Bahrain’s parliament last night demanded an apology from Denmark over newspaper cartoons insulting Prophet Mohammed and Islam.
They also called for mass protests all over the country, after Friday prayers.
MPs broke off from holiday to meet in an emergency session, during which they also demanded action against Denmark by the Bahrain government, including possibly halting oil exports. They also passed a resolution urging Bahrain’s business community to boycott all products from Denmark and Norway, where a magazine re-published some of the cartoons earlier this month.
An apology from the Danish daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten, which published the 12 cartoons last September, was too little, too late, said MPs. They said the apology should come from head of state Queen Margrethe and from the Danish government.
Here are a few tricks that this impotent parliament is perfecting:
- Ask for an apology; however, when you get it, reject it saying that it’s not enough.
- Destroy businesses by “encouraging” businesses to do something that they themselves do not support, ie, boycotting, be that products or elections. What’s the difference? Ah, the difference my friends is that it’s not out of their own pockets now is it? Maybe they’ll stomp their feet and demand that their term be extended for another 2 years because they want to pad their nests a bit more, citing the need to keep a watchful eye on those sneaky Danes and their cheese products. All in the name of protecting us from ourselves and thinking for us because we are incapable of making our own decisions of course.
- Go out and protest, while they are legislating and have legislated against gatherings and public demonstrations.
Do you see any contradictions here?
What else did they do? They didn’t look at any possible knock on effects emanating from their stupid actions: by demanding that people and businesses boycott Danish products, traders are cashing in big time because they have increased competitive or replacement products’ prices!
So who suffers because of their actions? The poor! They have to dig deeper now to buy things like cheese and the like, and of course businesses who have been here for tens of years like the Danish Dairy and others.
All for what? A bunch of cartoons that cannot – under ANY circumstance – denigrate the great Prophet, peace be upon him. He is MUCH bigger than those cartoons and depictions and WE, Muslims, know that and nothing will change our image of the great man.
No, they’re just throwing a wobbly for the heck of it, or worse, because they want to prove to us that they are more Muslims than Islam itself. The stupid pricks.
Comments
A childish and ridiculous parliament
When was the last time anyone heard Parliament calling in for an emergency session? Is Bahrain at war? Did they discover a cure for AIDS? All this crap for a cartoon!?!
Since these cartoons were published about 4 months ago, why all the bru-haha right now ??? These dumbasses are demanding the Queen apologise for some other Dane’s actions . . . imagine if it was the other way around . . . our King having to apologize for another Bahraini’s actions. Its pure idiocy . . . now I see why these religious morons don’t believe in Evolution . . . the concept is too complex for their tiny little heads. Sure, its easier to accept that we were made from clay. Scientists and their ‘facts’ are blasphemes!
Nobody is thinking about the poor cows who have struggled, providing us nutritional Dairy products we consume joyfully. That’s it. I’ve had it. I’m boycotting religion until God decides to do something He should have done a long time ago, which is to rid us of all this idiocy and give people the brain power to vote someone who doesn’t quote Him all the time or call for boycotts because His prophet was made fun of.
Someone call me when all of this nonsense is over so that we can focus on real issues instead.
A childish and ridiculous parliament
Thing is, our ‘respectable’ and much ‘valued’ MPs could not wait for some external que to trigger their mindless cave-man brains to finally do what they do best of mashing and bashing with rage over anything that does not make Bahrainis’ day any better.
I’ve come across people demanding a better apology from a higher source (happens quite often in the UK government), but what I can’t possibly understand why MPs in Bahrain are getting into EVERY single thing that is not thier business or responsibility.
[i]*our lame-parliament (and most ministries) should be desperate for an organisational make-over*[/i]
HMD
[Modified by: HMD (HMD) on January 31, 2006 01:57 PM]
I call for boycotting the boycotters!
How is this for a novel concept:
Might as well… why waste all that boycotting momentum?
Re: I call for boycotting the boycotters!
How about boycotting these bozo’s in Parliament in 256 days at the polls and vote in a fresh crop who couldn’t be any worse???
A childish and ridiculous parliament
Here’s the latest news of the brouhaha in the Washington Post this morning, which I am surprised to find is expanding and cascading. A Danish company, Arla Foods, reports that two of its employees in Saudi Arabia have been beaten by Saudi savages. This event shows Islam at its most despicable, a religion which freely abuses everyone in the most vile terms and perpetrates violence on a world-wide scale to propagate itself, yet demands we respect it. Yet, on the contrary, such acts inspire our contempt.
This is part of a general assault on free speech by the radical Muslim barbarians which includes Khomeinis death fatwa against Salman Rushdie and proceeds through the ridiculous, such as the jihad declared against Burger King in Scotland because Muslims thought the lids of its ice cream cones were an insult to Islam, and CAIRs efforts to use Saudi money to sue anyone in America who reveals negative things about Islam. The fact is, radical Muslims will bully their way as far as the West will let them.
Thank goodness the Danes have not caved in to the Muslim threats. I myself intend to support their defense of free speech by buying a big tin of Royal Dansk butter cookies (which are delicious), some LEGO blocks for the kids, and some Mindstorm robotic kits, which are just the coolest thing going. You can show your support for free speech by buying Danish. You might even send the radicals a tin of butter cookies to make your point clear.
Steve
A childish and ridiculous parliament
These stupid international muslims calling for a boycott of Danish products need their heads checked. To condemn a whole nation of people over something as trivial as a cartoon in a newspaper, back in September mind you, is senseless. It is pure racism in its most vile form. It could be contrasted to me, being a westerner and condemning all arabs because there have been suicide bombers targeting the west. Hatred breeds violence. Please, never judge a nation because of an unpleasant experience. There is always the good, the bad, and the very, very ugly.
I forgot to mention I purchased some lovely Lurpak butter, Actimels and cheese spread today at Alosra supermarket. Suprisingly I had the power of freedom of choice within my very own grocery cart! Bon apetit!!
Re: A childish and ridiculous parliament
But the twits are out of Puk cheese. Damn. That’s a staple diet and governments should regard it, with bread, as a necessity and compensate its price. Immediately! 😉
A childish and ridiculous parliament
Please somebody do a prank on these idiotic MP’s.. like a pile of Danish butter boxes load of them right in front of their houses.. something safe I dont care.. tomorrow morning I will go to the Mintazah market in Riffa and tell them ‘I am looking for anything Danish.. I love those Danish goods.. got any!?’ or buy a whole LOAD of Danish goods and sell them for like 100 FIls with massive signs on the local streets for the hell of it.. or go see who’s increasing prices of every substitute to a Danish good (i.e. Butter) and emphasize every where from the papers to public demonstrations that companies right now are taking advantage (it would be nice to write a headline like ‘PRICES ARE SKY-ROCKETING AND DANISH GOODS ARE FALLING EVERYWHERE)!! I cant believe people like us opposing this crap is doing NOTHING about this… other than writing this stuff online.. ANYONE GO DO SOMETHING!!!
Anyway….. the point of the matter is this is ALL useless crap and it probably has already cost us a lot of dignity being lost (Yet again) to people like thse MP’s who are unbelievebly DUMB..
I Just CANT WAIT for the next parlimentary elections.. CROSS OUT ANY ONE who mentions an INCH to do with RELIGION .. better yet tell them DONT EVEN BOTHER running
A childish and ridiculous parliament
3del klamek, can’t agree with u more, isn’t it only 39 days or less and we say bye to some of the imbiciles in the parliament? I don’t want to be misunderstood what the newspaper did was shameful and its their problem not the government or the citizens or Denmark, and this issue should be solved through diplomacy not through demonstrations and boycotting the Danish products. As if our MP’s had forgot all the problems from unemployment housing , and educational problems, and we are left to deal with a stupid newspaper ignorance. Please some MP’s try to be realistic oo la ta7’ethkom il7ameya oo tg3doon tg6oon ay kalam just for the sake of it 🙂
A childish and ridiculous parliament
Wonder what they would make of this song. [url]http://mypetjawa.mu.nu/archives/154318.php[/url]
billT
A childish and ridiculous parliament
How do you say “lets jump on a bandwagon” in Arabic? Because that’s what it looks like these guys have done. Another example of this kind of kneejerk reaction comes to mind, the waldrobe malfunction which happened to Janet Jackson as the superbowl last year (I think), a simple mistake which was blown out of proportion to make it seem like Janet Jackson was actually the devil, which she probably isn’t. I bet this poor misguided cartoonist it shitting himself right now, all over a simple misjudgement of content.
I suspect that the people with real power in Bahrain are smart enough not to let this get too out of hand.
A childish and ridiculous parliament
I am deeply offended by so many things. I am offended by being called an ‘infidel’ everyday. I am offended by being thought of as a barbarian by a culture with limited propensity for self-reflection. I am offended by having USA slavery thrown in my face when there was slavery in the Middle East too. I am offended by a Pakistani blogger that wrote that western women deserve to be raped. I am tired of being thought of as a coloniser by Muslums who don’t recognize their own colonizations.
There. I’ve said it. Off my chest.
This blog is a breath of fresh air…
thinker
A childish and ridiculous parliament
I’m Danish and a long time reader and admirer of your blog. I listened today to our Prime minister’s press conference. He said how sorry he is that people have felt hurt by these drawings. I’ve been hearing other ministers asking all Danes not to take any anger out on the local muslims- “continue bying their pizzas”is what one of them said(this might sound condescending, but the pizzerias in Denmark are mostly run by Turkish immigrants). The same was repeated by the PM this afternoon, saying how we should respect the hard working Muslim immigrants for the way they are contributing to the Danish society while doing their best to give their children a good education so that they will better their lives, and so on and so forth. Nor is there anything like a campaign against Islam as a religion in anything being said or done here.
The idea behind the cartoons, as far as I can see it, was rather pointing to the fact that terrorists and fanatics have appropriated the Prophet and that this has begun to create an atmosphere of self censorship in the Danish press, which is normally extremely outspoken on everything and totally outside of any control by the state. Much stronger satire is normally directed against our politicians by the newspaper satirists.
And the sad thing is that this whole thing has simply proven the cartoonists to be somewhat right, we shall be more afraid of saying what we want in Denmark now – being afraid of the reaction.
A childish and ridiculous parliament
I don’t agree with anyone here. The reaction against the cartoon were too much, what if you have heard about Hindu burning the holy Quran? or shaheed mosque? publish our holy prophet (PBUH) picture, pls check my web site
Sameer
http://www.1pakistan.blogspot.com
A childish and ridiculous parliament
God I’m sick of this. It is really getting me down. It actually makes me want to leave this region for good.
I know these rabble rousers do not represent educated Muslim reaction, which is far more peaceful, but it is really doing my head in to see all the supermarkets here kowtowing to them, and removing SWEDISH products. And to see innocent people losing their jobs.
Thank god for blogs like yours, Mahmood, to remind me that there are sane people here.
Re: A childish and ridiculous parliament
Damn. The above comment was by me. I’m so stressed out by all this I forgot to log in.
Re: A childish and ridiculous parliament
[quote]people with real power in Bahrain are smart enough [/quote]
Umm.. People with real power, and smart!! and in Bahrain!!
Umm.. don’t know about others, but I ain’t raising my hopes up for quite a selection 😛
[i]*through gritted teeth, head shaken, smile in irony and walk away*[/i]
HMD
A childish and ridiculous parliament
Is Bahrain going to apologize for letting some of their misguided lads run off to Afghanistan only to be picked up on the field of battle and later to be housed at GITMO? Come to think of it ALL ARAB and MUSLIM nations owe the rest of the world an APOPLOGY for the MAYHEM done in the name of your great religion for the past 20 or so years. An apology for knowingly allowing extremist to go unchecked while the ruling class played the fiddle. Crickets chirping anyone? What is the sound of one hand clapping? HMMM.. The waiting is the hardest part…
A childish and ridiculous parliament
Can’t agree more with you. The prophet peace be upon him is way above those silly cartoons, but to overdo it is another thing.
Again Mahmood, nothin new here, same ol same we expect from out great parliament. Why blame a whole nation when it’s the actions of a few selected people within it. Let them meet as much as they want and come up with silly rules, bla bla bla. At the end of the day, even as you said if they got their apology (which has already been made), they’ll overdo it and keep actin like the kids they are.
Khalid
A childish and ridiculous parliament
As a large part of the Danish economy revolves around exporting bacon, all these calls for boycotts by Muslim countries seem somewhat superfluous in any case …
A childish and ridiculous parliament
If the MP’s want to boycott Everything Danish,
Then they need to Immediately STOP construction
on the Bahrain World Trade Center.
The Danish engineers in Norwin and Rambøll Denmark are responsible for the highly specialized technical solutions for this project.
http://www.ramboll.com/eng/sites/news/newscontainer/spectacular+wind+turbine+project+in+bahrain.htm
They need to concentrate on the “Real” issues in this country.
Re: A childish and ridiculous parliament
As far as I can see it Sameer is Local authorities will deal with whatever idiot burning whatever he wants wherever he wants.. people do Stupid things and I DONT see why the WHOLE country has to pay for it (like the Danish or the Swedish). Just because one guy in country X destroys something sacred to someone else does NOT mean we go to WAR with the whole of them. Stop being too intangled and emotional and attacked by some act happening elsewhere and concentrate on your faith to God. Let God deal with this and NOT YOU.
Now I have to see STUPID demonstrations in my street, Stupid signs saying NO MORE DANISH GOODS when all I wanted was my favorite Danish Butter. My Freedoms in my own local market is being changed and that TICKS ME OFF. For what??!!?! for drawings!??!!? I can’t I just Can’t believe it.
A childish and ridiculous parliament
We seem to be on a fast track to nowhere…The dialogue in between east & west is being hobbled, if not crippled completely, by the humourless narrow minded ‘supposed religiosity’ of some, and by the fragile egos of others. To wit, all those heated exchanges (bordering on mudslinging) that you and I can read on ME blogs about this kerfuffle: a bloody stupid cartoon!!!
After all, is it not the purpose of blogs such as this, to promote dialogue and better understanding of each other? Get a grip I say, as I am getting fed up of Muslims over-sensitiveness and Western (oh! we are sooo superior)remonstrances over such insignificant issues! Yes it is very absurd that both KSA and Bahrain would go so far as a boycott over a silly drawing, but to get into arguments over the saintliness and respect due to either prophets of whatever religion, and the rights of this and that, goes way over the top. Why not agree that tastelesness exists everywhere and that overreacting to it is very baaad policy.
Yes Islam has to reassess itself in terms of its schizophrenic attitude towards modernity, human rights and how countries are governed in its realm. And westerners have also a long way to go in terms of greater respect for the values and lessons to be learned from Muslim societies, add some contrition for the ills perpetrated by our governments in our name (if only over the course of the 20th century), and the sheer arrogance of our beliefs.
Should everyone decide one fine day that since we all are born, live and die, are made with one head, 2 arms, and 2 legs etc… etc…, we are all brothers and sisters in the eye of the same God, no matter what name we give Him and whichever way we choose to worship Him, that will be the day peace will be achieved. I am not holding my breath.
Dear Mahmood,
Sorry for the rant, but my cup has runneth over! Forgive an impatient soul and thank you for your forbearance.
northern shewolf
P.S: How the garden coming along?
Re: A childish and ridiculous parliament
People should not be apologising for this. There is free speech in Denmark and free speech includes the right to satirize and to offend. If every time the “Offended Muslim Brigade” shouts its mouth off and issues death threats the response is apologetic, then it will go right on doing that and trying to impose its own values on other societies.
A childish and ridiculous parliament
A book has been published in India with a picture of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) and seal as “Seal of Mohammed (PBUH)
pls check my web site
Sameer
http://www.1pakistan.blogspot.com
A childish and ridiculous parliament
Now you understand why you cannot have full democracy with morons coming into power voted in by bigger morons.
You have a wise King. Ruling a country alone and shouldering this burden cannot be understood by those who are not in his shoes. It is easy to point finger, run around and terrorise people, call for boycots or make speeches and slogans, drive around with flags of hizbollah or picture of Komeini and his cronies but ruling a country and keeping your chair strong is no joke. You have to keep not only your people happy but your family happy and safe as well.
What would you do so easily with out chaos if you were in his shoes?
Re: A childish and ridiculous parliament
Thanks SD, I understand how frustrating it can get for both you and us locals!
But consider this: If every major paper in the world, or even one per country, republishes these cartoons, what would the response by these people? Would they go ahead and boycott all products in every country which had the temerity to republish? What would they do then? Depend on themselves and build a self-sufficient society?
Maybe a very long-term pipe-dream, but not very practical.
Why am I raising this? Because directly due to their “outrage” hundreds of sites carry these cartoons and I am sure a lot more papers will reprint them, maybe even just one if not all 12, pretty soon now.
I’m surprised that people didn’t make funky screen-savers out them already! 😉
A childish and ridiculous parliament
Just to be sure: What about [b]Carlsberg,[/b] , [b]Tuborg [/b](and varieties of Aquavit)? Are they on the boycott list?
A childish and ridiculous parliament
excuse my french , they cant go back nd erase the fact they made up the cartoon .
so they did apologize , the MPs are free nd have nothing to do but make things worse , more like YES lets make up another useless Story cuz * Y A W N * we cant workout the Important stuff , we need a life , we prolly should hug a tree [not all of em though] ..!!!
i guess even if (they had the apology they want) {
{
make bush apologize [for what lol ]
}
else
make the world apologize [ like they care ], like i care !
else
you know what , lets find another useless subject danish aint fun no more ![PFFFFFT]
}
LMAO loops loops loops …
thats how thet r Programmed …
A childish and ridiculous parliament
يا بووجه مكوة… استؠعلى وجهك يا بووجه كأنه مكوة… هاهاهاها… والله إنك صØÂÂيؠما تدريوينالله ØÂÂاطك… إلØÂÂينيا السÙ?يه ما تدريإنهاذولا الناس يعادوننبيك؟؟؟ إلا ØÂÂشا ما تدريوينالله ØÂÂاطك يا الصخلة… يا العنز المنÙ?وخة… يا بووجه كأنه مكوة…
طبعاً أنا أتØÂÂداك إنك تنشر الكلام هذا وتخليه على طول بدونما تمسØÂÂÙ‡… إذا كنت تؤمنبØÂÂرية الرأي… هذا رأيÙ?يك يا الهطÙ? 🙂 وأنا ØÂÂرÙ? Ù?يرأيي… وبعدينخل الØÂÂضارة الغربية تنÙ?عك… صدقنيبيجياليوم إليتقول لنÙ?سك يا ليتنيما سويت كذا…
بدونتØÂÂية
A childish and ridiculous parliament
[arabic]كثر الله خيرك والله لا يزيد منآمثالك
وللعلم، الآخ المثقÙ? متصل من:[/arabic]
IP 86.60.31.173 – SAUDI ARABIA – AL FAISALIAH INTERNET SERVICES & TECHNOLOGY (AWALNET)
A childish and ridiculous parliament
ما قلت لك إنك ما تقدر على نشر الكلام (كاملاً) 🙂
إذا إنت زعلت على الكلام هذا الليإنت شخصياً ما قدرت على استØÂÂماله بشكل خلاك ترد على الكلام بطريقتك بالرغم بأنك إنسانمثل أيإنسانيصيب ويخطيء… Ù?كيÙ? بالله عليك موقÙ? خير البشر؟؟؟…
صدقنيأنا كنت ØÂÂاب أسويلك إمتØÂÂانأمام Ù†Ù?سك… وإنت أكثر واØÂÂد يعرÙ? النتيجة قد أيش!!!
طيب لوواØÂÂد يعزك ويغليك ويÙ?ديك بأهله وماله وروØÂÂÙ‡… قد أيش يتأثر بهذا الكلام؟؟
أتمنى تكونوصلت لك الرسالة… وأعتذر عنأسلوبيالسابق… لكنمنله ØÂÂيلة Ù?ليØÂÂتال :)… وأنا صدقنيما كنت أقصد إنيأتكلم عليك لشخصك ولكنالهدÙ? كانإيصال رسالة أخوية لك بشكل استÙ?زازي… أتمنى إنها ما ضلت طريقها…
وأنا منأهل الدمام عشانتعرÙ? منوينأنا بالضبط 🙂