What They Died For

I have included this picture in lieu of another. The one that should be here is not for a number of reasons, including that it is indeed offensive to many, many people. So too is the one I have chosen, but the primary difference is that this picture is (relatively) unlikely to cause my untimely death. Given the historical precedent of fatwas, firebombed embassies and authors in hiding, the other picture just might.

I understand that the original reasoning behind not depicting Muhammad was fairly reasonable. Preventing the worship of a human being is a worthy goal. However, as many people have pointed out, it has turned out that the ban has actually contributed to the deification of the Prophet.

As with many other religious edicts, this particular one has gone far beyond the original intent and has become a true assault on reason. The fact that drawing a cartoon can land you the death penalty in several countries is absolutely ridiculous.

To all those people who advocate self-censorship in the name of not causing a fuss, or who claim that pictures of the Prophet are not speech, consider the picture above. This picture is speech, it makes a clear statement about the sheer absurdity of a particular religious tradition (in this case young-earth creationism).

In precisely the same way, drawings of Muhammad (and the subsequent reactions) serve to make a statement about another, equally absurd religious tradition. This is speech just as much as my picture is.

This is not about Islam. This is also not about religion. I am just as opposed to laws prohibiting the burning of the American flag. We can't be hypocrites. That is speech as well.

These pictures also make a statement about freedom of religion. It is your right to believe whatever you want to believe, and as much as I will argue that belief should be based on the best available evidence, I will not ever question your right to believe something different. However, no one has a right to impose their beliefs on others, which is what is happening here.

These twin freedoms, speech and religion, form the basis of our society. If they are not worth defending, nothing is. Our forefathers understood this, and in 1939 they went to war to defend these freedoms. At terrible cost, they emerged victorious.

Now, it is our turn. As John McCrae said in his famous poem, "To you from failing hands we throw the torch. Be yours to hold it high."

As much as we would like not to carry this burden, there is no one else. The task falls to us. As much as we would like to avoid confrontation, there are places where we must take a stand. This is such a place.

Make a statement. Remind people what this is about. I would not be opposed to every magazine, newspaper and website in the free world plastering pictures of Muhammad and Jesus riding a dinosaur while burning an American flag across their front pages, under the headline, "What They Died For".