Olympic medallist Louis Smith banned for 'mocking Islam'

[WalrusGumboot]

m.bbc.co.uk/sport/gymnastics/37832754

I find this extremely worrying. I hope the ban is overturned. Freedom of speech should be defended and I think it's shameful that British Gymnastics are not being more supportive of Louis.

"And we also can't start having rules that say "You're allowed to mock institutions that are seen as privileged in some way, but you're not allowed to mock institutions associated with groups who are seen as being less privileged."

Absolutely right, MaryCanary. You've said it better than I did.

""And we also can't start having rules that say "You're allowed to mock institutions that are seen as privileged in some way, but you're not allowed to mock institutions associated with groups who are seen as being less privileged."

Well, actually, yes we can. We always have had that sort of rule.

That is being condescending to the less privileged group, Bertrand, and suggests they cannot take a joke. Very hoity-toity of you. Check out Joan Rivers - she hit every fucking group, and Jackie Mason too. ALL groups-faiths-institutions are mockable, but not the disabled.

Romantic Catholics have suffered all kinds of prejudice, poverty and abuse in various parts of the world including this one.

Yet catholicism is ripe for criticism and satire.

And Father Ted for one did a brilliant job, MorrisZap.

Why not the disabled, then? What's special about them?

How about a group of Oxford undergraduates filmed mocking chavs? Fine with that?

And there's a difference between comedians who mock all comers and a drunken lout taking the piss out of Asian people.

I believe that disability (either from birth or from accident) is a tragedy too far to be joked about. Mind you, Joan Rivers did her schtick about 9/11 when it was still too sensitive for some people. Most of the audience did laugh though, and she was sensitive enough to ask "Too soon?"

The drunken lout was not taking the piss out of Asian people. To do your prayers is not "Asian".

"To do your prayers is not "Asian"."

It is in the brains of ignorant oafs like them.

"Yep. I know. Rather my point.That's why this is racism. Presumably if they were mocking religion they would do it in their own language.........."

Eh? You do realise most Muslims are not Arabic speakers? It doesn't make sense to mock Islam by saying 'God is the greatest', because Muslims - even white, English ones, who only speak English and no other language - don't say 'God is the greatest', they say 'Allahu Akbar', even though they don't speak Arabic.

There are some core Arabic phrases, such as 'Allahu Akbar', ' la ilaha illa'llah', 'bismillāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm;, and others, which very clearly signal 'Islam', which their English translations simply do not.

Mocking Islam in English just doesn't work.

'God is the greatest' - whose God?
'There is no god but God' - ok
'In The name of God'

People wanting to mock Christianity would do so in whatever language they normally spoke, 'Our farter who fart in heaven' is comprehensible to an English speaker, but means nothing to an Indonesian Christian, but if you mock Islam using Arabic it's universal.

Even the Guardian realised this was ridiculous. Islam is a religion and, as such, entitled to no place in public life and no protection of any sort. It is a collection of ideas.

We might note that the inability to challenge authority is the main reason Islam has been so backward for so long, whereas in its early days it was not so damning of other ideas.more books are translated into Spanish in a single year than have been translated into Arabic in a thousand years, which says it all.

Fear of "islamophobia" is causing no end of blight in Britain.

Bit of a stretch to find this racist.
Not as much of a stretch as trying to make it comparable to mocking disability or social class, though.
I think it's somewhat racist to think that by making a joke relating to Islam he must be mocking people of a distinct ethnic background tbh. The assumption that Muslims= Asians is rather prejudiced.

Bertrand, Islam is not a race...

The racist bit is downright silly given Islam is not a race and many different races follow it. Rowan Atkinson made a career out of comedy vicars with posh accents, same should go to all religions, especially those which treat women as second class citizens (Bertrand R seems not bothered by that)

"I think it's somewhat racist to think that by making a joke relating to Islam he must be mocking people of a distinct ethnic background tbh. The assumption that Muslims= Asians is rather prejudiced."
Sorry- joke? I must have missed it-could somebody point me to the joke?

Because you dolt religion is an idea, race or disability is not. Have a look at what Islam says about women and apostates and then tell me that some private drunken larking about is what we should be concerned with.

I think there are massive problems with Islam. I would love more proper comedians to make jokes about it- Marcus Brigstock, for one, does a fantastic job.
The two ignorant oafs on the video were not mocking or satirising Islam- they were taking the piss out of people who talk funny. They probably didn't even know what language they were parroting. No purpose to it. No thoughtfulness. Just ignorance.

Marcus Brigstock, for one, does a fantastic job

Please link to an example of him doing so. I'd love to hear it. I associate him solely with current Bernard Manningesque Left Wing Unfunny Radio 4 where they replace 'mother in law' with 'Farage' or 'Trump' and the entire studio audience honk matcha latte out their sneery nostrils.

Marcus Brigstock wouldn't do an Islam gag if you paid him.

That was before Charlie Hebdo

what does not matter how religion is mocked either it can be or it's off limits and we lose our right to freedom of speech

But it's not a satirical piss take of Islam though, is it?

It's a sanitised predictable MOR 'swipe' at the Abrahamic religions equally.

It's not going to get anyone taking a second look at their beliefs or being forced into an uncomfortable moment where they need to hold their tongues and accept their beliefs are, to many, either abhorrent or irrelevant and be OK with that.

The most clamour that will raise is a slightly pursed lip and the click of a kettle going on and Radio 4 being turned off.

"But it's not a satirical piss take of Islam though, is it?"

And Louis and his tedious friend's drunken ignorance is?

You said "Marcus Brigstock wouldn't do an Islam gag if you paid him"

I showed you he had. Then it turns out it's the wrong sort of Islam gag.........

No one has said it is

It was two young men being foolish when they were drunk the problem is that they are mocking Islam

And that apparently isn't allowed had they put on Irish accents and mocked Catholicism this wouldn't even be news

Not an Islam gag, a generic cowardly 'go' at all religions. Doesn't count. Also, it wasn't really that amusing.

You've got your idea of funny, I've got mine.

In an ideal world, I'd hoot gormlessly at whatever I choose, you'd resist the urge to tell me what I could and couldn't laugh at nor would you prioritise swathes of independent adults for 'protection' from my laughter in case my chuckling at their beliefs was somehow offensive to you.

Laughing at what an adult chooses to believe is a million miles from bullying someone over their skin colour or sexual orientation.

In my world.

But every weekend stag and hen parties behave revoltingly without raising an eyebrow. Who cares? It was a private function anyway. You know fine well if they put on French accents or Italian, or mimicked the pope, no one would have cared