The Great Catholic Cracker Caper
Sometimes, Freud told us, a cigar is just a cigar. Sometimes, though, it's a cracker. Apparently, there's a huge wave (that's media speak for at least two similar incidents) of people using Roman Catholic communion wafers for something other than their intended spiritual purpose. Earlier this month, it a University of Central Florida student: Webster Cook says that, instead of eating a ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 21, 2008 07:58
Only Muslim Extremists Get Upset About Cartoons
Good line, purportedly from Jon Stewart: Obama is not upset about the cartoon that calls him a Muslim extremist. Who gets upset about cartoons? Muslim extremists. via Steve Garfield. See "New Yorker Obama Terrorist Cover" for background and commentary on the story. UPDATE: Amusingly, I see via Memeorandum, the hubbub goes on. Obama is continuing to beat this dead horse: Democrat Barack Obama said ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 16, 2008 06:37
Professor Ordered to Take Down Cartoons
A tenured, conservative professor has been ordered to take cartoons off his door because they offended someone. Getting one’s own office can be a rite of passage right up there with defending a dissertation or receiving tenure — and many professors’ lairs are reflections of their own attitudes and beliefs. Usually, it takes just a quick glance at the door, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on April 10, 2008 12:03
Wilders Film ‘Fitna’ Incites Muslims
Dutch parliamentarian Geert Wilders has debuted a new film that compares Islam to fascism. No rioting has yet ensued. Iran and Indonesia on Friday condemned a film by a Dutch lawmaker that accuses the Koran of inciting violence, while Dutch Muslim leaders urged restraint. Islam critic Geert Wilders launched his movie on Thursday evening. Titled "Fitna", an Arabic term sometimes translated ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on March 28, 2008 09:09
Newspapers Reprint Danish Muslim Cartoon
The Danish Muslim cartoons that sparked worldwide rioting, mayhem, and murder two years ago are back. Newspapers across Europe Wednesday reprinted the controversial cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed that sparked worldwide protests two years ago. The move came one day after Danish authorities arrested three people allegedly plotting a "terror-related assassination" of Kurt Westergaard, the cartoonist behind the drawing. Berlingske Tidende, was ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on February 13, 2008 13:56
Race Riots and Assimilation
Over at The Glittering Eye, Dave Schuler extends the argument he's made in the comments of my tongue-in-cheek post on the fact that the media continues to ignore the ethnic-religious component of the rioting in France. He argues that the problem goes beyond religion and is ultimately about assimilation and "giving the descendants of immigrants a stake ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 27, 2007 15:35
Islamofascism
Monday's essay by Christopher Hitchens defending the term "Islamofascism" drew quite a bit of blogospheric reaction. Matt Yglesias responds to it with what amounts to a straw man and yet backhandedly makes a valid point. [The term] provide[s] a spurious patina of unity and sameness to diverse phenomena involving Muslims Behaving Badly so that al-Qaeda, Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, Assad, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on October 24, 2007 11:55
German Terrorist Plot Foiled
German and U.S. authorities have thwarted what a massive Islamist terrorist plot against about to be launched against American targets in Germany. FT's Hugh Williamson: German security forces have prevented a terror attack in Germany that could have been more deadly than the Madrid and London bombings, top security officials said on Wednesday. Police on Tuesday arrested three men who had planned simultaneous ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on September 5, 2007 10:01
Banned Opus Strip
Berkeley Breathed has up this Note to Opus readers: The Opus strips for August 26 and September 2 have been withheld from publication by a large number of client newspapers across the country, including Opus' host paper The Washington Post. The strips may be viewed in a large format on their respective dates at Salon.com. That's the end of his ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 27, 2007 07:22
Pakistan Minister Says Rushdie Knighthood Justifies Terrorism
Pakistani Religious Affairs Minister Ijaz-ul-Haq declared that terrorism was "justified" in response to Salman Rushdie being awarded a knighthood by Queen Elizabeth. Pakistan demanded on Monday that Britain withdraw a knighthood awarded to author Salman Rushdie, as a government minister said the honour gave a justification for suicide attacks by Muslims. Angry protesters in several cities torched British flags and beat them ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on June 19, 2007 09:27
Londonistan Calling
Christopher Hitchens returns to his boyhood home in London's Finsbury Park neighborhood and explores the recent radicalization of the UK's Muslims. The British have always been proud of their tradition of hospitality and asylum, which has benefited Huguenots escaping persecution, European Jewry, and many political dissidents from Marx to Mazzini. But the appellation "Londonistan," which apparently originated with a sarcastic remark ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 15, 2007 10:09
Selling Them The Rope
Jeff Goldstein thinks the International Herald Tribune (owned by the New York Times) might be taking entrepreneurialism a wee bit too far when it starts accepting ads "seeking bids from corporations willing to build nuclear reactors for Iran." He also sees some incongruity in their willingness to do that while inveighing against running the infamous Danish Muhammad cartoons. Well, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 4, 2007 15:13
Things That Offend Muslims: Cartoons, Books, History, Operas…
James Lileks observes that the list of things that spark outrage and violence from Islamists is long, indeed. Clip and save, for this may come in handy: If you mock Islam with a drawing or a novel, you get riots and dead people. News of mishandled holy books yields riots and dead people. Insufficiently reverent short films by a Dutchman yields ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on September 27, 2006 09:04
Muslims, Angered Pope Said Violent, Riot and Threaten Murder, War
Pope Benedict's statements about Islam's violent history, which I dismissed Friday as the pope being Catholic, have, ironically, sparked violence and threats of more violence. Rioting yesterday caused substantial property damage but, thankfully, no reports of injuries. Palestinians wielding guns and firebombs attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza on Saturday, following remarks by Pope Benedict that angered many Muslims. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on September 17, 2006 08:16
Al Qaeda Video: Sea of Blood in Denmark, Norway, France
A new al Qaeda video calls for turning Denmark, Norway, and France into a "sea of blood" in retalation for publishing cartoons of Mohammed. A VIDEO by an al-Qaeda member posted on the Internet overnight calls on Muslims to attack Denmark, Norway and France for publishing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. "Muslims avenge your Prophet .... We deeply desire that the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on May 12, 2006 08:58
