Kinda touchy subject...but I want to be serious about it.

So what I want talk about the 200th episode of south park and why comedy central edited the show without the approval of Matt Stone and Trey Parker.  Now somethings I'm going to say or show you may be offensive to some people or it may not be...some people not want to talk about this, but I'm up for a serious conversation.  I'm not trying to start anything, just have an adult conversation and see what others may think.
 
 Well as you may or may not know, comedy central had the nerve to edit the two south park episodes, because some muslim group in New York decided to post a threat on there forum.  This so called muslim group did not want the creators of the show to put a picture of the prophet Muhammed on there and felt that it was wrong.  Well I don't see anything wrong with this: 
 
 But for some reason they don't approve of this.  Now I'm not a judging person and I don't try to push my beliefs or "religions" on any one.  But I did come across an article that made me think. 
http://www.islam-watch.org/AyeshaAhmed/Pedophilia-Islam-Allah-allowed-Prophet-Muhammad-Practised.htm 
 
I don't know if there hatred for America is just that bad, they are willing to try and control what we say or what we do.  But they talk about our god and our beliefs, do we try and stop them from voicing there opinion?....Last time I checked, this was America and we could pretty much say damn near what we wanted to say.  Without some radical group getting in our face about it...or posting some cry baby threat, because they don't like what we have to say about them.   Boo hoo....suck it up and get over it!  I for one think we should speak out minds more often and not have to hide, when some whack job in a turbin decides to go all crazy over something that was meant to be a harmless joke.  I'm for free speech, I'm for apple pie, and I'm for doing what feels right.
 
P.S.  If your moderators or big boys decide to take this off the forums, cause you feel you don't want to stir up anything...I understand....but at least a few people got to hear my words and at least speak there own mind about the issue....if it does stay up in the forums, I hope to hear some intelligent insight on what you think about.

 
 
 

They don't have to depict the Prophet, but it doesn't stop others. Quite frankly it's censorship. People need to just get over religion.

Been discussed and look at my avatar - that is my personal protest.  I dare Islamic militant groups to bomb the Giantbomb.  I dare you.

" Been discussed and look at my avatar - that is my personal protest.  I dare Islamic militant groups to bomb the Giantbomb.  I dare you. "

It is kind of hard to be serious about it. It's a bunch of silliness. A silly show (which I love) making silly comments about people who are silly and take themselves to seriously and a network afraid of showing something they have already shown, and if that is not silly then I do not know what is. I downloaded the 200th episode over XBOX live on Monday. I checked today, the episode is no longer available, yet every other episode from the last 7 seasons are. I'm wondering if they'll even put episode 201 up for download Monday.

Muslims aren't the only "crybabies" as far as religious groups are concerned. Christians, Jews, hell even Buddhists. The list goes on and on. The only problem is that there ARE times where free speech needs to be restricted, especially when it promotes discrimination or violence against any visible group. In the case of this episode of South Park, I am sure that many Muslims felt they were being discriminated against.

" @oldschool: haha... then we'd invade Kotaku or Gamespot just for lulz. "

" @oldschool: haha... then we'd invade Kotaku or Gamespot just for lulz. "

   Boo hoo....suck it up and get over it!  I for one think we should speak out minds more often and not have to hide, when some whack job in a turbin decides to go all crazy over something that was meant to be a harmless joke.  I'm for free speech, I'm for apple pie, and I'm for doing what feels right.  

It is pretty stupid.Comedy and parodies should be left alone.It's to make you laugh,no one ever intended to stir controvesy.  
@Kyreo:  
Is that who I think it is in your avatar?

" @RichardLOlson said:

   Boo hoo....suck it up and get over it!  I for one think we should speak out minds more often and not have to hide, when some whack job in a turbin decides to go all crazy over something that was meant to be a harmless joke.  I'm for free speech, I'm for apple pie, and I'm for doing what feels right.  

  Oh i thought you were taking this subject seriously, my mistake. "

It sucks, but I think Comedy Central was worried about people that work with them. I also agree with Jon Stewart's take of the issue.
 
Where he had a Choir sing Go Fuck Yourself after showing some of the religious parody the Daily Show has done.  Which is very funny but not on a service where I can share the video so I'll share the link. 
 
 http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/thu-april-22-2010/south-park-death-threats

" @oldschool: Honestly, I can say if someone actually threatened to bomb the GB office, I would change my avatar. I believe in free speech and all, but I would probably cave just due to the fact that some people are willing to sacrifice their life for their religion, and I cannot say i'd be willing to sacrifice lives for free speech.   Sorry to bring the solemnity.   "

Disregard threats made by these groups if you want but history has shown that people of faith are not to be taken lightly.   I'm not a religious man by any means but I do understand the power these views/images have for those that believe.    Comedy Central is just covering there ass in the face of what most likely is bullshit but could be real.   That's the problem with threats made with religious undertones in them.  All it takes is that one crazy motherfucker who believes with all his heart that what that show is doing is wrong and that they are going to fix it in the name of whatever.   BOOM!!!!!   No more fucking Cartman.    Logic would dictate that religion and faith are just the creations of man to explain the unexplainable but it doesn't change the fact that those individuals who choose faith over logic can be the most unpredictable people on earth.    So say what you want and do what you want.   Just be prepared to answer to those that are willing to make you back it up.  

" @Lautaro said:

" @RichardLOlson said:

   Boo hoo....suck it up and get over it!  I for one think we should speak out minds more often and not have to hide, when some whack job in a turbin decides to go all crazy over something that was meant to be a harmless joke.  I'm for free speech, I'm for apple pie, and I'm for doing what feels right.  

  Oh i thought you were taking this subject seriously, my mistake. "

I think you are being harsh simply focusing on a single point.  Yes, they wear a turban (as do Sikhs) and it just becomes a focus point of reference.  It could have been a "whack job wearing a cross".  All you do by isolating that is divert the subject for no good reason, based on an assumption. "

But depicting their prophet serves no purpose aside from offending Muslims. It's not for any educational purpose- it's just crossing the line for no reason except for shock value.

Ok, getting one thing out the way here, i am in no way religious, i am an atheist. HOWEVER! i do still believe that people have every right to practice any religion that they choose. It is their choice. I have an issue with the whole South Park think for one reason, i think that the whole "joke" of showing him in a bear suit was done less for entertainment and more for controversy. In other words, they put it in less because it was funny and more because they knew the reaction that it would get.  
Also, because i have no doubt that this is turning into a discussion about Muslims and Islam in general id like to point out the idea that "Muslim extremists are to Islam what the KKK is to Christianity". (and if anyone was wondering, yeah, i stole that from the West Wing)    

Its easy enough to be brave behind a monitor from your house, because the fact is you yourself would never experience the repercussions of instigating a riot. It just feels a little superficial, for people who are clearly not in danger to act like speaking out is brave of them. Comedy Central, at the end of the day, did what they did to avoid litigation. Its called covering your ass. I don't expect network entities to be pioneers of free speech so Im not that outraged. I am of course bothered by the idea of enabling terrorists by abiding their demands. Im also bothered that they think, of all the things radical Muslims kill westerners over, this would somehow lead to the next 9-11. That;s just asinine, obviously the people sending threats on this are low down on the totem pole and probably couldn't even figure out the logistics of making an underwear bomb. But at the end of the day its CN's prerogative to do what they did.

" @oldschool: Honestly, I can say if someone actually threatened to bomb the GB office, I would change my avatar. I believe in free speech and all, but I would probably cave just due to the fact that some people are willing to sacrifice their life for their religion, and I cannot say i'd be willing to sacrifice lives for free speech.   Sorry to bring the solemnity.   "

" But depicting their prophet serves no purpose aside from offending Muslims. It's not for any educational purpose- it's just crossing the line for no reason except for shock value. "

It will always come down to how you interpret things. Every one is wrong and every one is right. It's always what's the widest accepted interpretation, there will always be fucked up things because of fucked up people. But it's always good when ideas gets criticized and viewed from a new perspective. And I think south park isn't the best one but they obviously gets people talking. But it will always comes down to the quote: "No man, no problem".

" @extremeradical said:

" But depicting their prophet serves no purpose aside from offending Muslims. It's not for any educational purpose- it's just crossing the line for no reason except for shock value. "

Yeah I'm with you on this. But then again I've never been the biggest proponent for South Park. "

" @Slax said:

" @extremeradical said:

" But depicting their prophet serves no purpose aside from offending Muslims. It's not for any educational purpose- it's just crossing the line for no reason except for shock value. "

Yeah I'm with you on this. But then again I've never been the biggest proponent for South Park. "

That just dodges the issue. That Muhamad gets a special exception. The context literally doesn't matter at all, even bringing it up is a red herring. "

I can understand why Muslims would get angry over this, it directly goes against one of the rules of their religion and I kind of respect someone who is that passionate about their beliefs. They are far more passionate about following their religion than most people are over free speech.
 
I do think Comedy Central made the problem worse by going over board on censorship, but perhaps some information came up that we are not privy to.

I specifically liked that they took some of the depictions of the other religious figures further to point how ridiculous it is that they can't even SHOW Muhammad. Specifically, they can show Bhudda doing lines of coke and Jesus as loving internet porn and taking his own name in vain ("Lets hope to Christ this works"), and that's fine and dandy (and indeed, I found it pretty damn funny). But then they can't even SHOW Muhammad. That's a seriously messed up double standard. South Park has a decent tradition of slagging organised religion as a whole, and that there's one group they can't really get at due to threats is idiotic. Comedy Central should sack up and show it. It should be more like the European/Scandanavian countries who showed the now infamous cartoon depiction in their newspapers. They had the right idea. 
 
The Daily Show video had a great point: Their guy said that yes, it would offend him to see a depiction of Muhammad, even as a cartoon, but what offends him more is someone from a faith he believes in threatening another person for doing it.

" @ryanwho said:

" @Slax said:

" @extremeradical said:

" But depicting their prophet serves no purpose aside from offending Muslims. It's not for any educational purpose- it's just crossing the line for no reason except for shock value. "

Yeah I'm with you on this. But then again I've never been the biggest proponent for South Park. "

That just dodges the issue. That Muhamad gets a special exception. The context literally doesn't matter at all, even bringing it up is a red herring. "

 Well then in an attempt to not dodge the issue, I think that Comedy Central has every right to censor the show they allow on air. It's their call, and I feel that whatever decision they make is well within their bounds. I don't think it impinges on freedom of speech in the slightest.  The South Park guys can go release it online or something un-censored if they feel like they were slighted. "

no comment... don't let my first name fool you, i despise my race and my religion for being so fucking closed minded and iffy, and i've isolated myself from them since i was 13, fucking pigs with an ancient mentality ... 
 
Still, no comment, cuz this is pointless. just another "touchy" subject thrown at us like you throw a bone at a pack of dogs and watch them fight over it. we're those dogs right now and we ALL know that debating or discussing this matter wont get us anywhere.  
It's just how life is built, theres always some 'controversial' shit that keeps us busy. if you guys were smart enough you wouldnt even discuss it cuz its pointless.

Don't talk about Muhammed, terrorists win. Simple as that. 
 
Terrorists never win. Your religion is retarded. Actually, all of them are, others just aren't blowing each other up or crying because some dude drew a cartoon of your non-existent and useless prophet. 
 o 
-|-    <- Muhammed. 
 /\

This is such bullshit, what strictly Muslim person watches South Park? It's a show known for being highly offensive and people easily offended are told to stay clear every god damn episode. It's this generation of Muslim people who think that nothing should interfere with their cult. Here's a clip from South Park a handful of years ago, that if it came out recently would easily be band by the Muslim people.  
  

For those who say that all religion is "retarded" and the general hostility towards those you've never met in person, this image is for you.

 

Wasn't the episode with Jesus jerking off/watching porn on the internet and Buddha doing a line of coke? Then they just show Muhammad in a bear suit? It's a dude in a bear suit. Thats it. The Christians and Buddhist got it worse on this episode while the Muslims got it pretty easy with their "prophet". I'm not a religious person at all, to me that is just an excuse to act crazy. This is still America with free speech so if you don't like what we do here then just get the fuck out. Yet, they still live in our country, eat our numerous culturally different restaurants(well, maybe) and these fuckers are still protected by the first amendment to give them the right to protest about this country. I'm pretty tolerant of people, but this shit is just getting too out of hand. Good Muslims better stand up and make their voice heard cause right now your religion is on the top of my shitlist... and I hate Catholicism... and I'm hispanic and was raised on that shit. 

honestly i think that everything was blown a bit out of proportion. i can understand that some people that practice certain religions might find some things that south park presents to be wrong but i think that its to be expected of the show. i mean i think most people know what the show is like and therefore if you dont like what they do or say then just dont watch the show. 

Alright just to clarify why the Muslims did not like the visual presentation of Muhammad. Muslims firmly believe that they worship Allah not Muhammad. They believe Muhammad should not have a visual image because it would misinterpret their religion as Muhammadism rather than Islam(They believe in God, not the Prophet. They have no picture of or portrait of Muhammad and do not wish to have him portrayed in a certain way whatsoever. 
 
Another note, to all the potentially ignorant atheists who say, "All God is false and pointless" please keep that opinion to yourself. You're only adding fuel to the argument.

a broad statemnt is made "whats the deal with muslims?" the real question is "whats the deal with crazy people?" there are people out there who would be just as crazy in the christian religion if some people, more than likely from another country, make fun of christianity in a way that relates to their culture. Theres crazy people all around the world, religion really isnt part of it, though I think it is really ridiculous but it proves matt stone and trey parkers point of how ridiculous people are about muhammud, but thing is crazy people and dumb people are always ridiculous about their religion

" But I did come across an article that made me think. 
http://www.islam-watch.org/AyeshaAhmed/Pedophilia-Islam-Allah-allowed-Prophet-Muhammad-Practised.htm      "

1. While im open to your input and disagreements, open to anything you say and will think about it from a neutral stand and if it makes sense i will agree with you, im sure you're unable to be neutral and that deep down inside you're not trying to understand or going to give the islamic defense front a chance, you're trying to SHOW that they're wrong and it's the only thing you believe in. I really wish it werent like that, and i hope im wrong, but from your tone in the original post i can absolutely see that you're not trying to see who's right, so much as PROVE that muslims are bad. 
2. The islamic/arab society and the christian/western society are very very different, with different roots and beliefs and habits and traditions and mentalities and life styles. so a total understanding or even a 50% understanding is out of question.

I find this youtube-user's take on the issue refreshing: 
  

Pretty much.  Your religious beliefs are yours, they belong to you.  If I want to draw a picture of, or make fun of, "Mohammed" then I will.  If I want to covet my neighbours wife, or eat meat on the third tuesday of the month or whatever the fuck, then I'll do that too.
 
I'll treat Islam with the same level of respect as any other religion - which is to say "barely tolerated".  I respect a person's right to hold whatever religious beliefs they like (though often not the beliefs themselves), right up to the point where they impact upon anybody that doesn't want them to.  And if those beliefs happen to contravene the law of the land then forget about it - the law should apply to everybody or nobody.

Kinda the same situation we in Denmark had a couple of years ago with the so-called Muhammed Drawings. We got threatened, boycotted, protested against and other manners like that. The Islamic culture wanted us to apologies, but we didn't, because we have Liberty of Speech, and we stand by it. If you start to act on these presumably empty threats, you show that you are weak and can be manipulated with.
 
@Linkyshinks: I found the episode really funny, also the drawings made here in Denmark. Their purpose is to entertain, and they succeeded in that, at least with one person. Jesus has been featured in many South Park episodes, but no protests or threats based of that.

what I want to know is what are Stone and Parker going to do about it?

"God is the immemorial refuge of the incompetent, the helpless, the miserable. They find not only sanctuary in His arms, but also a kind of superiority, soothing to their macerated egos: He will set them above their betters."
- H.L. Mencken
 
Muslims quite recently put forth another case for having Shia law in Sweden, and that only they would serve under it and thus go free from our normal laws. Do you guys think that perhaps when they're done blowing stuff up and smashing stuff to bits while demanding special privilieges, the rest of us can have our planet back?
 
I've always made a case of myself as falling under the Weak Atheism, but the more I see of muslims and their plain barbaric behaviour the more I start to lean towards Anti-Theism. I mean honestly, they're using our Free Speech to spread hate speech, death threats and can even stand around in the god damned streets while propagating how "Islam will rule the world!". Islam is not a peaceful, mind-thyself business like Buddhism for example, it is a disease that needs to be bloody stamped out.
 
What of the moderates, you ask? What of those that doesn't stand around, waving their machetes in the air?
 
I ask the same. WHERE ARE THEY? Usually when something shitty happens in any other religion there is someone, usually a moderate or someone of a different branch of that particular religion who stands up and condemn the other's despicable behaviour or whatever. Islam? Not a god damned word from the moderates. And as long as there are moderates, there will be a powerbase for the nutters.
 
Mankind has enough problems as it is without having to deal with a world-wide cult who are driven and motivated to follow the rules of some all-wise invisible sky-daddy and some illiterate child molester who openly states they want to rule the world. I've read the Qur'an and I really, really have to say: Do not bend to these fuckers. Give them a finger and they'll take your entire arm, and country. Just don't.

" I find this youtube-user's take on the issue refreshing: 
  

"

• Pythaghoras lived ~530 years BC, lived in Greek, not a muslim. 

•  Tycho Brahe lived from 1546 to 1601, he was a dane and not a muslim.    
   Quote about Tycho Brahe:  

Tycho is credited with the most accurate astronomical observations of his time, and the data was used by his assistant Kepler to derive the laws of planetary motion. No one before Tycho had attempted to make so many planetary observations.

• Galileo Galilei discored and defined the law of gravity, he lived in from 1564 to 1642 and was an italien, not a muslim.

• Egypt build the pyramids ~2000 BC, a lot knowledge about mathematics and science  very used to build those. They were not muslims.

" @Flaime said:

" Kinda the same situation we in Denmark had a couple of years ago with the so-called Muhammed Drawings. We got threatened, boycotted, protested against and other manners like that. The Islamic culture wanted us to apologies, but we didn't, because we have Liberty of Speech, and we stand by it. If you start to act on these presumably empty threats, you show that you are weak and can be manipulated with.
 
@Linkyshinks: I found the episode really funny, also the drawings made here in Denmark. Their purpose is to entertain, and they succeeded in that, at least with one person. Jesus has been featured in many South Park episodes, but no protests or threats based of that. "

 Christianity has no laws what so ever on the depiction of Jesus, Muslims do have laws on depicting their profit and other forms of god's creation, that's why they have no pictorial art, but instead have have high art on par with ours (discovered through rigorous mathematical endeavour*)  found within their architecture.  * Muslim cultures around the world are often depicted as being a backwards in the West, and this despite them making some of the biggest advances in mathematics, science and astronomy in our past. While they had street lighting, we had caves, but we never hear of this kind of thing today, one has to ask why.    Western scholars have filled the history books with bullshit.  "

Do you guys think that perhaps when they're done blowing stuff up and smashing stuff to bits while demanding special privilieges, the rest of us can have our planet back?

 I've read the Qur'an and I really, really have to say: Do not bend to these fuckers. Give them a finger and they'll take your entire arm, and country. Just don't.

" It's sad to see the kind of  lazy generalisations on a board like this which you'd usually find on other sites. There have been a few posts on this thread along the lines of "Muslims do this", "Muslims like to do that", "Muslims haven't done shit for me" that deeply disappoint me with the level of ignorance on display. 
 
Lumping everyone who belongs to a particular religion into one basket because of the mindless behaviour of a few idiot proponents is plain wrong, and you shouldn't need anyone to explain why. Someone brought up the KKK  as an example of how, by extension, you could use the actions of a small group of Christians to say that everyone who practises Christianity is a racist murderous fuckhead. Of course, we know that's not the case, but why should it apply to Islam? If Muslims really were the big bad enemy people like to make them out to be, wouldn't the 1.5 billion Muslims around the world have instigated a war on a scale far more serious than anything we've ever seen?
 
@Asrahn said:

Do you guys think that perhaps when they're done blowing stuff up and smashing stuff to bits while demanding special privilieges, the rest of us can have our planet back?

 I've read the Qur'an and I really, really have to say: Do not bend to these fuckers. Give them a finger and they'll take your entire arm, and country. Just don't.

This is exactly the kind of shit I'm talking about. Who the hell are you to talk on behalf of the whole of Islam - a religious group that you clearly have no respect for in the first place? Personally I don't subscribe to any religion - I'm all about science and nerdism - but I hate seeing this level of ignorance on display. Perhaps you should make the effort to actually talk to some Muslims and not just believe the scaremongering crap that Fox and the assorted right wing media show you?  Edit: Sorry about the bold type... can't seem to get rid of it "