Religious Policeman

Religious Policeman

One of my new favorite blogs is the Religious Policeman, a Saudi expatriot living in London who likes to pour satire thickly over the rulers and fanatics in his homeland. (Oops, they weren't supposed to realize that.) Here is a post listing and debunking a series of arguments used to justify the widespread rioting over the Jyllands-Posten cartoons. Snippet follows:

... Still puzzled? Time for just one more.

Muslims will never accept this kind of humiliation. The article insulted every Muslim in the world.

At last. Someone is being open! It's not about the Prophet (PBUH) at all. It's all about us. Me, me, me! We are insulted. Why? Because we choose to be, it's our right. The cartoonists are mocking the present-day distortions of true Islam by the bigots and zealots and terrorists, and the bigots and zealots and terrorists don't like it. And they are telling the rest of the 1.3 billion that they feel insulted as well, even if they don't.

So what do they want to happen? This is where the toys and rattles and dummies go flying.

We demand a formal apology, said Hlayhel....The Saudi government recalled its ambassador for consultations in light of the Danish government's lack of attention....Saudi Arabia's top cleric has called on Denmark to punish a newspaper that ran cartoons portraying Prophet Mohammad....The two publications should apologize to Muslims around the world....WAMY also sought an unconditional apology from the governments of Denmark and Norway .... and punish the culprits who deliberately provoke over one billion Muslims as part of their hostile propaganda against Islam.

Wow! You get the picture. We expect punishments and apologies, in whatever order. And we ourselves are great believers in apologies, of course. Look how we apologized for all our citizens who flew into the World Trade Centre. And the great expression of regret to the "so-called "Booze Bombers" for their false imprisonment, torture, and extracted "confessions". Not to mention the apologies to the families of fifteen Makkah schoolgirls, killed in a fire by the actions of the Muttawa. And soon there'll be an apology to the families killed in.....

Sorry. I forgot. We're not supposed to talk about the Makkah stampede.

See also his version of the Homeland Security Threat Level. He also has a copy of the "bomb-hat Mohammed". I actually love that cartoon. It has a pointed message, I know, but I really love it for its artistry. It is much better than all the others and even beautiful. I suppose it reflects the two faces of Islam that fascinate and repel Westerners.


2/13/2006 3:40 PM