Uh oh... will al religions now boycott France??

Finally it's been done. Something to put things in perspective - cartoons making fun of all religions (well a lot of 'em)...

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Police guard the French headquarters of Charlie Hebdo
Police were put on standby outside Charlie Hebdo headquarters
The copies of French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo were not in the rack as usual, but face down behind the counter.

The newsagent was aware the huge front-page portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad would cause offence to some.

He expected the paper to sell out quickly. Several people had been asking about Charlie Hebdo the day before.

A five-minute walk up the road in an area with a large French north African community, the newsagent said he had already sold two copies, even though it was not yet daylight.

Sure enough, across the country most of the run of 160,000 copies was snapped up by mid-morning. The magazine promised to print thousands more.

'Overly sensitive'

Charlie Hebdo combines anarchic comic-strip cartoons with serious comment. The latest edition has a double-page spread of drawings satirising political correctness.

All religions are depicted in caricature as the captions ask: how can you live normally if you have to worry about offending everyone from Sikhs to Scientologists, Jews to Jehovah's Witnesses?

A French shopkeeper who has sold out of Charlie Hebdo magazine
Charlie Hebdo sold out in many stores within hours
The inference is clear: the Muslim world is being overly sensitive.

Most of the paper is devoted to Islam. Referring to one of the original Danish cartoons, all of which are reprinted, it singles out the one where Muhammad has a bomb in his turban.

This is not a comment on Islam, says the editorial, but on the interpretation of Islam and the Prophet by Muslim terrorists. Not to publish the drawings, it says, would be interpreted by religious fanatics as an encouraging victory.

Many French people love the cartoons. They are hooked on their "bandes dessinées" anyway: try to walk through the comic book department in any bookstore and you have to step carefully over several cross-legged figures on the floor, oblivious to all around them as they devour yet another Asterix annual.

One well-known social commentator laughed out loud when she saw the latest Charlie Hebdo.

"It's a breath of fresh air," she said, adding that it was like going back to the paper's heyday of the 1970s and 80s, before the tyranny of political correctness.

Relief

Nevertheless, the timing of the decision to print the cartoons has been criticised, given the nature of the demonstrations across the Muslim world.

Until now the French government had combined defending freedom of expression with appeals for tolerance and respect. The latest saga has prompted President Jacques Chirac to condemn the "overt provocation" of certain publications, without mentioning Charlie Hebdo by name.

The government must be relieved at the moderate reaction from the country's large Muslim population so far.

The leader of the French Muslim Council, Dalil Boubakeur, appealed for calm.

Several organisations are considering further legal action against the paper after the failed attempt to prevent publication. Feelings may be expressed more forcibly at a demonstration one group is planning to stage in Paris on Saturday.

For the relative silence does not mean that people are not angry. Even some non-practising Muslims, and those who are born and bred in France and perfectly integrated into French society, find the cartoons offensive.

One I know said that attacking Islam in books and magazines had become fashionable, and he predicted further hostility.

Another said there was a fundamental misunderstanding of his religion, adding that it was important for Muslims not to play the same game as those provoking them.

Although I doubt it, this act does help show that the treatment is equal to all - as well as stating that the cartoons are making fun of the interpretation of the suicide bombers, not the text itself.

~:smoking:

:rtwyes:
That certainly sounds like the cheerful "up everyone's" attitude the French seem to specialize in.

Heh, that was probably a great idea to boost their solds. I tried to get the newspaper yesterday, but I couldn't find it anywhere, all copies were sold before 8.00 AM. I eventually found one in my university. Although it's designed to make fun of the muslim nutjobs that have been manifesting lately, there are also quite a lot of pics about judaism or christianism.
What was funny is that people from the Charlie Hebdo haven't bothered at all about the PC BS. Quite entertaining, when you're used to the average newspaper.
Another great thing is a letter from an association of atheist (or maybe non religious or secular would fit better here) muslims who supported the newspaper, printed on the 2nd page.

The word you're looking for is "secular" or "secularized".

where might i see these o so shocking cartoons in america? i keep hearing about them but no where can they be found.

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Will all religions now boycott France??

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Gah. Liberté et laïcité ou la mort.

Ha! France will soon boycot all religions, how bout that? :laugh4:

I hear that now that religion bashing is back in fashion, Salman Rushdie is coming out with a new book. It's going to be called: Buddha, You Fat Bastard.

~:smoking:

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Originally Posted by AdrianII

Ha! France will soon boycot all religions, how bout that? :laugh4:

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Seconded! :beatnik:

...damn, will have to change sigs again. Louis has the same, and a better version too...

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Originally Posted by Goofball

I hear that now that religion bashing is back in fashion, Salman Rushdie is coming out with a new book. It's going to be called: Buddha, You Fat Bastard.

~:smoking:

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I just bought the rights to t3h sequel: Up yours, Confucius! ~:pimp:

Who wants to diss the Hindus then ?

In which three vivacious, half-naked young deities inadvertently come to share a temple with an elderly monkey, with hilarious consequences.

Who's still left ? The Sikhs ? Dan Brown already did the Catholic Church...

Religion bashing is not back in fashion. Religion has always been a subject of satire, like politics or the rich and famous.

All religions are being poked fun at, constantly - Buddhism, Catholicism, Hinduism and what not. This fact just goes unnoticed, because Buddhists, Catholics and Hinduists do not torch embassies over a cartoon taking the mickey.

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...damn, will have to change sigs again. Louis has the same, and a better version too...
__________________
"My reading comes from cult game forums where everybody is a pompous, arrogant piss."
- quote seen in a sig

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Maybe it was my sig were you saw that quote in the first place? :balloon2:

I'm pretty sure it was on another forum I frequent. Can't vouch for it, though. And I'll need to find a new one anyway.

Yours gets props, though. :2thumbsup:

I always thought Watchman's posts inspired the qoute.

:shrug:

I'm honored.

hey if you want a new sig that has da wrd piss in it how bought dis

"the british were so selfish they would'nt give you the steam off of there piss":laugh4: :2thumbsup:

quote from the book "the kite runner"

if you don't take it i think i will

YA HEAR DAT U POMPOUS BRITS

:stare:
...I'm offended.
Tomorrow at sunrise, sir. We shall settle this like men, with swords. :duel:

enough of the British bashing, you go too far sir. After your duel with Watchman, and if you still live, we shall meet by the grassy knoll at the far side of the town, near river, but not past the forest, if you've gone past the forest you've gone too far, in which case you may need to doubleback and search again...oh and bring a pistol as well.

Hey Rory, when did you get back?

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Originally Posted by Watchman

Who's still left ? The Sikhs ? Dan Brown already did the Catholic Church...

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Sikhs are cool. Everybody likes Sikhs.

Somebody should target the the Anglican Church. The Vicar of Dibly just isn't patronising enough in this day and age.

Oooh, not been active that long... Have ghosted about a bit before committing heresy to forum as it were... About 1 month, I think. May be slightly less.

Swords? Nosir!! You are out of date! Cissies fight with sword - we duel with cannon... (Blackadder the third)

~:smoking:

Ultima Ratio Regnum, but I don't think anyone here is monarchy...

Oh, no. France under boycott from USA because against a illegal war, and now a boycott from the one attacked by the USA. Sometimes, only for occasion like that, I am proud to be French…:frog:

Double post

(Too many buttons with this new interface, rendering Louis hopelessly confused.)

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Originally Posted by Brenus

Oh, no. France under boycott from USA because against a illegal war, and now a boycott from the one attacked by the USA. Sometimes, only for occasion like that, I am proud to be French…:frog:

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Yep. France should just boycott the rest of the world herself. Get it over and done with.

Sooner or later, they'll all admit that France was right all along anyway.

*Prays God to be put in a uniform and teleported back to 1792, ready to bomb the entire world into the modern age*

why does everyone stereotype brits as either dirty cockney children or posh/pompous people wearing top-hats etc... it really annoys me :wall:

i am glad someone has finally printed a 'all religions are funny, get over it' paper... i think the world just has to realise that political correctness just absolutely sucks for once i am not saying 'god save the queen, and down with the french' and more 'god ruin political correctness and up with the french'

right i am off to shoot myself for saying up with the french :sweatdrop: