Continuing the discussion from Monday, Jake and I go on to react to the CNN Anderson Cooper interview with the organizer of the obnoxious event. Also, I read most of this really well written response to the event:
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OK going to comment as I go along. You found it problematic that the Anderson Cooper interviewed the organizer of the event without a Muslim. Like you I don’t do TV news, but knowing CNN I can assure you they have interviewed dozens of opponents to the protest for every one supporter. Would you likewise argue that Ritzheimer should be on every time an opponent appears, or are you suggesting CNN should be in the editorial business?
In other words they should decide for us that Ritzheimer is an asshole, and therefor not give him equal coverage? I mean the reason I don’t watch cable news is because that’s exactly what most of them generally do. If this guy is an idiot I suggest we should let him speak so as to make it obvious.
Pausing at 24 minutes in, I think her post has 2 problems. I think she goes off the rails a bit when she says “I would ask you why you think you hate me. Why you think you hate my religion.”
I would bet most of the protesters would say they don’t hate Muslims, and they would definitely say they don’t hate her. She is not what they are protesting.
She goes on to say “I am not worried that you intend to draw insulting pictures of my beloved Prophet Muhammad” What does that have to do with the fact that there are Muslims who do, those are the ones being protested. Is she ignorant of that fact, or is she trying to argue that those who would kill cartoonists aren’t true Muslims. It’s this unwillingness of moderate Muslims to admit that, like the bible calls for the stoning to death of gays, Islamic texts prescribe death for apostates, and blasphemer that I find problematic.
If she said “I recognize that Islamic texts call for death in certain circumstances. and that some Muslims follow those tenets. I, and most most Muslims do not, and join you in opposing them” I would feel much more sympathetic towards her.