as you know , there is an expanding row in the world due to the depiction of Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.

first and foremost, i want to debate it by people from all over the world but plz just debate not fight.

as for my opinion on this really contraversial subject, i think firstl these events are wanted to be inhalted by media and by people.

i believe we cannot defend the danish or european media by just claiming , this is the freedom of press and such things are normal in developed and secular , democratic countries. one can evade from the real facts that cause these reactions in the Muslim world. because the real matter is that what ll happen next if retaliations come after? hopefully i dont expect a retaliation by insulting or blaspheming to sacred,holy things of Christian countries or Christianity. afterwards , i was shocked when i watched the news and heard such comments, we are not Muslims and we dont believe Mohammed , so we have right to do these. and i thought can a Christian burnt the Holy Koran and say i am not believer of Koran and this is my right to do that?

and why i said this is wanted to be inhalted.because it seems hypocrisy what the newspapers have done so far. as you know the first caricatures published in newspapers months ago.(in october 2005). i heard that the danish newspaper apologized because of these caricatures.and the day after they had apologized they reprinted the caricatures again. so did the other european newspapers.actually first i had thought when the first caricatures were published in danish newspaper in october that, yes if you dont like what the newspaper had done by depicting Mohammed dont read or buy that newspaper. but now all the things in my mind have changed. because, while people and governments struggle to make and keep peace between several religions what did they do? just provocated the Muslim world by reprinting the same caricatures even in the same newspaper again and again.i dont think this is a freedom of press. this is just an instigation. we dont want to a clash between civilizations.we just want to a compromise between different people with different thoughts. and why people dont behave so? do they not want to permenant peace?

i ll be obliged if you share your opinions with me.but please just debate not fight.

lets share what we think.

JCfromChicago wrote:

Hitting closer to home, kurtlar vadisi irak(Valley of the Wolves Iraq) was just released in your country depicting American soldiers as vicious "savages" and Jewish doctors as greedy butchers. Would the Turkish government ban the film from theaters if the U.S. and Israel object? I'd think not. Love it or hate it, freedom of press/speech is a two way street. ... I do agree that the cartoons were ignorant and in bad taste, but I accede their right to publish it.

JC,
I don't quite agree with your above analogy. There is no common measure between a bad taste cartoon of prophet Muhammad and a full of hatred film depicting Americans as vicious savages.
It is a fundamental fact in islam that representation of the prophet as well as key figures of islam isn't encouraged or even permitted. This goes back to early times when people of the arabic peninsula used to worship various gods and idols. Those usually assumed the bodily form of little statues or pictures that people could pray to. Islam then brought a ban on such practices as going contrary to islam as well as other monotheisms. And because it had to set the example, it did not allow the picturing of islam's god and prophet as well.
It is therefore my deep feeling that not even a bad taste cartoon of Jesus presented to Christians could compare to how resentful is a silly cartoon of Muhammad to muslims.
And again, this is because not even a glorifying picture of Muhammad would be acceptable to muslims.
Those are the kind of things you need to bear in mind if you ever want to gain an understanding of why this whole cartoon thing has become an issue.
Waïti.

Anonymous wrote:

Janissary, I know depicting Allah, Mohammed or other Prophets is forbidden, for Muslims that is. I can't understand why rules you choose to live by and honor, should also be honored by non-muslims. Muslims can't drink alcohol or eat pork. Should the entire world live by those rules too? During the Ramadan, you can't eat between sunrise and sunset, should the entire world honor Ramadan? Should every able-bodied person in the world take up Hajj once in their life? And what about other religions? Can we eat cows or are Hindi's offended by that? I'm sure in those cases you would say that would be nonsense. To me, it's the same with depicting Mohammed or Allah: when you are a muslim, don't do it. I don't see why someone who isn't a muslim can't. You are right: whether the cartoons were bad taste or not (I think they were) doesn't make a difference in my view. And they certainly didn't convey how I see Islam or the muslim world. Some might, others don't and these certainly didn't. I've seen cartoons from the muslim world and in some cases I thought they were bad taste too, in other cases they made me smile, in other cases I thought, "Wow, is that the way they see ‘us’"?

although there is  no relevance what i said in my first post and what you have said so far, never the less i ll try to make myself  clear about these thoughts. i have never said non Muslims mustnt do what Muslims mustnt do but i think these are all you thoughts which had already been in your mind.because i just said there must be regards to others who have different opinions on the same topic.

Anonymous wrote:

To me, it's the same with depicting Mohammed or Allah: when you are a muslim, don't do it. I don't see why someone who isn't a muslim can't.

as you said of course people are not bound to thought that they dont believe but there must be regard.nevermind religions or prophets.just think you have just left a football match in which your team has won the game and you are returning to home by cheering and yelling. and you are disturbing the people who are not even aware of what are you yelling for.can you say if you dont want to be disturbed close your ears and not listen.

of course we are free and we should do not only what we are supposed to do but what we want to do.however this shouldnt be by disturbing or annoying others.

as for the pictures. i am so sorry especially about the first picture which is baout a boy carries a board.i am so sorry not beacuse of what would Muslims do according to that picture but because of the the fact stems from ignorance. this is mere ignorance what causes people to do such things believe me. and even i am suıre that the boy who carries the board dont even know one english word in it.it is too easy in undeveloped countries to make people such things. and even if my thought is not true there is a good Turkish proverb for it. " exceptions dont spoil the genarals". of course this not the general idea in Muslim countries.