Religidiots

The Mohammed caricature affair rolls on, with continued protests in Muslim countries and deaths in Pakistan.

Why are we even having this discussion in the civilised world? (and, yes, I am now prepared to say that many of these Muslim countries must be uncivilised). The idea that a picture should be censured, whether compulsarily or voluntarily, is utterly preposterous. We shouldn't be pandering to this in the slightest. I don't give a shit about people's deeply held religious beliefs, what we should be interested in here is what is right, not what a minority of people think is right. The simple fact is, the Muslims are wrong; as were Christians protesting about the Jerry Springer Opera, and Sikhs protesting about that Sikh play.

Check out this article in the Times from Matthew Parris, which says what I mean. To quote him:

Now it’s very easy to murmur “I am not a Muslim/Christian/Jew/Hindu” as though not being something was terribly inoffensive — a sin, at worst, of omission; a way of avoiding an argument — the suggestion, perhaps, that “your” religion may be “true for you” but, as for me, I’ll sit this one out. But let us not duck what that “I do not believe” really means. It means I do not believe that there is one God, Allah, or that Muhammad is His Prophet. It means I do not believe that Jesus is the way, the truth and the life, or that no man cometh to the Father except by Him. I do not believe that the Jews are God’s Chosen People, or subject to any duties different from the rest of us. It means I do not believe any living creature will be reincarnated in another life.

In my opinion these views are profoundly mistaken, and those who subscribe to them are under a serious misapprehension on a most important matter. Not only are their views not true for me: they are not true for them. They are not true for anyone. They are wrong.