Shooting at Muhammad cartoon contest in Texas

[Path_Finder]

No it isn’t. IMHO

The pope, or Ms. Geller, or the bloggers in Bangladesh hacked to death, or the soldier in London just walking down the street have no control over the actions of the people that attacked them. Your position is that the attackers were somewhat justified (share the blame!) by the actions of those who provoked them. Wearing a uniform provokes them, a blog critical of Islam provokes them, being a Christian provokes them— we all have it coming - disbelief in Islam and Mohammed is a capital offense.

My position is that violence in response to just speech is never acceptable. I would never say that an Islamic preacher expressing his opinion that all us Christians should be beheaded should be violently attacked for saying it. But he should be loudly and widely challenged for those beliefs, debated in the public sphere and the idea of violence justified by religious beliefs denounced vociferously.

That is amazing, outrageous, the 3rd atheist blogger attacked in Bangladesh which you mention.

theguardian.com/world/2015/may/12/third-atheist-blogger-killed-in-bangladesh-after-knife-attack

Totally agree with your analysis; plus, though I would not want to ask it personally of the faithful, it seems very possible that the contest, certain websites, etc. only aggravate the real radical.

 

[Darryl1958]

No it isn’t. IMHO

The pope, or Ms. Geller, or the bloggers in Bangladesh hacked to death, or the soldier in London just walking down the street have no control over the actions of the people that attacked them. Your position is that the attackers were somewhat justified (share the blame!) by the actions of those who provoked them. Wearing a uniform provokes them, a blog critical of Islam provokes them, being a Christian provokes them— we all have it coming - disbelief in Islam and Mohammed is a capital offense.

My position is that violence in response to just speech is never acceptable. I would never say that an Islamic preacher expressing his opinion that all us Christians should be beheaded should be violently attacked for saying it. But he should be loudly and widely challenged for those beliefs, debated in the public sphere and the idea of violence justified by religious beliefs denounced vociferously.

The Islamist zealot should not be violently attacked for his speech. Then again, if there can be demonstrated to be a direct link between his advocacy of murdering Christians, and actual murder of Christians, the preacher would be held to be criminally responsible for those murders. If someone yells out “kill them” and someone listening kills them, then then the order is as much a crime as the the ensuing murder.

 

[grotto]

Good grief! If someone is screaming “kill them!”, “off with their heads!”, etc., please turn around and take a closer look. If they are babbling on the street because they are mentally unstable, give them a wide berth and keep your eye on them until you are safely away! We do not have to accept these people’s actions out of respect for their beliefs! We need to be wary of their possible follow through on their voiced desires. Too much common sense?
I would like to point out that I think it was a mistake to turn out on the streets those that were found mentally ill, need to be on medications, were released from mental health institutions because of operational failures, and continue to be living in pitiful conditions at large. These poor unfortunates are not the same insane Islamic jihadist/terrorists. Why should we pretend to have “respect for IJT’s?” (shorthand for Islamic jihadist terrorists). They are choosing to carry out their evil deeds on behalf of their religious beliefs. The mentally ill are just plain stuck with their behaviors because of illness.