Radical Islam and terrorism's effects on art: should artists censor themselves?

Question

Original question:
Can anyone show me some quotes from the administration on conservative Islam's influence on art?
Feel free to prove me wrong, I'd like to see what the current administration has to say about artists who are afraid to offend Islam, and I haven't heard anything. Are they ignoring the issue? Why do the Bush administration and many governments around the world have this "hardline" approach to terrorism, unwilling to negotiate, unwilling to allow terrorist suspects the same rights as other alleged criminals, and unwilling to use anything but hardline military tactics on the grounds that anything less would be "appeasement" but don't ask the people to do the same, asking them not to let them be afraid to exercise their right to express themselves? is this a right they're not interested in, or that they want to be able to take away themselves, or a reflection of their tendency to put the importance of rights as unimportant in comparison to the importance of security?

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This is the original question: as you see I only got two answers saying how Muslims are evil and don't have art and only know how to kill people. I think I made a mistake referring to "conservative" Islam.. I meant to say.. what would you prefer, radical? or fundamentalist? hardcore? I don't know... the question was about why the administration doesn't encourage artists not to be afraid of terrorism... he only says we shouldn't be afraid to fly, but it is too common these days that artists censor themselves to avoid angering muslims or terrorists and I don't think they're getting the support they need to feel free to make their art.

Answer 1

George Bush and his administration don't really seem to have much to say about art. One might infer that they are largely indifferent to it. I could not find a single quote from the president referring to art in any way.

Interestingly enough, it is EASY to find quotes from the president about censorship. And far from being against it, he seems all for the idea. Take this gem of a comment made regarding a web site he didn't like:

"There ought to be limits to freedom."-George Bush, 1999

And if that doesn't have a chilling effect, there's also the number of times that Bush has declared that he would like to be the head of a dictatorship (see link 1, below).

The number of examples of Bush, his administration, and his allies leaning on companies to prevent the release of contrary information is too numerous to even list. But to name a few, there is the now well-known prohibition on photographing coffins of soldiers and Clear Channel Communications' banned song list.

All in all, I'd say that not only does Bush not care about self-censorship of the arts due to threats of extremists, he is prone to externally censor them himself if it seems expedient.

Answer 2

I am a muslim and I am totally for freedom of expression and art. In fact Islam encourage free thinking and innovation in worldly affairs so I am so sad that you got a different impression. In the same time, I do not believe that insulting others is part of freedom but it is abuse. Why everyone value the physical injury but no one care to the psychological injuries. Marko F wrote (drawing what seems to most Westerners an innocent cartoon) and I think this is the problem. That you westerns either do not know many things about us Muslims or only know things that seems to your eyes as bad without looking more deeply into why we are doing it. The most important point that you do not know how much we love, live and respect our religion and our prophet so that the anger of a Muslim if you told him your mother and wife are whores will be less than insulting prophet Mohamed (SAAW)or Quran. SO, we are not requesting censor but respect and understanding. Hope you can see my point.

Answer 3

You cannot ask this question in a vacuum or confined space of your own choosing. Unfortunately the reality has become one revolving around existence and self-preservation more than artistic freedom of expression. In a world where your very life is endangered by drawing what seems to most Westerners an innocent cartoon, one must think long and hard before voluntarily placing one's neck so to speak under the executioner's sword. In other words, the potential gain must outweigh or at least equal in weight the severity of the potential loss before giving reign to freedom of expression. It is questionable whether such a freedom can exist at all in such a world as we have inherited. Sadly so. But truly so. Don't ask the artists to martyr themselves until you are ready to do so yourself.

Answer 4

Have you read this book ?
What is your opinion, from the list below, provided by Spencer in his book?

The Truth About Muhammad
by Robert Spencer

Meet the real Muhammad:


Muhammad's bizarre reaction to his first "revelation": "I will go to the top of the mountain and throw myself down that I may kill myself"

The heretical Christian who convinced Muhammad he was a prophet – and may have taught him his erroneous views of Christianity

Islamic borrowings from Judaism, Christianity, and Zoroastrianism – and Muhammad's enraged replies to charges that he borrowed material rather than received actual divine revelations

The "revelation" that allowed Muhammad to marry his beautiful daughter-in-law

The strange incident in Muhammad's life that makes it virtually impossible to prove rape in Islamic countries today

The real "Satanic Verses" incident (not the Salman Rushdie version): how Muhammad's attempt to win over his opponents ended with his saying he had been inspired not by God, but by Satan

How the Qur'an's teaching on warfare against unbelievers developed – with constant war to establish the hegemony of Islamic law as the last stage

The first year of the Muslim calendar: not when Muhammad was born or became a prophet, but when he became a warlord

How Muhammad used the graphic lure of Islamic Paradise to urge his warriors to fight furiously to extend his rule

"Kill every Jew who comes into your power": why Muhammad became so angry with both Jews and Christians – with disastrous consequences that are still playing out in the world today

The momentous command by Muhammad that led to good being identified with anything that benefited the Muslims, and evil with anything that harmed them --without reference to any larger moral standard

Muhammad's child bride – and the terrible consequences his marriage to a nine-year-old still has in the Islamic world

"This is the caravan of the Quraysh possessing wealth. It is likely that Allah may give it to you as booty": how Muhammad gave divine sanction to the Muslims' bloody raids

"War is deceit": the permission Muhammad gave his followers to lie in order to gain an advantage over their enemies

How Muhammad broke the principal treaty he entered into, again setting a pattern for Muslim states thereafter

Muhammad's commands to his followers to wage perpetual war against non-Muslims, including Jews and Christians

Muhammad on women's rights: women "are prisoners with you having no control of their persons"

"If justice is not to be found with me then where will you find it?" Why Muhammad still stands for Muslims as the supreme model for human behavior

"I will expel the Jews and Christians from the Arabian Peninsula, and will not leave any but Muslims" – and other statements by Muhammad that contemporary jihadists take very seriously

Islamic tolerance? The onerous tax burden and other discriminatory regulations mandated for non-Muslims under Islamic law

How Muhammad ordered the killing of apostates from Islam

The massacre of a Jewish tribe by Muhammad that was invoked by modern-day jihadists at the beginning of Israel's July 2006 operations against Hizballah in Lebanon

"Embrace Islam, and your lives and property will be safe": Muhammad's threatening letters to the rulers of the lands around Arabia

Muhammad's frequent avowals that the Muslims would overcome the empires bordering on Arabia and one day stand as masters of the world

"I have been made victorious with terror" – and other statements of Muhammad on his deathbed

Six steps that American leaders can and must take in order to protect our nation from Islamic jihad terrorism