The video wasn’t acceptable, and neither was the reaction

andye says:

12:51pm | 16/09/12

One idiot extremist makes a stupid movie and a bunch of angry Muslim extremists rise up as if the west collectively said it. Now we are bound to have an outpouring of anger and distrust back at all Muslims. What is true amongst all this is that normal everyday voices on both sides are now silenced and we are letting the extremists guide the conversation.

Those guys flew those planes into those buildings to sow the seeds of worldwide jihad. That was the goal. They wanted to create distrust. to separate the dangerous enticing west and its lifestyle from the population. To drive wedges.

One finds it hard to conclude anything other than that the film-maker in question has goals closely aligned with that of Bin Laden. All seek to create conflict and sow distrust to further their own march to war.

Derek says:

01:14pm | 16/09/12

This whole trailer is a sham most likely put up by Muslim extremists to justify violence.  Everything anti Muslim is so obviously dubbed and totally fake.  How stupid some people are to fall for such an amateurish and obvious fake.  No wonder “good” Muslims are so frequently portrayed in a bad light by the extremists.  I though there was some intelligence in the Muslim community.

KimL says:

01:18pm | 16/09/12

I would never watch such a cheap and nasty film, I doubt most people with any sense would. But does not excuse the violent behavior by Muslims in Sydney yesterday. The reason Muslims are disliked is not race, many come from different countries, it is not the religion, we have many religions here, its the violence. We saw a 3 or 4 year old carrying a sign about beheading, that in itself was shocking. The police and ordinary Australian’s were put at risk because of this violent outburst. They need to be punished and punished hard to deter others from being so fool hardy and criminal. It is going to be hard to undo thousand of years of this kind of behavior and in the short term I doubt it can be done. I know it is not all Muslims but much damage has been done by this display

get real says:

02:05pm | 16/09/12

You can not talk to ignorant people, true Muslim and Christianity had violent histories but it seems a lot of Muslims want to use any thing as an excuse for violence. The scary thing about this is the Muslims in authority are condoning these actions by not saying anything. I have never heard a prominent Muslim get up and be honest about there religion regarding gays,Israel, womens rights etc,. All the reporters are to scared to ask the hard questions,  probably rightly so after the reactions they get.

Stan says:

02:11pm | 16/09/12

The one thing you can accurately see is that the Irish people don’t bring their SWEET FACE OF HATRED when they decide to leave their country legally.

Do you still think that the weapon of mass destruction is Saddam Hussein or ......

I’m wondering how many Oi Oi Oi are still relax and comfortable with these sort of people well protected under our fancy law????

Geronimo says:

02:26pm | 16/09/12

Fundamentalists are prone to making noises in the streets all over the world but its not the same kind of noise I’m hearing in the streets of Australia.

Luke says:

03:09pm | 16/09/12

I was shocked at the scenes on sydneys streets yesterday…it reminded of the nightly news reel from some middle eastern country where riots in the name of the prophet are common place…not in Australia. It really brought home the fact that we have let in hundreds, maybe thousands of muslim extremists who will stop at no length when it comes to their religion. A dark day indeed…the canary in the mine has just died australia, we have to be very careful…do we head down the path of europe or do we say a collective NO to muslim extremists. This whole episode confirms many peoples current objection to boat people who are mostly muslim. Why import more of them if yesterdays display is the thanks we get for our hospitality. Disgraceful!!!

Phil says:

03:33pm | 16/09/12

This should not be tolerate, those involved in the violence and those who organized the event should be charged and an example made of them.
It should then be made clear to all religions (including Islam) that this is not going to be accepted in Australia.

The longer we wait to make it clear to all who reside here what is and isnt acceptable the further boundaries will be pushed and the more people will think they are entitled to act in this way.

Of course the Australian Government wont act in such a way and we will become just like other countries, look at how PC the UK has to be with any mention of the M word or any immigrants.

Joe Blow says:

03:38pm | 16/09/12

Just gotta laugh at all the solemn rhetoric about how it was all supposed to be a peaceful protest ... really?  So the signs callling for people’s beheading were just a bit of peaceful hijinks?

After 9-11, haven’t we heard for years how the west shouldn’t simply lump all Muslims in together?  Yet these ‘peaceful beheaders’ are happy to wreak violence on the basis that a film by one person represents the views of America and the whole western world!

As my 16 year old daughter commented while watching footage of the protest:  “Wouldn’t it be good if no one had invented religion!”

Sandra says:

03:39pm | 16/09/12

Did we learn something about the ramifications of muticulturalism imposed by stealth and the Cronulla riot ?

Is Pauline Hanson the only racist in this country?

Who is going to tell me that Islam is a religion of peace and tranquility?

Who is going to tell me that Islam is a religion of harmony when the Shiite and the Sunny are blowing themselves up and why do we have to accept their prejutices ?

Why do they leave their own country and why do we have to accept more of them now?

Katt says:

03:39pm | 16/09/12

My very first reaction to this disgraceful violence was “Well now it’s been clearly stated what they think of us”.

Most Australians and people who’ve settled and made their lives and homes here from a wide range of different countries, cultures and religions have mainly shown tolerance and acceptance of each other.  People have made friends, intermarried and formed all sorts of different relationships. 

It is imperative for the future prosperity and harmony we’ve enjoyed that this is able to continue.  It is tragic that we now have such hatred in our midst where virtually none existed in the past at this level and volume.

Many in the Australian community have bent over backwards and made a great many concessions, often detrimental to our own culture, to welcome people coming from countries where Islam is practised, yet there seems to be very little in the way of attempts at integration, understanding of the host country’s culture or friendship.

Everybody needs to set aside ingrained suspicion and distrust if we are to step forward into a sensible future together.

P. Walker says:

04:12pm | 16/09/12

Kuranda Seyit from the Forum on Australia’s Islamic Relations said: “Personally, I don’t like to see it, it’s disturbing. We have seen similar images of children carrying guns in the Middle East and it sends a negative message about Islam.”

Sir, I applaud you and the followers of your brand of Islam. 

To organiser, Sam, we don’t need sick individuals like you defending Jesus Christ thank you.  We deal with those things without beheadings, stonings and the like.  We are civilized mate, not primitive stone aged people.

What does disturb me is that there appears to be a section of Islam where these so called refugees/immigrants are escaping people just like themselves.
Isn’t this what they were suppose to be escaping from; persecution of stonings, beheadings, etc?
The parents of that little boy need to be had up for child abuse.  These are the types of parents who gladly have their children groomed as suicide bombers in the Middle East.  More screwed up little puppies amongst us.
And Chris Bowen is quite happy to see the London extremist Taji Mustafa promoting the end of Western Civilisation stay in Australia with his visa?

L. says:

04:19pm | 16/09/12

“That’s why we understand Muslim outrage at a cheap film made by a person of questionable character and motives in another country”

No, “we” don’t. You might, however I and many others do not. Not now, not ever.

Saying that you ‘understand’ Muslim ‘outrage’ is to justify the response, despite what you say. How could you otherwise, they are justifiably ‘outraged’ after all (your words).

To anyone who is upset by this video… It’s a movie, nothing more, nothing less.

michael Burd says:

04:26pm | 16/09/12

There is hardly a Muslim, Arab or Palestinian Web site that doesn’t insult , vilify and incite hatred towards Jews and their religion either directly or using Israel as a charade .
Do we see Jews acting like barbarians rioting through Australian streets , no because they integrate into society and don’t bring the Middle East war to Australia..
No doubt we will hear the same tired old mantra from Muslim community leaders and their leftist apologists { Fairfax, ABC, SBS] that it is only a minority of bad apples. Just as it was only 20 Bad apples that attacked America and instigated 2 wars, a minority of bad apples that murdered Australians in Bali etc etc.. This so called minority sure create a lot of havoc here and around the world.

sir ronald bradnam says:

04:27pm | 16/09/12

The sooner the minority of people on this planet grow up and realise that their imaginary prophet friend Mohammad the sky fairy, is just as imaginary as the God sky fairy that christians worship and they have as much signifacance to our lives as Thor, Buddha, Tooth Fairy, then the better off we will be.
We then wouldnt have to put up with this dreadful behaviour from a bunch of idiots instigating violence and running around shouting my supernatural dictator is better than your supernatural dictator.
Gods weren’t real in the stone age and they aren’t real now.

Alfie says:

04:32pm | 16/09/12

So in order to be ‘tolerant’ and understanding, we have to agree that throwing rocks at women is fine??

Reggieman says:

04:39pm | 16/09/12

Umm, Islam is a religion, not a race. How can anyone criticising the religious riot yesterday be tagged a rascist?

Dave says:

05:17pm | 16/09/12

Hold on. Let me see if I can understand this.

It is perfectly acceptable to make fun of all those other religions, but making a movie about Islam is “not acceptable” because practitioners of that religion don’t tolerate it.

In fact, the article goes further:

“That’s why we understand Muslim outrage at a cheap film made by a person of questionable character and motives in another country.”

So not only was the movie unacceptable, but we understand the response.

This is a shameful disgrace of a story. It is nothing more than cultural relativism, and “we” are blamed for insulting them.

The people who found the movie so intolerable had a number of options available to them: put up with it, as most Christians do with the litany of abuse our religion faces daily; ignore the film and watch something else; make a movie in response, which challenges its assertions which were allegedly false; make a movie in response, mocking someone else.

Instead, fanatical savages responded with terrorism, torture and murder, and protests in cities around the world demanding beheadings. Some reports state that the US ambassador in Libya was raped before his murder took place, and his corpse was paraded around the streets.

In the face of such evil intolerance, how can we possibly justify denouncing some amateur film on the internet? How can we claim that Muslims don’t “accept” being mocked?

Can this all be put down to “Islamophobia” as so much is?

Mitch says:

05:19pm | 16/09/12

People get upset and carry on about stupid people holding offensive signs, who are upset and carrying on about stupid people showing offensive videos. This whole thing feels like a joke being played on the rest of us.

Tubesteak says:

05:39pm | 16/09/12

You forgot another three brilliant pieces of religious satire that is relevant here

1) Dogma - a brilliant movie satirising Catholicism. It did face some opposition from Catholics in the US but most people let it through.

2) Team America - satirises the entire stupidity of the war on terror and terrorists

3) South Park’s episode where Family Guy were going to show an image of Muhammed and everyone was trying to bury their heads in the sand so that they weren’t complicit in this.

Comedy gold all round.

Spikey says:

05:47pm | 16/09/12

So who gets to be the judge of what is humorous and what isn’t?  Who gets to decide what is “acceptable”?  Headlines like this one imply a moral equivalence to the film-maker and the people now acting unlawfully.  The film-maker may have been rude, offensive, juvenile, and ill-advised - but what he did was not illegal. 

Remember “Piss Christ” a few years back?  Some people regarded it as art.  I thought it was offensive, pathetic, unnecessary and deliberately provocative.  Would that one pass or fail the judgement of what is “acceptable”? 

This isn’t about the short video.  It’s about the irrational, violent and totally disproportionate response to it. 

By casting equal blame, as this headline does, you’re providing a slither of justification that should not exist.

SAm says:

05:59pm | 16/09/12

Im sorry, but HOW was the reaction acceptable? Youtube is full of rubbish but it doesnt make be go around calling for beheadings..
The video was junk. Who cares. Anyone that gets riled up like that shouldnt be in our country. Go Home

george says:

06:06pm | 16/09/12

*yawn*
Not this old chestnut. Year in year out it is always something similar.
The prophet Muhammad is depicted poorly and Islam is offended. A small smattering of Muslim leaders “condem” the perpetrators and label it as a “small and isolated group of radicals”. Everyone forgets and nothing is done.

Mikey says:

06:07pm | 16/09/12

I give it a month before we see another cronulla race riot in response.

Gratuitous Adviser says:

06:21pm | 16/09/12

Only the gullible and the Greens think that the video was anything more than a convenience (9/11 anniversary) for violent and in some cases deadly protest by some Muslims against the west and the culture of the west. 

What I despise is it was so easy to find a crowd, forgetting the laws and propriety of a civilised society, in Sydney and for them to revert to the behaviour and standards of the societies that they had left by their own choice and to our continuous detriment, it appears.

It is my opinion that we are in a race to the behavioural third world which may result in the happenings in the UK (and Europe generally) if our politicians continue with their platitudes, negligence and political correctness.  We are now in the terrible situation where you and I will be branded (by being called racists) if you stand different to what is politically correct.  Maybe that’s why our well paid pollies (3rd highest in the world now) will run a mile from this one leaving it to the underpaid Police to clear it up.

Am I so strange that I want an Australia where none (repeat none) of its citizen’s wants to kill me if I do not believe in their God or send a child with a placard to tell me so? 

By the by:  I do not believe in god, any god.  I think it’s stupid for an educated person to believe in a fantasy promoted so eloquently by NW Sydney pollies.

JTZ says:

06:45pm | 16/09/12

Wondering were the outrage was from this group when it was found a Christian Girl was falsey accused of blasphemy by a Islamic cleric. This girls life is still in danger and also the Christian community in Pakistan

Brian Taylor says:

07:14pm | 16/09/12

I watched the movie and for the life of me can’t see what the problem is.
it was a shit movie (many have been made) but it wasn’t worth one life let alone 4 or more.
the Muslim extremists used the movue as an excuse to have a go at anyone who is not a true believer end of story.
been done before will be done again no doubt.
Aust is asking for trouble inporting these type of people mark my words. down the track, it’ll only get worse.
there are good muslins and bad ones same as any other type of people, just have to weed the bad ones out and send them back home simple really

worriedbug says:

07:18pm | 16/09/12

TWO simple questions which should be answered by every religous leader in Australia, on camera:

i) Do you support the freedom of members of your religion to change to another religion, or to choose no religion
ii) Should women have the same value as men in property rights, marriage, inheritance, and courts

That will show who should be recognised as part of Australia, and who is a threat.  As it stands, no Islamic cleric can answer this line of questions with a YES; in fact they may be killed for saying so.

Forget all this rubbish about ‘small bands of extremists’.  If I see a fascist ideology, I don’t try to seperate the supporters into ‘mild Nazis’ and ‘extreme Nazis’.  I point out that the fundamental basis of the belief system is incompatible with a successful modern society.

I fear that the last twenty years have been like the 30’s in Europe - appeasement by those in power, as they failed to believe the worst in humans would be present.  Well, it’s here, and it is growing.  Wake up Australia - and by that I mean anyone, irrespective of where you came from, who values freedom.

Tad says:

07:25pm | 16/09/12

Our politicians want Islam in Australia, and we have to accept that not all of them (or any group) are 100% the same. We have some extremists and that minority will grow in numbers (not necessarily % of population) as the Muslim population grows.

Australia singed up to multiculturalism and now it has to accept the good and the bad. Welcome to the future. I will be expecting more of this is the coming decades.

Warren says:

07:54pm | 16/09/12

“Many Muslims do not accept their religion being mocked. That is fine too. “

No it’s not.

There’s a big difference between accepting that a religion can be mocked, and agreeing with that mocking.

The problem with much of Islam (and intolerant Christianity) is that it can’t accept that people can hold views, some of which may be offensive.

So many Islamists (and Christians and other theists) want to shut people up. They don’t want to ALLOW speech that THEY deem to be offensive.

That is unacceptable to a liberal democratic society.  We don’t base our laws on what is merely offensive.  Anyone can claim to be offended by pretty much anything, after all.

I’m offended by the intolerance of many religionists, and I’m offended by the kneejerk reactions by many politicians.  Doesn’t mean I have a right to shut those theists and politicians up.

We have a free, open society for the most part.  Most of those doing the complaining about this (silly) material do NOT live in free, open societies, or do NOT WANT free, open societies. They want control.