Why do Muslims respond so violently to freedom of expression?

Question

What can prompt people to respond to freedom of expression as this woman does to Lars Vilks?
“One Swedish Muslim woman … said she hopes to make good on the al Qaeda threat and slaughter Vilks like a lamb.
"I can do this in the name of Allah, and I will not fail. I could slaughter him in the name of Allah," says the woman who identified herself only as Amatullah.”
“Dressed in a black burqa from head to toe and uttering death threat after death threat, the woman -- a wife and mother -- says she is defending her religion and her prophet if she manages to kill Vilks.”

Why is it that responses like this seem to come from Muslims, and no one else?
“Vilks, a self-described atheist, points out he's an equal opportunity offender who in the past sketched a depiction of Jesus as a pedophile.”
Why could this man draw something so much more insulting about Jesus Christ, and be perfectly safe, yet something much less insulting elicits such a violent response from Muslims?
Thoughts please

The link:

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/10/16/artist.controversy/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Justsyd, it's not just one woman! Don't forget that she's talking about fulfilling the Al Qaeda fatwa to kill the cartoonist...!

For more info:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Vilks_Muhammad_drawings_controversy

X warrior 1, you betray your own partiality to this fanaticism...it doesn't matter if the guy is a whacko...he's not harming anyone, and he has the right (as all do in a free society) to be as stupid and inane as he wishes.
You cannot minimize or dismiss the insanity of someone wanting to butcher someone else 'like a lamb' because the threatened person insulted your religion!
And, as I said before, it's hardly just one woman responding so violently. Check out the links I posted...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/6996553.stm

The $100,000 (£49,310) reward would be raised by 50% if Lars Vilks was "slaughtered like a lamb" said the audio message aired on the internet.

NQV, I understand where you're coming from...but I am uncomfortable with just how many Muslims throughout the world are absolutely silent about such violence.
Certainly, SOME Muslims (particularly in Sweden) did respond, condemning this violence…but so many were either silent or else responded in support of murder and terrorism.

"...yet its Christian history that is the most violent. Try opening a history book and you might see what I mean."
--corky

Corky, sweetie, I think YOU are in need of reading a few history books -- you obviously have no clue about history, for, if you did, you could not honestly assert something so utterly absurd.

Answer 1

Because Christianity is a peaceful religion and Islam is not. (Yes I am aware of the Holy Crusade and the first inquisition was a response to attacks made by the Muslims.) No where in the Bible does it teach that if you kill for your religion that you will be guaranteed a place in heaven, but the Koran does teach that. It also teaches that Allah has the final say as to who gets heaven or hell, no one is assured a spot, so why not improve your chances as much as you can then by killing for Allah?

EDIT: JUSTSYD you are missing his point. Yes, Christians may have been insulted, but they did not threaten the creator of the chocolate Jesus with death. He is questioning why Muslims lash out in violence and Christians use other, more peaceful methods, like words!

Answer 2

It is interesting that the most violent and most "unique" expression gets the most press, when millions of others do not make the same expression and thus are not even mentioned. If ONE PERCENT of the Muslims would become terrorists or abusive, that would be 13 million folks!! If ten percent would become like the woman above, that would be 130 million people, several times the population of Sweden perhaps. Yet, what ONE SINGLE WOMAN says makes the news and distorts the whole plane of discussion.

Do you see how distorted it gets?

Some people are nuts. Many murders take place in the World because someone calls a name for someone's father or mother. If the person who would murder would be sane, then he would just shrug it off. But, the nut can kill someone for the slightest of reasons.

When such nut is serving a larger purpose, then perhaps it would help to generalize that nut and implicate all people from his group...

See the pattern? I hope you do. People would have killed in the name of Jesus too, if they were from the middle ages, not because the people in the middle ages were wilder, but because they loved Jesus more deeply.

If someone hates their mom and dad, they would not be offended if someone called them names. But the nut case who loves his parents would perhaps murder someone for calling a name.. .. just a name.

It is all in the head!! and HOW YOU misrepresent it in print!!

I hope this makes sense.

Answer 3

You can cherry pick incidents where a Muslim person was violent and use it to represent all Muslims...you can do that, and you can force your brain to believe its true, doesnt mean it is! I love how some people come on her *particularly, some very strange Christians* and can say that Islam is violent..or that any belief that contradicts their own is untrue...yet its Christian history that is the most violent. Try opening a history book and you might see what I mean.

Answer 4

Not all Muslims are violent or applaud violence and oppression

Those i know fled to the West to get away from "Islamist-cultivated" hate,violence and self destruction

Much of Islamdom still cannot tolerate any distinction /freedom of mosque and state,any law but Sharia or any cultural or religious equality and they seem to go to violence at any real or imagined slight.

Unlike the New Testament ,Islam does not seem to teach that forgiveness is a virtue and revenge is a dead end.,from what I can see,anyway.

Answer 5

It's only the fundamentalists that get like that.

They are no worse than people like the followers of David Koresh were in supposedly defending their god.

Or how about those that got involved in the "troubles" in Northern Ireland - they were also supposedly defending their god against blasphemous attacks.

It's a minority, the same sort of rabid minority that all religions have

Answer 6

Muslim? Moslem? Islamic?
There are Christians in our past who killed persons in the USA because they were Native Americans, and were by that definition, heathen: thus they should be killed. The fact that the Native Americans owned something the settlers would prefer to control had nothing to do with it. Right.
You will find in any faith, either one of the fundamental religions or those from the far reaches of thought, persons who will use the excuse of God to justify the killing of others.
I simply point out that your question is valid, but consider broadening it to include your own faith as well, no matter which it is.

Answer 7

No. People who say what they believe about islam deserve death, and they deserve to have random others die as well. That is the only way to demonstrate how peaceful islam truly is.

Answer 8

you can't rate all muslims on one persons behavior!!!!!!!!!!!!! And besides, that guys a crack head anyways, insulting Muslims and also Jesus like that ! you're a retard too. and yes i am a muslim and yes i just like all muslims do believe in Jesus and that he was not a son of God (God begetts not nor was he begotten) but rather a messenger of God, like Moses and Muhammad.

Answer 9

They don't. I hardly call one woman's expression representative of all Muslims.

I recall not too long ago that there was a big to-do over a certain Chocolate Jesus that some Christians were insulted over.

It just goes to show that you can't generalize.

Answer 10

Threats of violence are rooted in fear.

I don't think you are going to be able to change it. Just go your own way as best you can. If you have to respond, try to respond in kindness as best you can.