spoofing Islam

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The latest spotlight on violence in the Middle East focuses on the killing of the American ambassador to Libya and subsequent outbreaks of rage in Egypt and Yemen and Tunisia ... all of them fueled, if the news is to be believed, by an American-made (?) Youtube spoof of Islam.

News outlets and politicians have issued 'heart-felt' fulminations that decry the ambassador's death and advance the principle that you don't run around insulting someone else's religion. In the midst of this sandstorm of caring, the spoof itself (sorry, it has an ad) has gained a traction that it hardly deserves. Not only are the critics in full cry, but Google and Youtube are attempting to distance themselves from content that so many claim to find offensive. All of this elevates the spoof to a status and impact it does not deserve. In my eyes, it is both juvenile and poorly made... an over-dubbed and provocative send-up that barely gets off the ground.

I watched the spoof expecting something intelligent or at least slap-sticky ... something that held up for scrutiny aspects of Islam that might deserve a second look. Is there any religion anywhere that does not excite critics, some of whom make pretty good points? I seriously doubt it. But if you're gonna razz something or if you really want to provoke an argument, at least do a good job.

And how seriously can you take anyone's 'serious' commitment to a religion if they explode at every sidelong glance?

Inane heaped on inane.

The only thing that is not inane is the willingness to kill others so that you can rest in peace.

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