Zach LarkinsSHOULD WE BE OFFENDED?
S L Bradish wrote about someone who's passing off Easter chocolate in the form of a naked Jesus. She mentions the outrage felt by the Muslim community over a cartoon which appeared in a Danish newspaper. Read her article and see how the Christians and Muslims react differently when this type of nonsense crops up.
By now we've all heard of the British sailors who were taken prisoner by the Iranians for allegedly trespassing in Iranian waters. That debate goes on with neither side giving an inch. However, there are some things we should be aware of.
Iran is not at war, or wasn't until now, with Britain. What they did constitutes an act of war. With this being the case, the Britons are entitled to treatment under the Geneva Conventions. This entails no humiliating photos of them being splashed all over the media or the net. Now, before you get your knickers in a knot and throw Guantanamo Bay at me, remember the detainees there are not technically prisoners of war. They served no standing army, represented no country and never formally declared war on the USA. So they are not entitled to the provisions of the Conventions, but the US is giving them that treatment anyway.
No detainee at Guantanamo is shown in close up. Although we see pictures of these people on newscasts, the media cameras are far enough away so as to make positive identification impossible. That is not how the Brits are being treated. Our media has to ask themselves almost daily if the pictures would humiliate the detainees and thus far have gone out of their way to make sure it doesn't happen. The Irani's are only too happy to ignore this rule and hold their captives up to ridicule and humiliation.
The other day, they said they would release the woman sailor. They reneged on that idea on the rather flimsy excuse that she wasn't doing what she was told. They paraded her out in front of the world for everyone to see. What is remarkable about the picture is that her head is covered, as it must be under Islamic law. She may not like it, but they are forcing her to do it.
Can you imagine if the people at Guantanamo were forced to wear crucifixes? Or if they were given Bibles rather than Korans? How about they wear the Star of David? No, the people at Guantanamo are treated with respect, being given prayer mats, being oriented to face East so they can pray properly and each getting his own Koran to study. The Irani's show nothing but disrespect to the Britons they hold hostage.
Some time ago there was a story about an American fighter pilot who happened to be a woman and wanted to go off base dressed in jeans and a shirt with her head bare. Her commanding officer rebuked her when she got in trouble for this, saying that what she did on base was fine, but once outside the gates she had to obey the laws of the land. I agreed with that then and still do. It is a matter of respect.
The Irani's have committed an act of war. They should ‘fess up to that and treat their prisoners with the same respect they want from us.
By now we've all heard of the British sailors who were taken prisoner by the Iranians for allegedly trespassing in Iranian waters. That debate goes on with neither side giving an inch. However, there are some things we should be aware of.
Iran is not at war, or wasn't until now, with Britain. What they did constitutes an act of war. With this being the case, the Britons are entitled to treatment under the Geneva Conventions. This entails no humiliating photos of them being splashed all over the media or the net. Now, before you get your knickers in a knot and throw Guantanamo Bay at me, remember the detainees there are not technically prisoners of war. They served no standing army, represented no country and never formally declared war on the USA. So they are not entitled to the provisions of the Conventions, but the US is giving them that treatment anyway.
No detainee at Guantanamo is shown in close up. Although we see pictures of these people on newscasts, the media cameras are far enough away so as to make positive identification impossible. That is not how the Brits are being treated. Our media has to ask themselves almost daily if the pictures would humiliate the detainees and thus far have gone out of their way to make sure it doesn't happen. The Irani's are only too happy to ignore this rule and hold their captives up to ridicule and humiliation.
The other day, they said they would release the woman sailor. They reneged on that idea on the rather flimsy excuse that she wasn't doing what she was told. They paraded her out in front of the world for everyone to see. What is remarkable about the picture is that her head is covered, as it must be under Islamic law. She may not like it, but they are forcing her to do it.
Can you imagine if the people at Guantanamo were forced to wear crucifixes? Or if they were given Bibles rather than Korans? How about they wear the Star of David? No, the people at Guantanamo are treated with respect, being given prayer mats, being oriented to face East so they can pray properly and each getting his own Koran to study. The Irani's show nothing but disrespect to the Britons they hold hostage.
Some time ago there was a story about an American fighter pilot who happened to be a woman and wanted to go off base dressed in jeans and a shirt with her head bare. Her commanding officer rebuked her when she got in trouble for this, saying that what she did on base was fine, but once outside the gates she had to obey the laws of the land. I agreed with that then and still do. It is a matter of respect.
The Irani's have committed an act of war. They should ‘fess up to that and treat their prisoners with the same respect they want from us.
