Storming of the US Embassies in the Middle East Mega Thread

[Miss Defied]

The violent protesters are really despicable. They're actively using violence to oppose free speech. They must realise that by storming embassies and killing diplomats they are just creating and reinforcing negative stereotypes about Islam.

What's really worrying about these protests it that they seem to have popular support in the Muslim world, it's not just a minority of stringently anti-West demonstrators. The embassies host countries should ensure that diplomatic missions are safe.

Yes, but read this: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=199885&p=10960714#p10960714. There does appear to be a serious disconnect between their perception of "free speech" and ours.

It's the same mentality that allows for privledged American suburbanites to mutter that everyone should have an ID anyway so why not require one to vote:
Some folks just can't fathom that other people don't live the same life and have the same perspective as they do. It shouldn't be that hard to figure out that people who live under authoritative regimes don't have the same concept of "free speech" as those who live in democratic nations.

[Choronzon]

What's really worrying about these protests it that they seem to have popular support in the Muslim world, it's not just a minority of stringently anti-West demonstrators.

Got a source for that?

[Thomsonia]

What's really worrying about these protests it that they seem to have popular support in the Muslim world, it's not just a minority of stringently anti-West demonstrators.

Got a source for that?

Based on the scale of the protests and the sheer number of people on the streets. I said 'seem', not that it's an absolute indisputable fact.

The violent protesters are really despicable. They're actively using violence to oppose free speech. They must realise that by storming embassies and killing diplomats they are just creating and reinforcing negative stereotypes about Islam.

What's really worrying about these protests it that they seem to have popular support in the Muslim world, it's not just a minority of stringently anti-West demonstrators. The embassies host countries should ensure that diplomatic missions are safe.

Yes, but read this: viewtopic.php?f=20&t=199885&p=10960714#p10960714. There does appear to be a serious disconnect between their perception of "free speech" and ours.

There are some valid points there but it seems a bit condescending to say people living in authoritarian or former authoritarian states can't conceive that storming embassies isn't a valid way to protest and that they don't understand the common Western interpretation of free speech. Granted as a European with generally left-wing views, I'm biased, but I stand by what I said.

[Alien Space Bats]

There are some valid points there but it seems a bit condescending to say people living in authoritarian or former authoritarian states can't conceive that storming embassies isn't a valid way to protest and that they don't understand the common Western interpretation of free speech. Granted as a European with generally left-wing views, I'm biased, but I stand by what I said.

What is the "common Western interpretation of free speech"?

Specifically, how many Western countries ban displays of Nazi regalia, anti-Semitic remarks, and Holocaust denial?

Don't you see how even that single concession to the victims of Nazi aggression and genocide might create an impression that insults to the Prophet Muhammad and Islam should be protected, too - in which case the refusal of Western countries to do so represents an endorsement of these attacks on Islam, at least in the eyes of offended Muslims?

Given the ignorance Americans often display towards life overseas (eg, the common perception that European health care is horrible, and that Europeans die all the time from a want of basic medical treatment because of their penchant for "socialized" medicine), are you sure you want to call it "a bit condescending" to imply that the Muslim street doesn't have a good grasp of how America's embrace of the First Amendment makes the most outrageous examples of trolling illegal?

Maybe we ought to translate the movie "Skokie" into Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, and a bunch of other regional languages and distribute DVD's of the film all over the Muslim world. It might give them a better idea of the way we look at freedom of speech, and why we have such a difficult time dealing with professional trolls like WBC and Pastor Terry Jones.

[Varijnland]

What a bunch of absolute scumbags, they attacked the UK and German embassies in Sudan even though they had nothing to do with it but of course, any excuse for a bit of mindless, moronic Islamist dick waving goes down a treat, what a great victory for islam!! Well done you bunch of twats.

Time for a glass of water and a lie down I think.

[Varijnland]

What's really worrying about these protests it that they seem to have popular support in the Muslim world, it's not just a minority of stringently anti-West demonstrators.

Got a source for that?

Source? What the fuck kind of source will he/she possibly need? A pair of eyes and a brain should suffice in this situation.

[Khadgar]

Got a source for that?

Source? What the fuck kind of source will he/she possibly need? A pair of eyes and a brain should suffice in this situation.

Well if that's true it should be no challenge at all to prove it. Feel free to do so or stop making such claims.

[Wamitoria]

Got a source for that?

Source? What the fuck kind of source will he/she possibly need? A pair of eyes and a brain should suffice in this situation.

I'd say the fact that these protests are only 2000-strong in most cases (along with demonstrations in Libya in support of the embassy) means that you're selectively seeing news coverage to justify your own prejudices that 'Mozlems are teh ebil'.

[Laerod]

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2012/09/14/witnesses-police-fire-on-protesters-near-u-s-embassy-in-yemen/
More attacks in Sudan, Lebanon, Tunis, and Yemen.


I'm beginning to think something larger is at stake here.

The movie really is only an excuse for bad people to misbehave.

[Laerod]

Got a source for that?

Source? What the fuck kind of source will he/she possibly need? A pair of eyes and a brain should suffice in this situation.

Because there's no way the media would concentrate on showing just pictures of the violence rather than the entire picture.

[Northern Dominus]

Source? What the fuck kind of source will he/she possibly need? A pair of eyes and a brain should suffice in this situation.

I'd say the fact that these protests are only 2000-strong in most cases (along with demonstrations in Libya in support of the embassy) means that you're selectively seeing news coverage to justify your own prejudices that 'Mozlems are teh ebil'.

So....basically anything broadcast by Fox News at any point.

[Wamitoria]

I'd say the fact that these protests are only 2000-strong in most cases (along with demonstrations in Libya in support of the embassy) means that you're selectively seeing news coverage to justify your own prejudices that 'Mozlems are teh ebil'.

So....basically anything broadcast by Fox News at any point.

Or CNN or any local news outlet.

[Northern Dominus]

So....basically anything broadcast by Fox News at any point.

Or CNN or any local news outlet.

CNN, mostly yes. Other news networks...er...the Tribune hasn't gone that route...

[Wamitoria]

Or CNN or any local news outlet.

CNN, mostly yes. Other news networks...er...the Tribune hasn't gone that route...

Maybe it's just where I live.

[Northern Dominus]

CNN, mostly yes. Other news networks...er...the Tribune hasn't gone that route...

Maybe it's just where I live.

Possibly...definitely if you live in Tennessee

[Anacasppia]

Bunch of silly Americans make racist/bigoted/insulting movie.
Muslim community burns US flags and assaults US embassies.
Seems legit, eh?

[Great Nepal]

I read an article about one of the actors who came forward.

http://gawker.com/5942748/it-makes-me-s ... bout-islam


Regarding the whole issue, I can't say it any better than this facebook status I shared:

Let's call things the way they are:
A movie insulting the prophet is an unclassy abuse of freedom of expression.

No, it isn't.
Only people at fault here is those who stormed embassy and killed diplomatic teams; no one else. Dont like the content of the film? Tough, thats freedom of expression.
No one is forcing anyone to watch it. Its a free country, after all.

Anyway, in terms of situation: demand the local government arrests and extradites everyone involved in storming and murder. If they fail to do so, send in special agents to do the job.

[Wamitoria]

Maybe it's just where I live.

Possibly...definitely if you live in Tennessee

Indiana.

Which admittedly is better than Tennessee when it comes to accurate depictions of Muslims, but that ain't saying much.

[Wamitoria]

I read an article about one of the actors who came forward.

http://gawker.com/5942748/it-makes-me-s ... bout-islam


Regarding the whole issue, I can't say it any better than this facebook status I shared:

No, it isn't.
Only people at fault here is those who stormed embassy and killed diplomatic teams; no one else. Dont like the content of the film? Tough, thats freedom of expression.
No one is forcing anyone to watch it. Its a free country, after all.

The people in the middle east don't understand that.

They live in countries without absolute freedom of speech/expression, and in all likelyhood do not understand that this sort of film could end up on the internet without government sanction.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Wow, this is now getting out of control, as in the what is happening in the Middle East. I don't want the riots to spread into Europe.

I need whoever directed the film to explained what motivated them to create this so we can get the full picture behind the scandal.

[Khadgar]

Wow, this is now getting out of control, as in the what is happening in the Middle East. I don't want the riots to spread into Europe.

I need whoever directed the film to explained what motivated them to create this so we can get the full picture behind the scandal.

It's pretty obvious. The director says "Islam is a cancer", his goal was to cause this situation, probably in the hope of inciting a war or popular uprising against Islam.

[Yumyumsuppertime]

I read an article about one of the actors who came forward.

http://gawker.com/5942748/it-makes-me-s ... bout-islam


Regarding the whole issue, I can't say it any better than this facebook status I shared:

No, it isn't.
Only people at fault here is those who stormed embassy and killed diplomatic teams; no one else. Dont like the content of the film? Tough, thats freedom of expression.
No one is forcing anyone to watch it. Its a free country, after all.

If I walk into a biker bar, go up to the meanest looking guy in the room, give him fifty cents, and say "Hey, this is what I owe your mother for last night", then while my subsequent murder will definitely be the fault of the biker, any reasonable person would see me as being complicit in my own death, and sharing some of the responsibility.

[Charlotte Ryberg]

Wow, this is now getting out of control, as in the what is happening in the Middle East. I don't want the riots to spread into Europe.

I need whoever directed the film to explained what motivated them to create this so we can get the full picture behind the scandal.

It's pretty obvious. The director says "Islam is a cancer", his goal was to cause this situation, probably in the hope of inciting a war or popular uprising against Islam.

The BBC states that the film's origins and motivation is unclear, but I can see for starters the film has a Islamophobic theme, but I am not sure what exactly caused the director to go that way. Now, I cannot verify that the producer has been in legal trouble before because the stuff I read was on Wikipedia, and we all know that Wikipedia is vulnerable to vandalism.

[Northern Dominus]

Possibly...definitely if you live in Tennessee

Indiana.

Which admittedly is better than Tennessee when it comes to accurate depictions of Muslims, but that ain't saying much.

Uh, maybe not on the media level so much but anywhere outside of Indianapolis, Bloomington, or Lafayette people get awfully suspicious about brown people that don't talk with their semi-nasally southern drawl...

[Souseiseki]

Wow, this is now getting out of control, as in the what is happening in the Middle East. I don't want the riots to spread into Europe.

I need whoever directed the film to explained what motivated them to create this so we can get the full picture behind the scandal.

Director lies to crew and creates artificially dubbed in anti-Islamic statements.
Director is Egyptian but tells everyone he's Israeli.
Convicted of fraud and operating under pseudonyms.
Director tells everyone that the movie was funded by "5 million dollars" from "Jews." A claim now known to be completely false.
Intentionally brings in the involvement of people like Terry Jones and Steve Klein only known for inciting violence in the middle east.