Thursday, April 22, 2010

He Who Shall Not Be Named (Quiet Terrorism)

So, the Comedy Central show "South Park," an animated show that mocks celebrities, religion, politics and pop culture, has been censored by the network after receiving death threats from an Islamic group.

The show's creators are no longer allowed to say "Muhammad" or to depict him in any form, including the simple insinuation that he might be in a disguise -- so they can't show a cardboard box if they say that he might be in the box.

So you know, one of the show's recurring characters is Jesus Christ; Saddam Hussein is Satan's gay lover; Barbra Streisand is a 200-foot-tall robotic Godzilla-like creature; and the school's black chef has a cookie recipe for "chocolate salty balls."

One of the main characters is constantly harangued for being Jewish, while the schoolteacher has a gay bondage-slave lover, fittingly named "Mr. Slave," who actually is a very nice guy.

Paris Hilton was featured in a "whore-off" contest, Sally Struthers is a Jabba the Hutt character who steals food from starving African children, one of which is named "Starvin' Marvin."

And yet the show, which not only aired an episode based entirely on how many times the characters could utter the word "shit" but also brought the insult "douche" into the mainstream, is not allowed to do anything that could offend fanatical, violent Islamic terrorists.

There are episodes mocking gingers, the mentally retarded, alcoholics and addicts, Scientologists, illegal aliens, gays, priests, cops ... but Muslims are now off-limits.

Why?

The answer is frighteningly simple: Because followers of the so-called "religion of peace" answer anything they dislike with the threat of violence and murder, and they have proven the threats credible, as in the case of Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered by Muslim extremists after depicting Muhammad.

Every freedom we enjoy in America, and in other countries, seems not to apply if Muslims say it does not. Parker and Stone have the freedom to say what they want on their show -- unless the Muslims object. Van Gogh was free to make any film he wanted, until the Muslims decided against that. Newspapers were free to print editorial cartoons about any topic they wished, until violent Muslims threatened editors with death.

We think of terrorism as an event -- a bombing or a 9/11-style suicide mission. But this Muslim censorship is the epitome of terrorism, when one lives in a state of fear, modifying freedoms so as to avoid becoming a target of the fanatics.

Our government is far too silent on the subject, out of fear as well. Presidents and politicians will warn of American extremists from the far left or far right, from anarchistic groups to supremacy groups, but they refuse to confront the extremists that actually act upon their threats.

The the war on terrorism is no longer in Afghanistan or Iraq or Israel, it is here on our soil. When free people lose freedoms because of the threat of violence from one group, we are no longer free; we are only as free as the radical Muslims allow us to be.

How long will it be before a non-Muslim country sees neighborhoods under Muslim control? When "free" citizens of an American or British city are given the choice to follow Muslim law or be killed, what will happen?

Muslims long ago declared jihad, holy war, against America and non-Muslims; unfortunately we seemingly refuse to believe them. Our greatest asset, our compassion and understanding for every type of human, may prove to be our biggest weakness.

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