Condemnation of this provacative act is nearly unanimous in the the thread, and I agree with that sentiment 100%.
While the Constitution technically protects this offensive behavior of the lunatic fringe, the pastor was plain wrong. He crossed a non-legal line of decency and behaved irresponsibily. He should be held crimininally or civily responsible for the deaths of those people.
As one poster put it, “If you know the Muslim world react violently to insults to their religion, you shouldn’t well… poke them with a stick. You can’t change how they are, but you can change how you are - therefore it’s Jones’ fault that these people died.”
Beyond that, the there’s no excuse for the Afghan reaction – the mobs or the clerics, either.
Quote it. Lay it out for me plainly, according to Islamic doctrine, the motives behind these murders according to the teachings.
According to some muslims, sharia can call for punishment (including death) for people who insult Mohammad. I guess they think it the equivalent of blashemy.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islam_and_blasphemy
Some hadith may provide insight to their reasoning.
usc.edu/schools/college/crcc/engagement/resources/texts/muslim/hadith/bukhari/004.sbt.html
Also cited in these discussions are Bukhari, vol. 4, no. 2934; Muslim, vol. 3, nos. 4422, 4424; Bukhari vol. 5, no. 4037; Muslim vol. 3, no. 4436.
From the Koran: Sura 33:59-61, 9:73 and 123.
Near as I can tell, there is disagreement among muslims on this issue.
If a woman was dressed provacatively and gets raped, does some of the blame fall on her?
Do you think dressing provocatively will incite rape?
Upon reading this exchange, I initially thought, “There is no excuse for the crime of rape. It is a silly and extreme comparison.”
“But maybe discard rape, and consider unwanted touching, advances, crude remarks or glances, even salacious thoughts. Doesn’t a woman who dresses provacatively have some responsibility in these behaviors?”
I quickly concluded that this may be true on some level to some degree, but ultimately we are all responsible for our own actions. The woman *may *have her issues; her abusers have their own problems to worry about.