Hero
HOGANAS, Sweden (CNN) — Swedish artist Lars Vilks says all he’s doing is taking a stand in the name of artistic expression. But because of that stand, on this afternoon he’s lying low — on the ground, in fact — looking for bombs under his car. Lars Vilks says if people don’t like his artwork, then “don’t look at it.” Al Qaeda has put a $100,000 price on his head and offered an extra $50,000 for anyone who murders him by slitting his throat after the eccentric artist and sculptor drew a cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a dog. “I don’t think it should not be a problem to insult a religion, because it should be possible to insult all religions in a democratic way, ” says Vilks from his home in rural Sweden.
Lars Vilks is a hero. Like Theo Van Gogh before him, if Muslims kill him it will just be one more slaughter they are remembered for. And make no mistake, Muslims will be remembered for centuries for their butchery. Once they get out of their violent denial, it will be a deep level of remorse and shame which will persist throughout their culture for generations. If only that process could start today, people like Vilks would not be forced into hiding. But artistic freedom IS something worth dying for.
Check out the video. Watch the self-righteous bitch in her black burqua-tent try to justify why she wants to murder this man. Under all the robes, gloves and full face mask, her tight high-pitched voice betrays the truth: she’s just a scared little girl who can’t face the world. That actually kind of describes the whole of Islam, if you think about it. Their suffusive anger boils over and betrays deep levels of pain and inner conflict. Imagine being so terrified of life that someone’s crude drawing could threaten your very foundations. In many ways I actually feel sympathy for their plight. I wish someone could liberate them and let them know it was all going to be OK. After all, what could be more tragic than a people in perpetual hiding from themselves?
Comments (3 comments)
heather / October 16th, 2007, 1:52 pm / #1
I hate to interrupt a good powerful rant, but I suspect there’s a bit more to this. (Though I can’t say I know what it is)
But maybe it’s just all a Swedish art project. I blogged about it the other week following a post on lifebeforedeath
and followed some of the links and started to think it wasn’t quite what it appeared.
Life before death even commented with a suggestion that the Egyptian blog was all part of Lars project.
Otherwise, it must be true that Nordic art and cartoons have a much wider distribution in the islamic world than cold northern Europe.
heather / October 16th, 2007, 1:58 pm / #2
d’oh.
I forgot to link to my post
BlackSun / October 26th, 2007, 8:38 am / #3
Heather,
I think if he’s doing it just to be subversive, good on him. Kind of a cross-cultural performance art. The point is still made, and he’s still risking his life.
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