Allahu Akbar! Terrorism Works! South Park Infidels stopped from mocking Muhammed.

Thank you, Islamist extremists, for demonstrating that freedom isn’t free.

If there’s one thing you can’t tolerate, it’s tolerance.

I don’t watch South Park. On rare occasion, while “channel surfing,” I’ve passed through it, stopping only briefly. What I’ve seen has never impressed me.

Sure, there are folks whom enjoy the program, but I’m not one, and I never have been.

Most recently however, it has come to the attention of the people of the United States of America – sometimes also known as “the Great Satan” by Islamist extremists – and throughout the world, that some Muslims will kill you… if they don’t like what you say.

What a shame. What a damn, crying shame.

Before I continue, let me say this: I’ve had Muslim friends. I’ve eaten with them, worked with them and – though I’m not Muslim – have attended Mosque with them during Ramadan, a holy season for Muslims worldwide – and later broke fast with them.

My faith – I’m a Catholic Christian – has been mocked, and will likely suffer mockery, until the end of time. So it will be with other religions, or even atheists. Like it or not, mockery is a fact of life. How we react to such ignobilities determines how much we adhere to our own faith’s precepts.

I am neither a Muslim scholar, nor have I read the Koran cover to cover. However, though I respect their decision to practice their religion and TOLERATE the same, I would not kill Muslims simply because a few of them may have chosen to mock what I believe. For example, who hasn’t heard a joke about Jehovah’s Witnesses? We don’t see them going out to kill others because of tasteless late-night teevee jokesters.

Regarding defending what I believe, I have and continue to enjoy the art and science of Christian apologetics, which is the logical defense of the faith. Defense, of course, means that an attack, or offense has been given – to which the apology is presented. The giving of a defense of the faith is done reasonably and rationally, and sometimes passionately. However, it is also done respectfully. One such example is found in the New Testament book of Acts, chapter 26 verse 28, in which the Apostle Paul had been taken to appear before King Agrippa (Agrippa II), earlier having been imprisoned by leaders of his own Jewish people for testifying about Jesus Christ’s resurrection. Paul, having been imprisoned for quite some time, appealed to Caesar, and found himself before King Agrippa, where he also testified of Christ, to which Agrippa said, “You almost persuade me to be a Christian.” (AKJV)

The element of respect is often lacking, not only in American politics (most often in the so-called “right wing,” sometimes also called “wing nut”), but in some religions as well – Christianity and Islam included.

What shall we say about the promulgation of faith?

Is it evil?

One hopes not.

Can it make us better?

Isn’t that the objective of all religions?

Concerning our government, ours is most definitely a “liberal” one comparatively speaking, to that of other nations’ governance, yet it is suitable for no other people, save those for whom freedom is paramount. Our nation’s founding document – the Declaration of Independence, which was signed July 4, 1776 – acknowledges that humanity’s freedoms are given to them by the Almighty. It says in part that, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.” Concerning governance, perhaps no greater words in the history of humanity have ever been penned.

Given our nation’s history, it is appropriate to understand that our freedoms – hard fought as they were in our nation’s history – will continue to be vigorously defended on this nation’s shore, and we will “take the fight to” other nations if their intent is to harm us. As the song says, “these colors don’t run.”

That is most definitely NOT “itching for a fight.” It is however, a strong understanding that when we see our people face imminent threats with death or destruction to them, their holdings and loved ones, we will intervene to save them.

Considering rationally and reasonably, why would anyone want to join a group of folks who want to go out and kill folks simply because they don’t like what they say or what they believe? The words “extremist,” and “extremism” do seem to be appropriate to describe those people.

Let the competition be in the halls of academia with ideas, and upon the battlefields of the heart and mind, rather than with bullets, bombs and loss of life.

Disgraceful as the show is however, they should not cower.

Stand up.

For further reading:

South Park Aired Episode Insulting The Prophet (Salaa Allahu ‘Alayhi Wa Salam)
Thursday, 15 April 2010 13:54 | Written by Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee
http://revolutionmuslim.com/index.php?view=article&catid=52:abu-talhah-al-amrikee&id=4384:south-park-to-air-episode-with-cartoon-of-the-prophet-muhammad-saaws&format=pdf

‘South Park’ Episode Altered After Muslim Group’s Warning
By Dave Itzkoff
Published: April 22, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/23/arts/television/23park.html?src=me

“South Park,” the Comedy Central series, is an animated show that tries its best to push buttons and the boundaries of free speech by mocking every high-profile target in sight, from Hollywood celebrities to religious figures. But its creators may have gotten more than they bargained for with two recent episodes that satirized the Prophet Muhammad — one that elicited an ominous message from an Islamic group based in New York, and one that was censored by the cable network that shows it.

“On April 14 Comedy Central broadcast the 200th episode of “South Park,” a cartoon that Trey Parker and Matt Stone have produced for that channel since 1997. In honor of the occasion, Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone populated the episode with nearly all the famous people their show has lampooned in its history, including celebrities like Tom Cruise and Barbra Streisand, as well as major religious figures, like Moses, Jesus and Buddha.

“Cognizant that Islam forbids the depiction of its holiest prophet, Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker showed their “South Park” characters agonizing over how to bring Muhammad to their fictional Colorado town. At first the character said to be Muhammad is confined to a U-Haul trailer, and is heard speaking but is not shown. Later in the episode the character is let out of the trailer, dressed in a bear costume.

“The next day the “South Park” episode was criticized by the group Revolution Muslim in a post at its Web site, revolutionmuslim.com. The post, written by a member named Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee, said the episode “outright insulted” the prophet, adding: “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid, and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”

“Mr. van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker and a critic of religions including Islam, was killed by an Islamic militant in Amsterdam in 2004 after he made a film that discussed the abuse of Muslim women in some Islamic societies.

“In a telephone interview on Wednesday, Younus Abdullah Muhammad, a member of Revolution Muslim, repeated the group’s assertion that the post was a prediction rather than a threat. He said the post on the group’s blog “was intended in a principle that’s deeply rooted in the Islamic religion, which is called commanding the good and forbidding the evil.” He tied the group’s complaints about “South Park” to larger frustrations about American support for Israel and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“Asked if the F.B.I. was investigating, Special Agent Richard Kolko, an F.B.I. spokesman in New York, said in a phone interview that the bureau did not “monitor people or groups, we investigate criminal activity.”

“Mr. Kolko said: “The F.B.I. will investigate threats that occur over the Internet to determine if there is a potential for the threat to be carried out. However, in most cases these are First Amendment issues, and the F.B.I. vigorously defends people’s First Amendment rights.”

“Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said the New York Police Department was “aware of the threat, and we’ve looked at it.”

“He added, “We don’t think that this threat, as is currently assessed, rises to a crime right now.”

“A law enforcement official, who requested anonymity because the investigation was continuing, said police investigators had met with people at Comedy Central and “made arrangements to address security concerns.”

“Comedy Central has previously given Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker a certain free rein with “South Park.” In a July 2001 episode, “Super Best Friends,” Muhammad was depicted alongside the founders of other religions, including Krishna and Lao Tzu.

“But in 2006, when “South Park” wanted to weigh in on a controversy that erupted after Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper, published cartoons satirizing Muhammad, it was not given the same latitude: a character said to be Muhammad was concealed behind a large black box labeled “CENSORED.” The measure was taken by the “South Park” producers partly at the insistence of Comedy Central, and partly as a commentary on the network’s policy of not allowing them to show the character, which the episode equated with giving in to the demands of extremists.

“In a new episode of “South Park” broadcast Wednesday on Comedy Central, Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone exercised a degree of self-censorship. In continuing the previous week’s story line about the Prophet Muhammad, that character was hidden underneath a “CENSORED” graphic, and an audio bleep was heard when his name was said.

“But in a message that appeared Thursday morning on SouthParkStudios.com, the Web site of Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker’s company, the studio said that Comedy Central had imposed further changes to the show.

““After we delivered the show, and prior to broadcast, Comedy Central placed numerous additional audio bleeps throughout the episode,” the message said. It added that the network was not allowing the episode to be streamed on the Web site, where “South Park” shows generally appear after they are broadcast on Comedy Central.

“A spokesman for Comedy Central confirmed on Thursday that the network had added more bleeps to the episode than were in the version delivered by South Park Studios, and that it was not permitting the episode to be shown on the studio’s Web site. Comedy Central did not broadcast a repeat of the new “South Park” episode at midnight as it usually does, and instead showed a previous episode from this season. The channel was scheduled to do the same Thursday night.

“Comedy Central declined to comment on the Revolution Muslim blog post or say if it was taking any precautions because of it.

“In a statement, Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone wrote: “In the 14 years we’ve been doing ‘South Park’ we have never done a show that we couldn’t stand behind. We delivered our version of the show to Comedy Central, and they made a determination to alter the episode.”

“The episode was to end with a speech “about intimidation and fear,” Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone wrote, adding, “It didn’t mention Muhammad at all but it got bleeped too.”

“They continued, “We’ll be back next week with a whole new show about something completely different, and we’ll see what happens to it.”

“Al Baker contributed reporting.”