Mark My Words - commentary on news, politics, religion, philosophy, science and social issues

Considering the violence, riots and threats of more to come for every insult to extremists within Islam, perhaps a list of what offends them should be made. It could be carried around by those who are not brave enough to stand up against the attempt to force dhimmitude on those who prefer not to be Muslim or at least reject the oppressive politicized version the Islamofascists are trying to spread beyond their own miserable lives.

Some may have forgotten but the Salmon Rushdie fatwa preceded the cartoon madness.

On February 14, 1989, a fatwa requiring Rushdie's execution was proclaimed on Radio Tehran by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the leader of Iran, calling the book "blasphemous against Islam." As the novel also suggested that Rushdie no longer believed in Islam, Khomeini also condemned him for apostasy, which according to the Hadith is punishable by death. Khomeini indicated that it was the responsibility of all "zealous Muslims" to execute Rushdie and the publishers who were aware of its concepts:

Much violence resulted from simply writing and publishing a book.

In 1991, Rushdie's Japanese translator, Hitoshi Igarashi, was stabbed and killed at the university where he taught in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, north of Tokyo, and his Italian translator was beaten and stabbed in Milan. In 1993, Rushdie's Norwegian publisher William Nygaard was shot and severely injured in an attack outside his house in Oslo. Thirty-seven people died when their hotel in Sivas, Turkey was burnt down by locals protesting against Aziz Nesin, Rushdie's Turkish translator.

Theo van Gogh, who tried to make a stand against the oppression of woman by Islamofascist misogynists, was brutally killed in 2004.

Controversial Dutch filmmaker and newspaper columnist Theo van Gogh, who made a film about violence against women in Islamic societies, has been murdered in Amsterdam, police said.

Police said they arrested a man at the scene after a shootout. The suspect, a 26-year-old man with dual Dutch-Moroccan nationality, and a police officer were slightly wounded.

Filmmaker Theo van Gogh had been threatened after the August airing of the movie "Submission," which he made with a right-wing Dutch politician who had renounced the Islamic faith of her birth

As most are now aware, even an image of Mohammed is enough to inspire death threats, violence, the burning of embassies and calls for laws against blasphemy. See my previous posts at the end of this editorial for coverage.

But now we see that even an image of a mosque is too much for some of the radicals. (H/T JunkYardBlog)

MADRID - The Spanish high street store Bershka has recalled its latest collection from its shops all over the world after complaints from some Muslim customers in Dubai.

Bershka’s new range contains a label with a picture of a garden scene and what looks like a mosque or a Middle Eastern palace. The illustration is done in the style of a postcard from an exotic holiday, with handwriting and an arrow pointing to the building and a few hearts.

On the picture is written: "We slept here!!!" Beneath the picture are the words: "New...Collection 2006. Look! Here is where we are... wonderful! Isn’t it!?"

According to the United Arab Emirates newspaper Khaleej Times, some shoppers in the Dubai Bershka complained to the shop assistant about the labels using "images of a mosque mixed with symbols of love and suggestive comments".

Valentine's Day cards are worthy of being burned and of course, one gets the message of more to come, if they do not submit. (H/T Michelle Malkin)

Srinagar, February 10: Nearly two dozen black-veiled Muslim women stormed gift and stationery shops Friday in Kashmir, burning Valentine's Day cards and posters to protest a holiday they say imposes Western values on Muslim youth.

[...]

"We will not let anyone sell these cards or celebrate Valentine's Day," said Asiya Andrabi, the group's leader, as she held a burning poster in her hand. "These Western gimmicks are corrupting our kids and taking them away from their roots."

She said that the raids were carried out "not to harm anyone but to make them realize that this is against Islam's teachings."

The protesters dispersed after chanting religious slogans. Mohammad Sarwar, though, was furious as he looked over the goods tossed around his small stationery store.

"They barged in, grabbed cards and posters and burnt them outside. Most of the cards were not even Valentine cards. It is difficult to do business with such threats looming overhead," he said.

Most recently, in the news, is the singer Deeyah who has been called the Muslim Madonna. Her song doesn't pull punches as Hugh Hewitt covers it here. He also links to her video, and has some of the lyrics from that song.

"Does the truth only come from the top of a holy man's spire?"
"From three paces back, covered head to toe, like the rules that the man says and written just for show."
"You can stand up, lay down, or follow. What will it be? Will it all be the same tomorrow?"
"We don't take it lightly when you threatening women. How you have so much hate and you fake your religion?"
"If you're that religious and not for trendy clothes, then what you doing even watching videos?"

Unfortunately, her stand against oppression is being met with death threats. Sadly, this turn of events is no longer shocking.

The singer, who was born in Norway but moved to the UK after her act alienated her from the Muslim community, has been forced to cancel performances and hire a team of bodyguards after inciting anger from British Muslims as well.

"I can't walk around without bodyguards. I would be lying if I said abuse from religious fanatics did not upset or scare me," the 28-year-old, dubbed as the 'Muslim Madonna' was quoted by Contactmusic, as saying.

Asian music TV network B4U TV dropped the video after receiving complaints.

"We played the video a couple of times and then did not play it again. We had threats which we were forced to take very seriously. These things are sensitive issues," an employee said.

As Hewitt points out Deeyah has a profile on myspace. It would be good that people offer encouragement as she faces threats for daring to speak up. It is certainly more than much of western media and politicians, who have cowered before the threats of Islamofacist Imans. Sadly, politicians, who have bodyguards, police and armies behind them, have submitted to this new cancerous spread of dhimmitude. As covered by Sigmund (H/T The Anchoress)

...on February 10, in Oslo, came a dramatic capitulation that seemed a classic case of sharia in action. For days, Velbjørn Selbekk, editor of the tiny Christian periodical Magazinet – the first publication to reprint the now-famous Muhammed cartoons from the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten – had firmly resisted pressure by Muslim extremists (who made death threats) and by the Norwegian establishment (which urged him to give in). But then, on that morning – the day before a planned mass demonstration against the cartoons – Norway’s Minister of Labor and Social Inclusion, Bjarne Håkon Hanssen, hastily called a press conference at a major government office building in Oslo.

There, to the astonishment of his supporters, Selbekk issued an abject apology for reprinting the cartoons. At his side, accepting his act of contrition on behalf of 46 Muslim organizations and asking that all threats now be withdrawn, was Mohammed Hamdan, head of Norway’s Islamic Council. In attendance were members of the Norwegian cabinet and the largest assemblage of imams in Norway's history. It was a picture right out of a sharia courtroom: the dhimmi prostrating himself before the Muslim leader, and the leader pardoning him – and, for good measure, declaring Selbekk to be henceforth under his protection, as if it were he, Hamdan, and not the Norwegian police, that held in his hands the security of citizens in Norway.

I almost forgot, selling a shirt with one of the Mohammed cartoons is also grounds for death threats. I've covered this here.

Conservative t-shirt maker MetroSpy set off a firestorm when their newest design depicted a caricature of the prophet Mohammed with a bomb wrapped in his turban. According to Islamic tradition, graphic depictions of the Prophet Mohammed are forbidden. MetroSpy's apparent disregard for this tradition has outraged many in the Muslim world, prompting some to voice their displeasure by sending the company hate-filled email, online viruses and even death threats.

[...]

Also, standing against Islamofascists can make one's website or blog the target of a DoS attack, as Michelle Malkin recently experienced.

Afternoon update: Confirmed DoS attack, with most of the IP addresses belonging to TurkTelecom. Tech people say the attack is shifting to different source addresses. Loading is spotty and slow. Big headache, but we're working on a more permanent solution.

Looking back over this list, maybe those who want to cower before crazed misogynist psychopaths, who are using a religion as cover for their oppressive desires, should ask them to create a list of what is not offensive. I'm sure it will be very much shorter, all the easier for those with a serious yellow streak to bow in servitude and humiliation to the demands of the extremists.

As for me, I could care less for such a list. As I have stated before, I will not submit. I look forward to when my shirt arrives, and I can post a photo of myself wearing it. If I can choose to not resort to violence when Jesus Christ is lampooned or disrespected, so can others, with regard to their prophets or gods. While some of you may have laughed at the fool's errand that such a request would be, concerning the extremists, we have the sad state of various political leaders and media entities, in the West, quacking in fear at such a thought. But who says that we must bow in servitude as they? People can resist, by posting the cartoons, wearing the shirts and ;speaking against this force that is destroying Islam and focusing on the West as well. Perhaps, as we resist, those in leadership will have their resolve strengthened. It may be that reformers within Islam and the Middle East will also be encouraged. What must not be done is to allow cowardice and submission to violence, be what guides us and determines our actions. The violent are never dissuaded by such overtures, only encouraged.

The end result of cowardly submission may not be seen by those now in power, making their decision easier. It would be better though if they considered what kind of world they're creating for their children and grandchildren, by how they now respond to the Islamofascist’s demand. This is certainly more important than getting worked up over future generations being burdened with budget deficits or lack of funding for some special big government program. It would be helpful if those in positions of power, would show at least as much concern for the obviously violent movement that is killing and threatening so many throughout the world. What account will they give, when the folly of their submission eventually reaps what it has sown?

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