Roxanne Hall (London, UK), 6 March 2006

on Bomb in Turban, by Peter Philipp

Can the Muslims understand the strength of feeling on the opposing side?

If a Muslim person kills or threatens to kill a journalist or a writer or a politician, in the name of Islam or their idea of Islam, then this sends a message to all those who might like to express an opinion on Islam, to either not express one, at all or to be extremely careful of what one says.

Islamic people should come to grips with the fact that other people may see this as a form of censorship – and one under the threat of Islamic violence.

In Europe this kind of censorship had not been seen since the WWII. And these cartoon drawings were created specifically as a protest against the self-censorship, which many artists and writers and politicians were and are now having to impose on themselves as a precaution against, provoking some Islamic violence or outrage or whatever.

Anyone who is bold enough to get up and openly criticize an issue regarding Islam, almost without a doubt will soon need police protection.

As it is with the cartoonists – all who say that the western media should be 'responsible' with its freedom of speech – in other words – don't offend Islam PLEASE, say nothing at all, of the fatwas issued or paid death threats against these working men – the cartoonists.

Do they deserve to die over this?

If Islam is asking the western media to be more 'responsible'; then can we in turn ask that Islam be more responsible also and place more controls on the types of messages issued by the mosques?

By just, allowing these cartoonists – or men with jobs – to move about freely with their lives – would mean that they will be killed. And then Islam wonders why people think it is violent!

In a free society Islam practices violence to achieve its ends, to demonstrate its cause and to suppress details which it does not want others to know about itself [Salman Rushdie].

There is a punishment for speaking about the treatment of women in Islam, for speaking about the violence that is apparent everyday, in Islam, for challenging Islam's push for control of the many free countries, which it now inhabits.

In fact to say anything outside of the "Islam Means Peace" dictate and of course to willingly join the faith – is absolutely forbidden and anyone who tests these boundaries, could very well pay for it with their lives.

Today's Islamaphobia should be placed squarely in the hands of Islam itself. It is rather Islam that should be more 'responsible'.

Roxanne Hall
London UK