The "Innocence of Muslims" movie and the embassy attacks

I don't care what psycho made this movie or where he distributed it. We still have freedom of speech in the US, and that includes making stupid racist films and releasing them on YouTube. What I do care about is leaving our embassies and citizens at the mercy of violent, murdering mobs overseas. Apparently our embassies need protection. There should be fully armed marines at every foreign embassy 24 hours a day, or close them down until Americans there can be properly protected.

More US embassies have been under attack.

Up to 5,000 protesters stormed the US compound in Sanaa as anger about an anti-Muslim film spreads in the Middle East.

Hundreds got past two police barricades and managed to get through the main gate into the compound. They were then driven back by security forces firing weapons into the air.

It comes as US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton sharpened her criticism of the anti-Islam video that provoked the protests, calling it "disgusting and reprehensible".

She said that it is a cynical attempt to offend people for their religious beliefs, but added that it does not justify violence.

TV pictures showed the gate at the embassy in Yemen being pulled down and smoke rising from inside the complex.


Violence outside the US compound in Sanaa
Demonstrators chanting "death to America" smashed windows of security offices outside the embassy and set fire to cars and tyres. Others held banners declaring "Allah is Greatest".

A security official quoted by Reuters said at least 15 other protesters were injured in the violence.

In Egypt, protests have continued for a second day outside the US embassy in Cairo, provoked by an American-made anti-Islam film, being promoted on YouTube and said to insult the Prophet Mohammed.

Police were pelted with rocks and fired tear gas to disperse the crowd.
S
(Story continues at link.) http://news.sky.com/story/984584/us-embassy-attacked-over-anti-islam-film
 
  • Like
Reactions: cornsail, Dropkick, Pickle Juice and 1 other person
Wiki says this:

In July 2012, a 14-minute excerpt from the English-language film was posted on YouTube. By September the movie had been dubbed into Arabic and was brought to the attention of the Arabic-speaking world by Coptic blogger Morris Sadek, whose Egyptian citizenship had been revoked for promoting calls for an attack on Egypt.[24][25] Muslim leaders criticized the film's depiction of Muhammad.[26]

According to a Cairo newspaper, the film was denounced by the leader of an Egyptian political party,[27] also the U.S. Embassy in Cairo issued a statement condemning what it called "continuing efforts by misguided individuals to hurt the religious feelings of Muslims," an apparent reference to the video.[28] During the same day a two-minute excerpt dubbed in Arabic was broadcast by Sheikh Khalad Abdalla[29] on Al-Nas, an Egyptian television station.[30] In the excerpt, the actor playing Muhammad called a donkey "the first Muslim animal".[31] Time attributed the scene, depicting Muhammad having a "homoerotic, one-sided conversation with a donkey",[32] to an essay by Father Zakaria Botros[33] in which a similar scene is described from Ibn Kathir’s book, al-Bidaya we al-Nihaya.

U.S. diplomatic mission attacks

Main article: 2012 U.S. diplomatic missions attacks
The Arabic version of the film was cited as the alleged reason for several September 11, 2012, attacks on U.S. embassies in the Arab world, although reports have arisen that purport to indicate that the attacks were planned by al-Qaeda and carried out under the cover of locally incited riots.[34] The embassy in Cairo and the consulate in Benghazi were both attacked, with the Benghazi attack resulting in the death of ambassador Christopher Stevens[35] and three other Americans.[36]
 
led.boots said:
I don't care what psycho made this movie or where he distributed it. We still have freedom of speech in the US, and that includes making stupid racist films and releasing them on YouTube. What I do care about is leaving our embassies and citizens at the mercy of violent, murdering mobs overseas. Apparently our embassies need protection. There should be fully armed marines at every foreign embassy 24 hours a day, or close them down until Americans there can be properly protected.
Click to expand...

This says it all. I think we can end the thread now.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dropkick
mlp said:
Ironic, considering the quote highlighted concerns freedom of speech.
Click to expand...
The violence against US embassies is spreading throughout the middle east, even in Turkey now. In Tunis, a US school was attacked and burned today.
From CNN http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/13/world/meast/embassy-attacks-main/index.html
After days of protests and related violence, concerns are growing that furor over an anti-Islam video could intensify even more Friday -- threatening U.S. interests abroad and at home.

People have taken to the streets in 10 nations and the Indian-controlled region of Kashmir, according to U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, railing against "Innocence of Muslims" and the nation where it was produced, the United States. This outrage, and danger to Americans, could worsen in the coming days, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and FBI warned Thursday in a joint intelligence bulletin.

"The risk of violence could increase both at home and abroad as the film continues to gain attention," the U.S. agencies said. "Additionally, we judge that violent extremist groups in the United States could exploit anger over the film to advance their recruitment efforts."
 
Make no mistake; these incidents have a deliberate motive. If these people predictably go bat **** crazy every time there is a perceived insult against Islam, it will slowly and steadily result in people beingafraid to speak their minds creating a de-facto censorship of the topic.

I predict that within 10 years, it will be considered socially unacceptable (by the mainstream public) to say anything negative about Islam. They will have achieved their "protect group" status.

The film may have been stupid and insulting, but it was not the equivalent of yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, nor was it a "call to arms" advocating violence against others.

Unlike Jihad….
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dropkick, Envy and Pickle Juice
beancounter said:
Make no mistake; these incidents have a deliberate motive. If these people predictably go bat **** crazy every time there is a perceived insult against Islam, it will slowly and steadily result in people beingafraid to speak their minds creating a de-facto censorship of the topic.

I predict that within 10 years, it will be considered socially unacceptable (by the mainstream public) to say anything negative about Islam. They will have achieved their "protect group" status.

The film may have been stupid and insulting, but it was not the equivalent of yelling "fire" in a crowded theater, nor was it a "call to arms" advocating violence against others.

Unlike Jihad….
Click to expand...
This x 1000.

It doesn't really matter whether the film incited this or not, though I tend to think it was just used as an excuse. But to blame anyone but the fanatics who launched the attack is no different from blaming a rape victim for wearing a mini skirt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dropkick
Pickle Juice said:
This x 1000.

It doesn't really matter whether the film incited this or not, though I tend to think it was just used as an excuse. But to blame anyone but the fanatics who launched the attack is no different from blaming a rape victim for wearing a mini skirt.
Click to expand...
This. ^^ I am watching President Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton honor the men killed in the violence. Navy seals who had served the US faithfully. One of them has a newborn son. :(
 
Pickle Juice said:
It doesn't really matter whether the film incited this or not, though I tend to think it was just used as an excuse. But to blame anyone but the fanatics who launched the attack is no different from blaming a rape victim for wearing a mini skirt.
Click to expand...
Amen, sister.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Pickle Juice
Anyone who produces such a film must be extremely short sighted, as it is basically a hornet's nest over there. Multiple civil wars and also war with the US over there, not to mention the situation with Israel and Palestine. A number of people have guns and explosives, and there are a ton of young unemployed men who have ample time to get involved in insane groups.

Their culture is a medieval one. It is similar to Europe in the 16th century, if you look back to then when Catholics and Protestants were burning each other at the stake, people were hanging from trees, and even more unspeakable types of torture and dismemberment of people seen as enemies. I dont think that Westerners can criticise, we definitely have ancestors who performed and colluded in terrible acts, and would probably be doing similar things ourselves if we werent born in these countries at this particular time.

Anyone who would have produced the film would have known there are millions of batshit crazy mullahs in those parts, and the person who is behind it is Egyptian himself so he must have been fully aware what kind of reaction he would get. So it is hard not to feel a sense of exasperation at those who made the films and feel that they have some culpability in what happened to the ambassador. Especially when the film is rumoured to have been produced with a 5 million dollar budget.
 
Freesia said:
Anyone who produces such a film must be extremely short sighted, as it is basically a hornet's nest over there. Multiple civil wars and also war with the US over there, not to mention the situation with Israel and Palestine. A number of people have guns and explosives, and there are a ton of young unemployed men who have ample time to get involved in insane groups.

Their culture is a medieval one. It is similar to Europe in the 16th century, if you look back to then when Catholics and Protestants were burning each other at the stake, people were hanging from trees, and even more unspeakable types of torture and dismemberment of people seen as enemies. I dont think that Westerners can criticise, we definitely have ancestors who performed and colluded in terrible acts, and would probably be doing similar things ourselves if we werent born in these countries at this particular time.

Anyone who would have produced the film would have known there are millions of batshit crazy mullahs in those parts, and the person who is behind it is Egyptian himself so he must have been fully aware what kind of reaction he would get. So it is hard not to feel a sense of exasperation at those who made the films and feel that they have some culpability in what happened to the ambassador. Especially when the film is rumoured to have been produced with a 5 million dollar budget.
Click to expand...
It is no longer the dark ages; there is no excuse for murder, especially since the filmmaker is Egyptian. Why are there mob protests in eleven countries in that area against the US for a movie produced by an Egyptian? He isn't even an American. Coincidentally, the attacks take place on the embassies on 9/11. In addition, Egyptian media released the film to the public and called for "peaceful demonstrations." I don't think that was short sighted at all. Planned.

I have young relatives in the US marines, so this hits very close to home for me, I'm a little emotional today.
 
Over there, it is not the dark ages, but it is definitely the Middle Ages. It is not the 21st Century over there so there was always going to be a lot of insanity erupting over this. They are tribal people. The same reaction to religious insulting will not be the same as in the West. It is like getting in a time machine and going over to 16th Century England and insulting the King, a similar reaction would occur. Or going to Papua New Guinea and taking a photo of a tribesman, it the West that is an innocent action but in Papua New Guinea that would not be a smart move. It sucks that people will react like this but that is how different cultures work, sadly. They are not all at the same stage of historical evolution.

Sorry about your relatives, I hope they are keeping safe.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Blobbenstein
Let's say you know that Guy X is prone to fits of unreasonable jealousy about his wife, and that he also is prone to violence when angry.

You go to him and tell him a detailed lie about how you saw his wife getting it on with Guy A. You further tell him that they've been so blatant about their affair that pretty much the whole town knows about it, and he's a laughingstock.

Guy X then kills his wife and Guy A.

IMO, although Guy X is totally responsible for his actions, you are equally as responsible, because you knowingly, intentionally, and maliciously incited him. Legally, you're getting away with murder, but morally/ethically you are guilty, IMO.

That's pretty much what this *filmmaker* (or whoever put him up to it) has done.
 
^This scenario is missing Guy A and the wife. It's more like telling Guy X he's a loser, and the next day he shows up at work with an axe and an armful of molotov cocktails to take it out on people who just happen to work for the same company as you.

Also, I perceive this as being against Islam, not for it. Loud, stupid people always get the most attention, and if you can incite them to make themselves loud and stupid with a click of your fingers, you can create a divide between those people (and anyone associated with them, through action or inaction) and everybody else around who is suddenly standing back wondering why this group is off their meds.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Dropkick
Unfortunately, if you see how many riots are currently happening around the world in multiple countries, there are a whole ton of loud, out of control people.
 
in the middle east people riot and kill people, in the west people get angry watching FoxNews and vote Republican(or the equivalent), which is really worse?
 
Top Bottom
Back