Peter March, a Canadian university professor is a hero of the counter-Jihad:
HALIFAX—A peaceful protest turned tense yesterday when some Muslim students confronted a Halifax professor who drew criticism for posting contentious cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad on his office door.
Peter March, a philosophy professor at Saint Mary's University, said he was merely trying to promote a reasoned debate when he suddenly showed up in the midst of 100 protestors.
"You can't do philosophy directly and honestly without causing inflammation," he said as the protest march was getting started. "It's one of the side effects, rather like surgery."
When students realized who he was, a group of angry youths started shouting, "Go away!" and "You don't belong here!"
But March stood his ground, attempting to debate some of them before organizers urged the students to ignore him and move on.
The shouting matches, all captured by TV cameras, are precisely what some Canadian Muslim leaders fear contribute to negative stereotypes of their religion. Passions flared again on the university campus when March engaged in several discussions that soon turned to heated arguments.
He was helped into a campus building by police who barred the doors to a group of angry students.
This guy is trying to offend Muslims because he hates religion. Posting the cartoons on his office door is just pathetic baiting. He is not trying to vindicate freedom as most of us are. He is trying to exploit and attack religion. He is not to be admired, imo.
ReplyDeletehttp://pantrydawg.blogspot.com/2006/02/putting-brakes-on-cartoon-furor.html
I think we need to be careful about the alliances we make.
If I have a ham sandwich for lunch, am I doing it because I like ham sandwiches or because I'm trying to express my hatred of religion by offending Muslims?
ReplyDeleteI don't know how things are in Canada, but in this country, there's a constitutional right to be offensive. As long as it's legal to burn the American flag, I'd like to see everybody who can manage to do it go out to the steps of City Hall and burn a copy of the Koran or lynch their prophet what's his name in effigy. But that's just me.
This cartoon thing is way to dragged out.
ReplyDeleteDemo,
ReplyDeleteI read your post. I don't really understand. The guy is a philosophy professor. The job of a Philosophy Professor is to question ideas, to see if they are hollow, or if they have substance.
It is pretty natural that a Philosophy professor would hang the cartoons on his door.
And, what I really don't get is you objecting to the idea of him handing out his address, as if that's "baiting" Muslims. Baiting them to do what, kill him? Burn down his house?
I think this Philosophy Professor is telling us that he is not afraid, and that he will not be cowed. He is setting an example for Western Civilization.
Sorry, I don't understand your perspective.
That being said, I agree with both you and the Palestinian Princess, that this Cartoon Jihad is way played out.
I expect it to be off the news in a week.
We'll see.
IMO, anyone who can get these 'protesters' to show their bad side and promote the truth about their position at the same time is to be commended. We need all the help we can get here.
ReplyDeleteThe professor sound like at stand up guy to me. Definitely deserving of a citation! Maybe even the golden balls.
ReplyDeleteThe worst possible scenario I can imagine is a Orwellian world where everybody is too scared to offend anybody or worse - not even dare think differently.
pastorius and pim,
ReplyDeleteLet me first preface this by saying that he has the right to express himself as anyone else. I just questionwhether he himself is worth the blogspace. Maybe its more a feeling than hard evidence but having read a couple of articles about this guy, he seems to be someone who would defacate on a religious symbol and start yelling look what I did. there is no bravery in that. Just a hunch, I admit.
I think we do have to step back a second and remember that there are some people that were genuinely offended by these cartoons. They haven't thrown firebombs or called for Holocausts. We have to remember their rights. I know the whole issue has been inflated by Danish imams and other Islamist leaders. But I dont think that gives us the right to assume that every protester is out to destroy the west. Just my 2 cents
von--I already lived that scenario. It was my University and living in a college town for as long as I did. I miss much of it as well as my little alt/punk buddies, but losing them for coming out of the "political closet" and sticking by my principles is more important to me, I suppose.
ReplyDeleteBesides, I prefer the new friends I have to the ones we lost after 9/11 for our simple stance that "American foreign policy" was NOT the cause of the event! It is fun to have friends who think instead of recycling dead ideas, even if it did kill my music career.
Pim's ghost - I for one am delighted you did. You sure sound like a stand up gal to me.
ReplyDeleteThe stand often can be an uphill battle but better to live by convictions rather than to adjust to hypocritical political correctness.
Good people - even people not necessarily agreeing completely with you - will prefer and admire a friend like that.