Islam and the Offence Industry

We have in our society today entire groups of people who have decided that they exist to take offence at things. Not only that, but they think they have some inherent right never to be offended. They think they are meant to go through life never being offended, and if they are, they think someone is going to have to pay.

A culture of offence has sprung up in which all sorts of folks are hyper-sensitive to seemingly everything. One has to walk on egg shells for fear of offending anyone. A wrong word, a wrong turn of phrase, a wrong look, and all hell can break loose. This of course fully ties in with Political Correctness and our culture of complaint.

We think we are owed everything, and we think life is about a never-ending stream of rights (but no responsibilities). Thus we somehow think we have a fundamental right never to be offended. As far as I am aware, there is no charter or declaration spelling out such rights, but it has become a major growth industry in the West nonetheless.

Thus if you dare to speak up in favour of heterosexual marriage, for example, every activist group on the planet goes into a spin, begins to foam at the mouth, and screams about how much they have been offended. They think it should be against the law to be subject to anything which might offend them.

Of course the most glaring example of all this is radical Islam, and their never ending offence-taking. Any and every excuse will do to take offence, and they effectively have much of the West in a condition of dhimmitude, with leaders, the MSM, and our cultural elites all fearful of saying anything or doing anything which might offend the religion of peace.

And one can almost forgive such fear and cowardice: dare to say anything which even remotely might be seen as an insult or a slight of Islam, and airplanes start flying, bombs go off, and the rioting begins. Whether it is Danish cartoons, or supposed disrespect for the Koran, or any film which might be made critical of this faith, and the explosive repercussions instantly occur.

The latest round of riots are supposed to be about some film recently made about Islam. I have not seen the film, and I don’t really wish to focus on it here. Even if it was so horrific, the question is: so what? Every day of the week offensive, derogatory and insulting remarks and more are made about Christianity and Christians.

The last time I checked they did not respond with a quick batch of flying lessons, or the blowing up of innocent men, women and children in crowded public spaces. Nor were fatwas issued, or protests held with banners proudly displaying the words, “Behead all those who insult Jesus” or “Death to all those who dare mock Christianity”.

The radicals are in a perpetual state of taking offence, and no amount of grovelling, apologising or appeasement will change things. Indeed, a steady stream of apologies and kowtowing to the radicals simply ups the ante, and causes them to make even more of a stink, and expect even more dhimmi responses from the West.

Commentator Bruce Thornton has recently written about this very issue: “Einstein’s definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. By this standard, our foreign policy in the Middle East has been managed by crazy people since 1979. In fact, so consistent are the mistakes and delusions characterizing our responses to the jihadists that anything one can say has already been written.

“The riots and violence in Afghanistan over some accidentally burned Korans are following a script that by now is all too drearily familiar. As we have seen over the years with the riots over the Mohammed cartoons, Pope Benedict’s comments about violence in Islam, or false rumors of Korans flushed down toilets, violent Muslim overreactions to slights are immediately followed by anxious apologies from American leaders. Rather than defusing the anger, however, such groveling merely encourages more contempt and violence.

“I wrote that on FrontPage back in February, but change the first sentence and it applies perfectly to the murders of our ambassador and three other Americans in Libya and the continuing violent demonstrations against our embassies in Yemen and Egypt.”

He continues, “The futility of apology and the lack of reciprocity is as obvious today, when apologies have been followed by more violence, as it was in February: ‘Indeed, over the past few decades, no amount of apologies for alleged “insults” to Muslims has stopped Islamists from attacking us. Nor have the good deeds benefiting Muslims, from rescuing Bosnians from genocide to liberating Libyans from Gaddafi, stopped jihadists from wanting to kill Americans for an endless list of reasons. The past decades of such incidents have shown instead that apologies are useless, and merely confirm the impression among Muslims that we are spiritually inferior, and so endorse the perverse logic that accidentally burning a book is worse than murdering our soldiers and citizens. Why else would we publicly flagellate ourselves over such “insults” even as we say nothing about the Muslim murders of Christians in Egypt and Nigeria, or the Muslim laws prescribing capital punishment for converts to Christianity, or the Muslim vandalizing and destruction of 300 churches in Cyprus, or the Muslim slow-motion extermination of Christians in lands that worshipped Christ for 6 centuries before Islam even existed?’…

“This double standard today, as in previous such episodes, has the same source: a willful refusal to acknowledge the true nature of Islam: ‘What we refuse to accept is the intolerant chauvinism inherent in Islam, the belief that Muslims are the “best of nations” and destined to rule the world. Accepting the double standard merely confirms their superiority and our inferiority. After all, to let someone behave according to one set of principles or standards while demanding that you be subjected to others is to validate a claim of superiority that justifies the disproportionate and unjust behavior. It’s acting like a battered wife, who accepts a beat-down from her husband as justified punishment for burning his dinner. This double standard also reflects incoherent thinking, a failure to apply consistently a principle that presumably has universal validity. Hence we celebrate and practice “tolerance” at the same time we enable, ignore, excuse, and rationalize intolerance. In the West’s struggle with Islamic jihad, our doubts about the superiority of Western beliefs have coupled with this breakdown in ethical reasoning. The result is the appeasement of jihadist aggression and the confirmation of the jihadist estimation of the West’s weakness and corruption’.”

As Mark Steyn has said, “They can’t keep taking offense at everything”. But it seems that is just what they are seeking to do. The more they take offence, the more we apologise and grovel on our faces before the militants. And the more we do that, the more they take offence.

Well, here’s the scoop: I take offence at all these Muslims taking offence at everything. If they want to hate everything about the West while in their own homelands, I guess that is one thing. But when they hold up signs which read, “Behead all those who insult the prophet” – not in Tripoli or Cairo, but in Sydney – then it is time for the West to say, “enough is enough”. If you detest our values and our way of life, no one is forcing you to come here or stay here.

Indeed, I would have to concur with Pam Geller who said yesterday: “You cannot ask me to sacrifice my freedom so as not to offend savages.”

http://frontpagemag.com/2012/bruce-thornton/the-futility-of-apology/

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/police-use-pepper-spray-on-anti-islamic-film-protesters-in-sydney-at-the-us-consulate/story-e6freuy9-1226474744811

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33 Replies to “Islam and the Offence Industry”

  1. Someone on the news tonight suggested that we stop entry to religious zealots eg. muslims who stir hatred. I agree.

    Ilona Sturla

  2. “If you detest our values and our way of life, no one is forcing you to come here or stay here.” Bill, I FULLY concur!

    Steve Davis

  3. They’ve been holding up signs like that all over the West. It’s time to take a stand. They essentially need to grow up.
    Nicholas Blanchard

  4. Ilona
    “…we stop entry to religious zealots…”
    The government is to lift its quota of asylum seekers from 15,000 per year to 20,000 next year.
    No prizes for guessing from which countries they come?
    Dunstan Hartley

  5. Yesterday’s riot in Sydney shows a failure by the Islamic leadership to know who exactly was organising the protest and to seek to thwart troublemakers.
    Yes there are Islamic voices calling out “Shame” at what transpired, hopefully,these will prevail. I could see the NSW Police Commissioner seething at a press interview – I hope the squad he has created brings to justice all the troublemakers. As he said they act like extremist terrorists they will be treated as extremist criminals.

    Wayne Pelling

  6. I see the prospective dictator, Conroy, calling for the youtube video to be pulled. As Bolt points out, how about we just give up everything that could potentially offend Muslims and be a Dhimmi-state?

    http://www.theage.com.au/national/conroy-urges-youtube-to-pull-video-20120916-2606t.html#ixzz26cYzXcEY

    How moronic to blame the youtube video when these were organised, intelligence informed, attacks deliberately staged on 911. The video was just an excuse.

    When will Western leaders stop burying their heads in PC sand and get some guts?

    Damien Spillane

  7. Nothing angers the Muslims like a bad movie. I get angry too, but I never go to this length. They don’t protest about the killings of their fellow citizens in Syria and yet they riot over this.

    BTW, what happened in Libya is not related to the protests, since that was a planned terror attack, so that is a clear failure of the US government not protecting it’s citizens.

    Ian Nairn

  8. Well said Bill. The more the West appeases and apologizes, the more it is seen to be weak and confused.
    Peter Coventry

  9. What angers me is the palpable irony Australia seems completely ignorant of: we are sending our young men half way across the world to face death fighting terrorists (pc code for Muslim zealots), while at the same time we tolerate Muslim zealots on our very own streets!

    The inconsistency is deplorable. What did our troops die for if we allow Muslims to have their children display placards which call for the beheading of those opposing Islam?

    Nicholas Davies

  10. This is a tough one, since we live in a country where free speech is permitted.

    How to reconcile that with people groups who take offence with things like that?

    Scott McPhee

  11. Bill, a question for you and other readers. This article succinctly points out that apologising and appeasing doesn’t work. What approach(es) do we now take?

    I sense an undercurrent of western frustration and anger towards islamic radicalism bubbling up to the surface across the world while our leaders kowtow to this idiocy.

    Is there any way we can avoid a head-on clash or is war of some form inevitable?

    Peter Wall, NZ

  12. To Damien Spillane, I noticed that about Conroy as well, you really have to wonder what type of a person he really is!
    Steve Davis

  13. Just started reading Pam Gellers illuminating book, this is one brave lady.
    The rise of Islam and their recent dispersion into many nations, including ours has not been by chance. All a prelude to the revived Islamic Caliphate (the feet of mixed iron and clay of Daniel 2:41) as a dominating, terrifying and frightening beastly world power that crushes, breaks and smashes everything under it’s feet, and ends up producing the antichrist. Time to wise up, it was never historically or biblically a revived Roman empire, something most of the Jewish rabbi’s themselves have always known, identifying it as a Arabic middle Eastern power.The final beastly power is formed out of the descendants of Ismael, Essau- Edom reigniting the never resolved dispute that began in the tents of Abraham. Get ready, what happened in Sydney is just the beginning! and it will not go away until Jesus returns to deal with them.
    Rob Withall

  14. Allowing muslims to come into our countries is like inviting a Troyan Horse. When does the western world see this?
    I am reading Blindsided by Dr Michael Youssef which gives a very satisfying extensive explanation about the mentality of muslims and the origin and growth of the muslim brotherhood. When muslims allow and encourage children to go through minefields or use their young bodies to discharge electric fences, normal people know that that is demonic.
    Yes, it is time that governments ACT and protest stronger against all that destruction done worldwide on innocents, Christians and non-Christians alike.
    Thanks Bill. May the Lord bless your courage expressed on your website!
    One day all shall know that the Lord is God!! (not Allah)
    Evangeline Rykes.

  15. Isn’t this extraordinary?

    http://video.theaustralian.com.au/2279869359/Text-sparked-Sydney-protest#.UFaow6FT4RE.facebook

    What is the Holy Spirit saying? How do we interpret this? Did you see this violent footage recently in Sydney’s streets?

    While this is of concern. Let’s remember, Muslims are not the real enemy. Our greatest threat continues to be from those who espouse secular humanism. Remember it is the politically correct ones, who have given us these stories in the press in the first place. Let’s use this problem to our advantage in the principal campaign demanding political attention. Our real opponents would have us distracted by this. It is a decoy. It is not the main game. There is another battle which is urgent and most pressing. I don’t believe this is a false dilemma. Armies must chose to fight battles where the conflict is most strategic and pressing. Many battles, sadly have been lost, by armies who needlessly divided their forces.

    A question worthy of prayerful thought, I believe, is as follows: How do we use this issue to construct arguments, to target the PC ones, or to enlighten people who are currently listening to them?

    Christopher McNicol

  16. Thanks Christopher

    In my view radical Islam which seeks to take over the entire world is every bit as dangerous as secular humanism.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  17. Hello Bill,
    The Herald Sun ran a major spread today on the riots with a number of social commentators finally telling it as it is. Good on them for boldly speaking out. On the other hand, The Age predictably white washed it. No front page story on this but three small articles – 1. a piece on muslim women calling for peace. 2. an article reporting that the named organisers deny it was their group’s doing. 3. another pathetic apologist article by Waleed Ali who says it was muslims venting frustration at being silenced. So as usual, according to The Age it is someone elses fault for the muslims having to react this way. In fact, Waleed Ali went so far as to say it was a vent of frustration just like someone punching a wall in frustration (a go at Tony Abbott). So is Waleed Ali saying that a frustrated university student punching a wall is equivalent to someone rioting and calling for summary beheadings or is he saying that rioting and calling for summary beheadings is nothing more grave than a frustrated university student punching a wall?

    I cannot name a single islamic country in which non muslims are not persecuted or threatened in some way. Don’t believe the mantra, it is not a religion of peace. Plainly speaking, muslims simply cannot share this world with anyone else.

    For as long as they were running around slitting each others throats in their pitiful desert scorched countries, their behaviour was of little relevance to me. But when they come into my backyard and riot and think they can summarily behead people, then I will stand and fight.

    This is a wake up call folks, the threat is on your doorstep and real.

    Frank Norros

  18. Some good comments here, now if we could only get the rest of the country to wake up!

    Steve Davis

  19. I got real brave the other day.
    I was having a nice walk along a beach pathway and 4 muslim women were approaching.I said,You know, Jesus loves you. One woman smiled and 3 frowned.Interesting.
    Daniel Kempton

  20. Appeasement is certainly the mantra of the ABC. Since the riots, you can’t turn on the radio without hearing some explanation or other as to why the poor muslims feel enraged to act this way. After all, they all very pious defending the honour of their prophet. In condemning the violence of the weekend, every politician has not failed to likewise condemn the video as well, as if both were worthy of the same degree of condemnation.

    However, understandable, and yet thoughtless angry reaction to this violence is going to play right into the muslim’s hands. What we need is a strategy given by God through prayer, executed in fearless loving determination. I don’t think that any of us could come up with the effective response needed in this situation. I don’t believe Joshua or any of the other Israelites could have had the idea of walking around Jericho the way they did. It was a strategy given by God and probably executed in bewilderment and incongruity and yet they obeyed and God gave the victory. He has not given me one of those, but I pray He will give it to a trusted shepherd whom Christians will listen to. Calm firmness should have been applied many years ago on a political level. I pray it is not too late for that yet. Part of the problem is that those who are currently in the political firing line do not have the courage and or knowledge these positions require in order to protect the people from intruding ideologies such as Islam.

    And by the way, I think Tas Walker hit the nail right on the head in his comment about the relation between secular humanism and Islam.

    Many blessings
    Ursula Bennett

  21. Muslim frustration with the West, especially the US, is put forward by some as an excuse for the riots and other extremists behaviour. I saw “Innocence of Muslims”, and yes, it is bad in script and acting, though attempting to highligh some incidents and actions of Mohammed that are generally taken as true. The producer of the film is widely condemned as an idiot and a bad person. May be he is, but has anybody given a thought as to why this man has produced this film and put his life on the line for it? He is alledgedly a Coptic Christian from Egypt. Could he have acted out of frustration with Muslim behaviour against Christians in Egypt in the burning of churches, killing of Christian worshippers and then the police arresting the victims? Isn’t that the message he sought to get across even if done badly?

    Joost Gemeren

  22. Bit of interesting hypocrocy for you all.

    Hillery clintoon defends the feelings of islamists, yet she is the same person who happily sat through a play insulting and defaming the Mormon faith not that long ago.

    seems like plays insulting the beliefs of a group are okydoky, movies, not so much.

    Neil Waldron.

  23. Appeasement, negotiation or any other form of engagement doesn’t work. What tool can you use to negotiate, bargain with or threaten with to a person who doesn’t value their own life and is prepared to die and take as many innocents with him/her? What can you offer them when their self-actualisation is through violent death? Violence is the only language Islamists understand.

    If anyone thinks you can reach a mutual and equal respect with Islamists you are wrong!!! No one of any other religion is safe in any county with a large muslim presence. Even in so called secular countries with a large muslim presence (such as Turkey and Nigeria) Christians are persecuted. If you want the facts check out http://www.aidtochurch.org This is a Catholic organisation that annually publishes a report by country on the persecution of Christians and documents events the media never publishes.

    Muslims in Australia make up about 1% of our population yet they feel emboldened enough to be violent against us. What do you think it would be like if they were 50% of the population? Wake up folks, we have been threatened in our streets with summary beheadings!

    Frank Norros

  24. Spot on Frank Norros, now if we could only get the rest of the church to see this!

    Steve Davis

  25. I believe we need to recognise that spiritual warfare is involved here, so there can be no solution that does not involve prayer, fasting and repentance.

    Anna Cook

  26. There is another interesting pattern emerging in the various incidents over the past few years where the islamists have taken ‘offence’ and rioted.

    Firstly, there is the primary incident or cause which, like the Danish cartoons, may have been around for a while without creating any problem.

    Secondly, there is the ‘stirring up of the offense’ by ‘one or two radicals’. In this regard, social media merely asists them (cf the Cronulla riots) to get the mob together quickly for maximum effect.

    Thirdly, there is the riot itself and all the damage that is associated with it both to people and property.

    Finally, there is the appeal by the ‘moderate’ Muslims not to blame them or even Islam in general or, heaven forbid, actually take action against them as they, too, are upset at what the radicals are doing and, after all, it’s only a tiny minority who cause the trouble.

    In the meantime, the jihad continues.

    When women use their children to carry signs encouragng the beheading of anyone who speaks against the prophet, the people of Australia should really sit up and take notice – and do something more than the pathetic dhimmi responses we tend to get!

    It’s also interesting to see how the Islamist’s cause is aided and abetted (as alluded to by Tas Walker above) by seeing how the ABC and the rest of the MSM do their head-count at differing events.

    At a gay mardi gras, the numbers are grossly inflated to make small numbers look big, whereas when the Muslims riot, the numbers are minimised. There certainly seemed to be more than a handful of people prepared to ‘have a go’ in the published pictures of the riots.

    Roger Birch

  27. I agree with what you have said, but when you say “if you don’t love our country as it is then leave” the problem is they want our country their way so they will stay and try to force their way on us.

    Jim Menteth

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