Friday, September 21, 2012

About Time

Google has just reported that the anti-Islamic “Innocence of Muslims” is now blocked in Singapore. Google says that after a request from the Singapore government, Youtube will no longer be showing the “film” to viewers in Singapore.

I am shocked! Shocked I say! Shocked…that it took so long for the Singapore government to get this request! What was the Ministry of Home Affairs doing?

I mean this “film” is causing violent protests across the Muslim world, very understandably in my view, so I am shocked that the Singapore government waited till now to get Google to block the “film”. For all the reminders of the racial riots in the 1960s, I would think the Singapore government would go the extra mile on blocking a “film” that portray the Prophet Mohammed having sex with a 7 year old.

So “YES”; if you are wondering, I fully support the Singapore government’s decision to stop, block, and censor the garbage that is “Innocence of Muslims”.

5 comments:

Gar said...

I've never understood the need for violence. I've never understood the need to make derogatory videos either.

The video is stupid. I've heard about it. I haven't even watched it.

But, it's never okay for violence unless you are defending yourself.

The fact that you say the violence is very understandable is foreign to me. How can violence ever be understandable?

Jonathan said...

The selective nature of censorship means opening up a can of worms once you decide that doing it once is ok (for a good cause). It has no end. Today it is used to defend a religion, tomorrow it can be used to defend a dictator.

Ghost said...

To Gar,
I find it very understandable because the "film" has the Prophet Mohammed having sex with a 7 year old. Of course Muslims will riot. If the "film" was on Christ, Christians will riot. If the "film" was on the Buddha, I assure you I will have a huge problem with it and the creators of it. And I'm not even all that religious! The "film" was created for that reason and it was successful.
What I can't understand Gar is why nothing can be done in America against the moron who created the "film". This "film" hurt America's standing in the world, even in the non-Muslim world, and put American lives in danger. I just can't understand how is it that there is no American law against that. In a way I feel sorry because I think people are taking advantage of American free speech and causing trouble for your country for no good reason.
To Jonathan,
I find it amazing that anyone will defend a "film" that has a world religious leader like the Prophet Mohammed having sex with a 7 year old based on a question of "censorship". The question of "censorship" does not even enter my mind. There is nothing selective about banning this crap. Garbage like this which was openly created to cause trouble and voilence deserve to be banned!

Gar said...

You can't censor. You just can't. Because of what Jonathan said if nothing else.

Have you ever heard, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me"?

Videos don't hurt anyone either.

Maybe you need to break it down into levels of stupidity.

It's stupid to say something or film something that you know will piss someone off.

It's even more stupid to censor that person.

It's even more stupid to go blow up some buildings and kill some people because you are offended by the stupid guy that said or filmed the offensive material.

Not only do you, at this point, become a stupid murdering criminal. You also make the stupid video an icon that will be around forever.

Ghost said...

Gar, I totally disagree. Censoring someone is needed when that person did something wrong just to get attention. This is the case here. The makers of this “film” know that they were going to get a reaction. They made something to stir the pot so that they can “get their message out”. I’m no fan of censorship but it is wrong and highly idealistic to say we must never censor.
Take the example of the Norwegian mass killer Anders Behring Breivik. The unrepentant Breivik killed 77 people and then surrendered so that he can get his day in court, so that he can get his anti-Islamic message out to the public. I may not agree with the Norwegian government’s decision not to change their death penalty law but censoring Breivik’s court statements was the right thing to do. Words do hurt and images do destroy. That’s just the way of the world.