The Da Vinci Code

AbRah2006 wrote: The Western media that is  controlled by the Christians or Zionists has slandered the prophet Muhammad by drawing some cartoon pictures to degrade him. When the Muslims become angry, the Western people says it is ok to draw the cartoons to slander Muhammad in the name of media freedom and freedom of speech. And the non-Muslim media carry on offending the Muslims by publishing more cartoons to degrade Muhammad. It is an irony that when an educated European said that the Holocaust did not exist , he was charged in the court by the Zionists and Christians. So where are the so-called media freedom and freedom of speech? And now many Christians are angry because of  The Da Vinci Code and some of them spit on it etc! Christian leaders in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, India and South Korea have been aggressive and vocal in urging censorship, bans and boycotts. In the Philippines, where the majority of citizens are Roman Catholic, the Manila City Council banned The Da Vinci Code on Thursday. It threatened to issue fines or jail time to theatres caught screening it or those selling pirated versions for personal viewing.(Source: http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/05/18/da-vinci-ch ina.html ) So where are the so-called media freedom and freedom of speech? Am I wrong if I say that this is the hypocrisy of the West?

Agressive and vocal, not violent.

Yes you are wrong. No one in the West denies your right to protest the cartoons, the West encourages peaceful protest, boycott and non-violent demonstration. What the west objects to and what any civilized culture would object to are the riots and killing associated with the cartoons.

For example: the Author of the Di Vinci Code is not in hiding for fear of his life. The same cannot be said for Rushdie.

Tom Hanks and Ron Howard don't live in fear of being murdered in broad daylight dead like Van Goh.

I can offer you a few dozen other examples if you like but these should illustrate point nicely.

My response:

1) What is the meaning of hypocrisy?

Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to have morals or virtues that one does not truly possess or practice. The word derives from the late Latin hypocrisis and Greek hupokrisis both meaning play-acting or pretence. The word is arguably derived from hypo- meaning under, + krinein meaning to decide/to dispute. A classic example of a hypocritical act is to denounce another for carrying out some action while carrying out the same action oneself.

The term hypocrisy is also commonly used in a way which should be more specifically termed a double standard, bias, or inconsistency. An example would be when one honestly believes that one group of individuals should be held to a different set of morals than another group.

Hypocrisy also refers to the act of criticizing others for behavior which one engages in as well, or in other words, not practicing what you preach. Some people believe that most, if not all people are hypocrites since we constantly criticize what we deem to be bad behavior, even though most people do bad things at some point in their lives.

(2) The Western media and the Western people who are Christians claim that they believe in and practise the media freedom and freedom of speech so they think it is their rights to slander the prophet Muhammad by drawing cartoons and publish them all over the world to degrade the prophet Muhammad. When the Muslims protest or boycott the nations that slander the prophet Muhammad, the Western people claim that the Muslims do not respect the freedom of speech and the media freedom.

It is an irony that  the Christians who claim that they worship and revere the so-called media freedom and freedom of speech become angry and condemn The Da Vinci Code because they think that the movie has offended them so this is the hypocrisy of the West! Please refer to the meaning of hypocrisy above!

If you the Western people really believe in the media freedom and freedom of speech , why do you sue the media if you think that it has offended you? Why don't you keep your mouth shut to respect the media freedom?

I quote:  copy of the book The Da Vinci Code is displayed at the High Court in London, February 27, 2006. Christians may condemn 'The Da Vinci Code' as historical rubbish but for churches that starred in the film, it is the Holy Grail of Tourism. REUTERS/Toby Melville

I quote: 

I quote:NEW YORK (AFP) - Angry US Roman Catholics and conservative Christians declared "showtime" for nationwide protests against new religious blockbuster "The Da Vinci Code," which they say mocks their faith.

American critics, meanwhile, greeted opening night for director Ron Howard's 125-million-dollar movie by adding to the mountain of scorn which greeted its preview this week at the Cannes film festival.

"Never in the history of filmmaking has the memory of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the faith of all Christians been so explicitly targeted, insulted and mocked on such a worldwide scale," said Marc Balestrieri, president of De Fide, a non-profit religious group.

"All Christians are morally obligated to condemn and boycott this film and hold its makers accountable for the lies depicted as historical truth."

"The Da Vinci Code," starring Oscar winner Tom Hanks and French actress Audrey Tautou, was already on general release in Europe and Asia, sparking similar outrage among believers.

Protests were planned for early showings in New York and Los Angeles, and other events were timed to coincide with the movie's release across the country. (Source: Yahoo! Asia News )

AbRah2006 wrote: My response: 1) What is the meaning of hypocrisy? Hypocrisy is the act of pretending to have morals or virtues that one does not truly possess or practice. The word derives from the late Latin hypocrisis and Greek hupokrisis both meaning play-acting or pretence. The word is arguably derived from hypo- meaning under, + krinein meaning to decide/to dispute. A classic example of a hypocritical act is to denounce another for carrying out some action while carrying out the same action oneself. The term hypocrisy is also commonly used in a way which should be more specifically termed a double standard, bias, or inconsistency. An example would be when one honestly believes that one group of individuals should be held to a different set of morals than another group. Hypocrisy also refers to the act of criticizing others for behavior which one engages in as well, or in other words, not practicing what you preach. Some people believe that most, if not all people are hypocrites since we constantly criticize what we deem to be bad behavior, even though most people do bad things at some point in their lives. (2) The Western media and the Western people who are Christians claim that they believe in and practise the media freedom and freedom of speech so they think it is their rights to slander the prophet Muhammad by drawing cartoons and publish them all over the world to degrade the prophet Muhammad. When the Muslims protest or boycott the nations that slander the prophet Muhammad, the Western people claim that the Muslims do not respect the freedom of speech and the media freedom. It is an irony that  the Christians who claim that they worship and revere the so-called media freedom and freedom of speech become angry and condemn The Da Vinci Code because they think that the movie has offended them so this is the hypocrisy of the West! Please refer to the meaning of hypocrisy above! If you the Western people really believe in the media freedom and freedom of speech , why do you sue the media if you think that it has offended you? Why don't you keep your mouth shut to respect the media freedom? I quote:  copy of the book The Da Vinci Code is displayed at the High Court in London, February 27, 2006. Christians may condemn 'The Da Vinci Code' as historical rubbish but for churches that starred in the film, it is the Holy Grail of Tourism. REUTERS/Toby Melville I quote:  Christian leaders in countries such as Thailand, Singapore, India and South Korea have been aggressive and vocal in urging censorship, bans and boycotts. In the Philippines, where the majority of citizens are Roman Catholic, the Manila City Council banned The Da Vinci Code on Thursday. It threatened to issue fines or jail time to theatres caught screening it or those selling pirated versions for personal viewing.(Source: http://www.cbc.ca/story/arts/national/2006/05/18/da-vinci-ch ina.html ) Why must the Christians urge the censorship, bans and boycotts and take legal actions  against theatres caught screening the movie if the Christians claim that they believe in the freedom of speech and media freedom? I quote:NEW YORK (AFP) - Angry US Roman Catholics and conservative Christians declared "showtime" for nationwide protests against new religious blockbuster "The Da Vinci Code," which they say mocks their faith. American critics, meanwhile, greeted opening night for director Ron Howard's 125-million-dollar movie by adding to the mountain of scorn which greeted its preview this week at the Cannes film festival. "Never in the history of filmmaking has the memory of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the faith of all Christians been so explicitly targeted, insulted and mocked on such a worldwide scale," said Marc Balestrieri, president of De Fide, a non-profit religious group. "All Christians are morally obligated to condemn and boycott this film and hold its makers accountable for the lies depicted as historical truth." "The Da Vinci Code," starring Oscar winner Tom Hanks and French actress Audrey Tautou, was already on general release in Europe and Asia, sparking similar outrage among believers. Protests were planned for early showings in New York and Los Angeles, and other events were timed to coincide with the movie's release across the country. (Source: Yahoo! Asia News ) So where are the so-called media freedom and freedom of speech that are revered and worshipped by the Western people? If you the Western people really believe in the media freedom and freedom of speech , why do you sue or condemn the media if you think that it has offended you? Why don't you keep your mouth shut to respect the media freedom if you really believe in the media freedom and freedom of speech? Conclusion: The freedom of speech and media freedom are immoral when they are used to slander or degrade anybody!

AbRah2006,

That rationalzation is quite sophomoric.

Notice your own operative words here:

In the case of Di Vinci the protesters boycott, condemn, protest, sue.

In the case of the cartoons the remedy was threaten murder, destroy private property, publically call for the murder of those involved and precipitate the deaths of dozens by mob violence.

In the case of Van Goh the remedy was a public execution.

Lets take a look at your definition again.

The term hypocrisy is also commonly used in a way which should be more specifically termed a double standard, bias, or inconsistency. An example would be when one honestly believes that one group of individuals should be held to a different set of morals than another group.

So tell me how you rationalize the double standard you're applying? On the one hand you're perfectly happy with the persecution of Rushdie, murder of Van Goh, and deaths resulting from purile demonstrations. On the other hand you seem experience some angst over peaceful, non-violent and legal methods of protest.

By the way AbRah, what you are doing is called "projection"

from Webster online:

6 a : the act of perceiving a mental object as spatially and sensibly objective; also : something so perceived b : the attribution of one's own ideas, feelings, or attitudes to other people or to objects; especially : the externalization of blame, guilt, or responsibility as a defense against anxiety

My response to Abednego:

Why do the Christians protest and threaten to take actions against the Da Vinci Code? Why do you protest against the Da Vinci Code?So the Christians have rights to protest against it!

What about the Muslims? Do they have rights to protest against the cartoons and the media too? Have you ever thought why the Muslims protest against the media?

How do you feel if the media slander you worldwide?