Inflamed, Inshlamed

Bacon goes on Sale! $1.00-off per pound! Muslim World Inflamed!

Silly, but no sillier than: Muslim world inflamed by Rushdie knighthood. I mean, come on. Has a world-wide Race to Be Most Aggrieved begun and I missed the starting gun? Hey grow up, Muslim world. Why should you care about a twenty year old book that nobody would have heard of were it not for your whining.

Know why Christians aren't going after that "artist" whose claim to fame was a crucifix in a jar of urine? Because we've already forgotten who he (she?) is. He, or she, could have gone on to larger, greater, works like Dog Collar in Jar of Urine, or Tennis Ball Floating in Urine, but I'd never know about it. It just isn't important enough to make it to my radar.

But the modern (late 11th century) Muslim has time to still be enraged by Salman Rushdie? Because what? He insulted your prophet? Hey, Muslims are being blown up in Iraq. Your mosques are being bombed and your anger is for this hairy English writer? Why is it that largely non-Muslim coalition forces are the only ones who care about the bombings? "Oh yes, we would be plenty torqued off but first we must avenge these cartoons," or "Bombing mosques is unfortunate but it doesn't rise to the level of, say, a book we haven't read."

Could the real reason that Muslims get all huffy about Salman Rushdie be that, well, they think they could take him. You know, he's 60, a little overweight, a civilian not accustomed to physical labor or probably even exercise. Same as Theo Van Gogh only older, yeah, maybe it's the target that determines the outrage. "But it's harder to be angry at other Muslims who might shoot back."

***Update: And while I've got photoshop out anyway-


photo stolen from the conservative firecracker