More on the cartoons for those without broadband

[Blandmum]

Here is a question.

Muslims says that the prophet cannot be protrayed and that for anyone to do so is a basphamy. But how can you blaspheme something you don't belive in?

As I understand it orthodox Jews say that it is a blasphamy for someone to write out the word of god. They would write G*d. Does this mean that Jews have the right to demand that Muslims stop writing the word Allah (since Muslims worship the same god as Christians and Jews)

[compo]

No, because Jewish people don't call God Allah

[Blandmum]

But Allah is the name of the same god. And naming god is forbidden

[compo]

But they don't recognise Allah as the name of God so therefore wouldn't be offended by seeing it written down

[Blandmum]

For that matter I don't suppose the name of god in Hebrew is god IYSWIM, but I don't speak Hebrew

[Blandmum]

So would christians be able to call god, god and not g*d. Or is that a blasphamy?

[morningpaper]

YHWH (pronounced Yahweh) is the name forbidden to be pronouced by certain Jewish people (I believe).

[compo]

ah yes, MorningPaper is right - it's all coming back to me!!

[Blandmum]

mp, but they will also write g*d when typing in English (I have seen this on an orthodox website)

One assumes that they don't see it as a blasphamy if non jews do it, becauser you can't blasheme what you don;t hold to be true yourself.

If this is the case then how can a non Muslim blaspheme by drawing the prophet? Can you blasheme something you don't consider to be holy?

[Blandmum]

spelling and typing worse than ever! soz

[kittyfish]

But according to Islam there is no other faith, only a bunch of infidels. For a non-believer to protray the prophet is almost a double insult in that case. Ridiculous I know and can't believe people have died over a cartoon.

[morningpaper]

In Judaism, "there is no prohibition concerning writing the Name of God; what is prohibited is erasing or defacing the Name of God. However, many Jews avoid writing any Name of God casually because of the risk that the written Name might later be defaced, obliterated or destroyed accidentally or by someone not knowing better."

A slightly different issue is that YHWH is the most important 'name' for God in the Jewish tradition. It is often referred to as the the Unutterable Name. I believe that the pronounciation is not known - there are no vowels in Hewbrew. The pronunciation was passed on through the priestly line which eventually died out for now it's pronunciation is not known. If I recall correctly.

I think that Muslims believe that God has 99 names. 'Allah' is a probably an ancient arabic word meaning 'God' - it is also used by arabic-speaking Jews and Christians.

[kittyfish]

I thought God has 9, 999,999 and that if they are all named the world ends. Or did I read that in a novel...

[morningpaper]

Possibly.


Re the other thread and people claiming we are 'walking on eggshells with Muslims etc'

Do you think it would be ok to publish anti-semitic cartoons? Or are we walking on eggshells there?

Maybe we are just trying not to grossly offend people?

[edam]

Muslim newspapers frequently publish anti-semitic cartoons.

[morningpaper]

SOME Muslim newspapers HAVE done so.

MORE Christian newspapers have done so but we don't bang on about that.

I still think most people are thinking that this is some tiny minority religion we are talking about.

[morningpaper]

The question I put was, do you think it would be ok to publish anti-semitic cartoons?

[singednotburned]

No, I don't think it would be ok to publish antisemitic cartoons

[Blandmum]

You are quite right edam they do. But them seem to requite their oqn sensibilities to be taken into place

So what if I start my own religion? Welshism. Everyone must venrate the blessed sheep and sing on sundays. It must rain all the time. But the big one is the sheep. No pictures of sheep can ever be allowed, ever, ever, ever. By anyone.

Is that right? Because this is a religion I've just founded.

Or do I have the right to venerate the sheep and everyone else has the right to do what they want too?

Beacsue otherwise how do we have a plural society where the simple practice of an religion is blasphamy to others of a different religion.

To a Jew Christ is not the Messiah BLASPHAMY

To a muslim the denial of the Prohet by the Christian BLASPHAMY!

To the Hindhu, eating beef by the Muslim BLASHPHAMY

Where would it all end?

Or do we sanely say. We all mind our own buisness and try to be kind?

[morningpaper]

Bear in mind that there is about 1 Jew on the planet to every 100 Muslims, so an anti-Muslim cartoon is going to offend a great many more people. But we don't publish anti-semitic cartoons but we are happy to publish anti-Islamic ones. Why?

[singednotburned]

I haven't bought any muslim newspapers that publish antisemitic cartoons, if they do this is unislamic

[singednotburned]

Well Martianbishop, we shuoldn't insult anyone, why is there a need to insult anyone?
We can all live peacefully. We are all human

[Caligula]

No of course it wouldn't be OK to publish anti-semitic cartoons. But it wouldn't be reasonable to burn the newspaper office down in retaliation either.

[singednotburned]

LEven if there was only 1 jew lieft in the whole world, it would still be wrong to insult him.

[singednotburned]

please ignore my typos

[singednotburned]

Did someone burn down the newspaper office?