In his Boston Globe column today, Jeff Jacoby compares the behavior of Muslims over the Great Cartoon Affair with the non-behavior of non-affronted Hindus vis-à-vis cows:
Hindus may consider it odious to use cows as food, but they do not resort to boycotts, threats, and violence when non-Hindus eat hamburger or steak. They do not demand that everyone abide by the strictures of Hinduism and avoid words and deeds that Hindus might find upsetting. The same is true of Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Mormons: They don’t lash out in violence when their religious sensibilities are offended. They certainly don’t expect their beliefs to be immune from criticism, mockery, or dissent.
But radical Muslims do.
I hate to say it, but he’s a little late on the bandwagon. Regular Gates of Vienna readers will remember that I launched this particular wagon back in December, in a post called “Sacred Animal Farm”. In it I mentioned the Mohammed Cartoons (referencing the The Brussels Journal) long before they were even fashionable. I said:
For a counterpoint to all this, look at Christianity. Forget inadvertent offense: the examples of deliberate, calculated, and extreme attempts to offend Christians are legion within the popular culture. Even so, no Baptists are strapping on bomb belts and blowing themselves up in the Museum of Modern Art.
Not long ago, on my way towards the meat counter in a grocery store I passed a Hindu couple pushing their shopping cart up along the aisle. When I got to the beef section I noticed a little display sign showing a smiling cartoon cow holding up a steak on a platter and licking her chops in autophagous anticipation.
Surely, I thought, the Hindu couple must have found this display repugnant. The rows of raw red beef in packages might well have deeply disturbed their religious sensibilities. Yet there they were, calmly shopping!
No one was picketing the store. I didn’t have to pass through a metal detector to get in. Nobody firebombed the place the next day. No Hindu suicide bomber blew up the regional Food Lion headquarters.
So you heard it here first! But who gets the lead on Memeorandum? And just because he’s a big-shot MSM columnist! Rant! Rave! Seethe…
That crackling sound you hear is the slowly cooling embers of the late Baron Bodissey, recently consumed by envy.
Hmmm…
I think the more militant strains of Hinduism could become *quite* violent.
Chuck is quite right, jump over to my blog Fundamentally Right and read “Stoned in India”.
Those pesky Hindus are indeed violent,
if you’re a Christian.
http://fundamentallyright.blogspot.com/2006/02/stoned-in-india.html
Gates of Vienna, I’m not sure how
this website works but on your Jan.
18th blog you wrote of a criminal
suspect in Virginia named Sewraz.
Sewraz has now been charged with
the manufacture of ricin!
Your instincts appear to have been
correct and wanted to bring this
to your attention. Great catch!
Brad & Chuck — I’ll concede that Hindus are sometimes violent with Christians. But that’s in India, not Denmark or Holland. Or NYC.
A fundamental difference.
Scott — Thanks, yes, I saw your other comment. Also, a reader had tipped me to the RT-D story, and I’ve just posted on it.
I’m going to see if I can find out more through other channels…
Brad – The problem is not with Christians or Christianity – the problem is with _Christian Missionaries_
Christians from syria came to India 1300 or 1700 years ago (depending on which version of history you believe) – when the Romans were throwing them to the lions – and for over 1000-1400 years there was never any problem to either side.
The problem is with Christians who open orphanages/schools/hospitals and prey on people in need and force them to convert. (90% of the orphanages by westerners are run by pedophiles hiding from the law in the west – every few months there is a story of a mob attacking an orphanage with no background info given by the media-the pedophiles claim it is persecution of Christians – Talk to any Indian in India about an orphanage run by a white westerner and observe the reaction on the persons face and read the thoughts – people might be too polite to tell you on your face.)
In case you have noticed “Democracy” is a numbers game. We are facing a huge Muslim population explosion and face the danger of eventually becoming a minority living under Shariah law. Under those circumstances we cannot afford to lose people to any other religion – whether anyone likes it or not.
Here is a Western White Christians perspective on Christian Conversion activities in India
Here is an article written by an Indian Christian about Christian Missionaries in India
Proselytization In India: An Indian Christian’s Perspective
Here is the Hindu point of view on Christian missionary activity in India
The Conversion War and Religious Freedom
Why is it that Christian Missionaries in India NEVER NEVER enter Muslim neighborhoods? Why should they only fish among Hindus?
This phenomenon is also replicated globally – Christian Missionaries have NEVER succeded in ANY Muslim country – but they go around hassling non Muslim countries
One of the standard arguments given is that India is poort because it is Hindu and it will become prosperous after it becomes Christian
Here is a ranking of countries by GDP for the past 2000 years
By the way could you explain why the Christian leadership/churches in India openly support the Jihadi Muslims and Communist terrorists?(yes even after 9/11)
Please note carefully – we have absolutely nothing against “Christianity” or against “Christian people” – this is not just a taqiyah statement – there is a 1300 year record of no persecution or hurt against christians.
“Why is it that Christian Missionaries in India NEVER NEVER enter Muslim neighborhoods?” The widely held opinion among Muslims being that apostasy is punishable by death, no doubt Christian zeal is tempered by prudence.
“Talk to any Indian in India about an orphanage run by a white westerner and observe the reaction on the persons face and read the thoughts – people might be too polite to tell you on your face.” Many Indians in America (having no connection to India other than C. Columbus’s mistake) will probably have similar reactions to a similar question, they will most likely tell you right then and there. I think there should be a corollary of Godwin’s Law written up with respect to child-care.
My mother was a native American who spent some time in a orphanage, where she was fed and cared for during a time when no one else could or would. Many times in later years we visited the old institution, and I could read the reaction on her face, one of gratitude. For a contrary position on the same institution, see this.