I just watched "Fitna," a 17-minute film by Dutch parliamentarian Geert
Wilders.
Released on the Internet last week, "Fitna" juxtaposes verses from the Koran
with images from the world of jihad. Heads cut off, bodies blown apart, gays
executed, toddlers taught to denounce Jews as "apes and pigs," protesters
holding up signs reading "God Bless Hitler" and "Freedom go to Hell" - these
are among the powerful images from "Fitna," Arabic for "strife" or "ordeal."
Predictably, various Muslim governments have condemned the film. Half the
Jordanian parliament voted to sever ties with the Netherlands. Egypt's grand
imam threatened "severe" consequences if the Dutch didn't ban the film.
Meanwhile, European and U.N. leaders are going through the usual theatrical
hand-wringing, heaping anger on Wilders for sowing "hatred."
Me? I keep thinking about Jesus fish.
During a 1991 visit to Istanbul, a buddy and I found ourselves in a small
restaurant, drinking, dancing and singing with a bunch of middle-class
Turkish businessmen, mostly shop owners. It was a hilariously joyful
evening, even though they spoke little English and we spoke considerably
less Turkish.
At the end of the night, after imbibing unquantifiable quantities of raki,
an ouzo-like Turkish liqueur, one of the men gave me a worn-out business
card. On the back, he'd scribbled an image. It was little more than a
curlicue, but he seemed intent on showing it to me (and nobody else). It
was, I realized, a Jesus fish.
It was an eye-opening moment for me, though obviously trivial compared with
the experiences of others. Here in this cosmopolitan and self-styled
European city, this fellow felt the need to surreptitiously clue me in that
he was a Christian just like me (or so he thought).
Traditionally, the fish pictogram conjures the miracle of the loaves and
fishes as well as the Greek word IXOYE, which means fish and also is an
acronym for "Jesus Christ God's Son, Savior." Christians persecuted by the
Romans used to draw the Jesus fish in the dirt as a way to tip off fellow
Christians that they weren't alone.
In America, these fish appear mostly on cars. Recently, however, it seems
Jesus fish have become outnumbered by Darwin fish. No doubt you've seen
these too. The fish is "updated" with little feet on the bottom, and "IXOYE"
or "Jesus" is replaced with either "Darwin" or "Evolve."
I find Darwin fish offensive. First, there's the smugness. The undeniable
message: Those Jesus fish people are less evolved, less sophisticated than
we Darwin fishers.
The hypocrisy is even more glaring. Darwin fish are often stuck next to
bumper stickers promoting tolerance or admonishing that "hate is not a
family value." But the whole point of the Darwin fish is intolerance;
similar mockery of a cherished symbol would rightly be condemned as bigoted
if aimed at blacks or women or, yes, Muslims. Continued... |