Thursday 29 November 2007

Art or blasphemy?

The Gemeente Museum in The Hague has an exposition of a piece of art depicting two gay men wearing masks representing the prophet Mohammed and his son in law Ali. The artist is Sooreh Hera, a 34 year old woman of Iranian origin currently living in the Netherlands. Ms. Hera says: "Homosexuality is a good example of the hypocrisy surrounding sex in the Islamic world. It is very common for men in countries like Iran and Saudi Arabia to have sex with other men, but it is all done in secret." Ms. Hera took pictures of gay muslim men in the Netherlands, most of whom didn't want their faces to be visible. "To show the hypocrisy I used masks of Mohammed and Ali".
In similar news, Dutch extreme right-wing politician Geert Wilders is working on an anti-islam film. Mr. Wilders is on a crusade against muslims, the Koran and Islam in general. The Dutch government and national security institutions are afraid that showing the film (which will be ready in January and in which (it is said) Mr. Wilders will burn or tear apart the Koran), will lead to violence not unlike the Danish cartoon riots.
On the one hand, I am totally in favour of freedom of speech. And it is true that many people use the Koran or the Islamic faith to spread hatred and violence. And of course everybody who has been to an islamic country knows that they have invented homosexuality there: nowhere in the world do so many men fuck other men. So if people want to make fun of or criticize Islam, they have the right to do so. We have made fun and criticized Christianity for the last 30 years, too.
On the other hand, it is wrong to insult everybody who is a Muslim. There are many peaceful Muslims. Mr. Wilders clearly goes too far. He is a dangerous man and I hope the stupid people who support him will soon come to their senses.

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