall said:
I’m sorry,but I can’t feel even a little sympathetic to somebody’s feelings when they go out and KILL just because they got their feelings hurt. I don’t care how anti-Islam the video was, as soon as they respond to free speech with violence, that’s it, I see no reason to respect them or their belief system at all.

Even the peaceful protestors I don’t feel very sympathetic for, since they’re still calling for censorship and they’re allying themselves with people who do kill. Catholics get mocked all the time, we just learn to deal with it. We’re not calling for censorship of anti-Catholic things (at least, most of us aren’t). Add on to the fact that nobody would even care about this video if some muslims didn’t kill people. Seriously, nobody would even know or be concerned about the muslims’ feelings, if other muslims hadn’t gone beserk and killed people. Which means the peaceful protest muslims are basically just piggybacking on the aggressive muslims. And to be more concerned about them just because some of them are violent terrorists means the terrorists have already won.
Click to expand...
👍👍👍
 
tabycat said:
Nobody was killed by the rioters in England last summer nor was the English/UK flag was burned (as far as I know/remember). If someone riots , burns flags, and muderrs over some dumb video maybe they should not complain about another’s critesem of the riots, murders, and flag burnings. 🤷::knight1::knight2:
Click to expand...
What’s burning a piece of cloth got to do with anything? Surely burning a flag is no worse than insulting someone’s prophet, and why on Earth would any of the English rioters have wanted to burn a flag? It was a weird combination of legitimate anger at the police and opportunistic looting and burning by over-excited idiots. Sorry, I assume this is some cultural difference, but where did the reference to flag burning come from?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top