Insanity of the Mob

RE: “When Khan refused, one of his tenants said his decision supported the film.”

Sounds like an insult to Islam to me!

“There is in Islam a paradox which is perhaps a permanent menace. The great creed born in the desert creates a kind of ecstasy out of the very emptiness of its own land, and even, one may say, out of the emptiness of its own theology. It affirms, with no little sublimity, something that is not merely the singleness but rather the solitude of God. There is the same extreme simplification in the solitary figure of the Prophet; and yet this isolation perpetually reacts into its own opposite. A void is made in the heart of Islam which has to be filled up again and again by a mere repetition of the revolution that founded it. There are no sacraments; the only thing that can happen is a sort of apocalypse, as unique as the end of the world; so the apocalypse can only be repeated and the world end again and again. There are no priests; and yet this equality can only breed a multitude of lawless prophets almost as numerous as priests. The very dogma that there is only one Mahomet produces an endless procession of Mahomets.”

- Chesterton

There is a shared insanity amongst progressive liberals and radical Islamists.  Both involve demands of group think.

Huffington Post has this story, too, including this sentence:

“City police chief Fareed Jan said Wednesday the protesters claim Khan insulted the Prophet.
Jan said there’s no evidence to suggest this happened and said police were pressured by the mob to open the case.”

So it sounds like the police opened the investigation only to conclude there was no crime.

And perhaps, instead of entertaining “unChristian thoughts” we ought to ponder this, from a Christian living in the Middle East:

Once again the Muslim world, especially the Arab world – is in turmoil. The Arab “Spring” has turned into the “Winter of Their Discontent” which has fueled strong reactions against the film made in the US which mocks the prophet of Islam and Islam itself. In a shame and honor driven society this disrespect is a huge offense and for Christians it is totally against what the New Testament teaches.
But the causes of the intensity of the reaction go far beyond a question of shame and honor. The sense of disappointment that positive change did not happen following significant political upheaval coupled with economic hardship (the underprivileged vs. the privileged classes) and inter-communal tensions (especially Sunni vs. Shiite) has led to seething frustration. Extremist groups – whether Muslim Brotherhood, Salafi or al-Qaeda – have seized the opportunity to make political gains.
Democracy is founded on the concept that man and woman are created in the image of God and this principle is missing in the Muslim world. The Church must meet the perpetual need of the Muslim world for prayer – for peace and for the Prince of Peace, for a reasoned response and for the Logos incarnate, and for love of neighbor and for Him Who is Love.