Well I was definately surprised by this thread.
I am not sure that I have ever even been close to agreement with host on anything.
The main point that I take out of this article is:
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Sam Harris
The point is that only the Muslim community is combustible in this way
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This is so true.
I think this has an effect, consiously or subconsiously, on how people act, what we write, what we discuss, what we put on TV, what we report in our newscasts...
I remember seeing this a while back
Quote:
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Originally Posted by exchange between filmmaker Martin Himel and Dr. Tim Benson, founder of the British editorial cartoonists' society that honored the Sharon-eating-babies cartoon with its 2003 'Cartoon of the Year' - from Himel's documentary
Benson [holding cartoon]: This will go down in history as one of the famous cartoons. Here we have a cartoon. It's certainly anti-Sharon, but in no way is it anti-Israel or anti-Jewish.
[Cuts to comments by Professor Alan Dershowitz, in which he argues strongly that the cartoon evokes the 'blool libel' of which Jews have long been falsely accused, then returns to interview]
Benson: I believe it was chosen by our members mainly because of the impact it had above all the other cartoons in the competition. Because the impact it initially had in January. We have had a hysterical response from all around the world. Our website, the day after the awards, got 73,000 hits. We've been receiving over 400 hate mails a day.
Himel: Talking about impact, here we have Sharon eating Palestinian babies [holding Dave Brown cartoon]. Here's an impact, too, that's out of reality. [Hands over photographs.] This is a dead Israeli girl, one of five children from the same family, who was blown up by a suicide bomber. And this is a soon-to-be-dead Israeli boy who was blown up by a suicide bomber. Now obviously these pictures have impact. And my question to you is why, in all these paintings, don't we see maybe Sharon and Arafat eating babies?
Benson: Maybe Jews don't issue fatwas.
Himel [long, long pause, then quietly]: What do you mean by that?
Benson [amused sniff]: Well, if you upset an Islamic or Muslim group, as you know, fatwas can be issued by ayatollahs and suchlike. And maybe it's at the back of each cartoonist's mind that they could be in trouble if they do so.
Himel [even quieter]: If they do what?
Benson: If they depict, ah, say ah ah an Arab leader, in the same manner.
Himel: Then they could suffer?
Benson: Nya [my rendering of a non-word], they could suffer death, couldn't they? Which is rather different.
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