[Note: The long hiatus in my writing has not resulted in me forgetting to write about
The main impetus for this blog post is to voice my opinion about the inappropriate response that the Muslim world has had to non-believers making caricatures of their Prophet Mohammed. While I fully understand the importance that newspapers show restraint and sensitivity in needlessly publishing provocative images, I completely reject any justification for the threats and violence that have resulted. No other group reacts like this when given such offense in newsprint. If that were the case, you'd see torched embassies throughout the world. The only instances in modern times that I am aware of where embassies have been ransacked by protesting mobs have been in Muslim countries. When did this become okay?
There is nothing in the concept of 'freedom of the press' that would give the respective governments of the countries where those papers were published any responsibility for the actions taken. Boycotts are a free form of expression, but BOYCOTT THE NEWSPAPER, not the country.
It's funny. I heard someone defending the Muslim reaction compare the cartoons of Mohammad to cartoons of Holocaust denial. I see many distinctions.
1) The Holocaust is not an article of faith, it is a historical event that took place in the lifetime of some people still alive with literally thousands of tons of evidence.
2) When Muslim papers publish such horrible stuff, no one, Jews or otherwise, burns flags, burns embassies, kidnaps people or threatens violence.
3) The publishing of lies about the Holocaust perpetuates misinformation, lies and anti-semitism. There is nothing in those cartoons that is likely to lead to idolatry-- which is supposedly the big concern.
I have never understood how people can act the way these protesters have acted can be justified by a supposedly peaceful religion. Suicide bombers either. (I know not all Muslims are like that.)
For the record, I don't understand fanatical Judaism either. Somehow though, the calmer elements of Judaism almost always take central stage while the calmer elements of Islam are conspicuously difficult to see and hear above the din of their violent co-religionists. You'd think that with hundreds of millions of muslims, the voice of reason would be louder.
On other matters:
At long last, my article was published. I finished over a year ago. It is nice to finally have my name in print.
I had a job interview that went well last week. It is difficult to get a law firm to interview by phone. I am very hopeful that I get to work for the firm because it is one I really want to work for.
In February, I will be going to my cousin's wedding in Florida. It sounds like it will be a swanky event. I hope that I look okay after my marathon of airplane connections to get there. During the trip I will fly into: Tel-Aviv, Tampa, Dallas, Newark, La Guadria, JFK and Zurich. Obviously, I won't be going to all those places in that order, but I have no idea how Dallas got onto the list. It's a thousand miles in the wrong direction.
Also, I have started writing a book. No one can tell when I will be done, but I have the first 1/5th of it written. I have a story mapped out and my wife likes it so far. I meant to be writing about 1,000 words a day. I sort of got sidetracked after the first 28,000 words. I will get back to it. My hope is to finish it this school year.
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