1) The majority of Muslims live outside of the Middle East, primarily in Indonesia and South Asia, but with some non-Middle Eastern African countries contributing as well. Thirty seconds with Google will confirm this pretty handily.

2) Even if you restrict your analysis to the Middle East, it’s stupid to assert that “a majority of Muslims were cheering” the WTC attacks. The number of people cheering those events, relative to the entire Muslim population, was tiny.

3) I never asserted that anti-Americanism doesn’t exist in the Middle East. It clearly does. That doesn’t make your other stupid comments any less stupid, though.

Go away. Or stick around, and actually contribute something other than blather. Or just keep blathering (though in that case, you shouldn’t expect anyone to pay much attention). Your choice.

So when Middle Easterners are cheering, you can safely say theyre Muslims.

Dude, anti-Americanism is an obvious fact in the Middle East.

And when you are un-educated, you will be called on that.

And Im afraid:

“That’s what happened here.”

That’s a ridiculous assertion. It has no basis in reality. So I said so.

If you want to have a grown-up conversation that is grounded in reality, great, we can do that. If you want to spew bullshit, you’re welcome to do that, too. But in the latter case, people are sometimes going to call you on it.

That’s what happened here.

Now I realize the media makes things up, but do you really think it fabricated or staged the countless images of crowded Middle Eastern (and by the way, the countries in the Middle East are, um, Muslim) streets full of people with anti-American signs cheering. There no way you can deny that obvious fact.

I even heard the frame of the comic strip forms an “I” thus making it clear Johhny is refering to Islam.

Seriously, this is ridiculous.

Lets just say for sake of argument that Johhny Hart was intentionally slamming (excuse the pun) Islam, so what?

We constantly slam Christianity and Catholicism as well as other religions, why is Islam all of a sudden untouchable?

We have a public outcry by CAIR (Council on American Islamic Relations) against this religous slur, when the majority of Muslims around the world were cheering when our Trade Towers fell. Granted the CAIR may have denounced the attacks, but what were the majority of Muslims doing? Cheering. So they can rejoice at our death and destruction (that they caused) but we cant barely imply a slur in a comic strip??

What planet am i on?

But if you said it while you were in the bathroom doing a #2 it is especially funny! Ha ha! Now it is a double-entendre.

This is what I saw in this strip when I read it last week. The 5 cartoonists who say it makes no sense as a bathroom joke are freaking retarded imbeciles unable to understand a double-entendre and eager to slam Johnny Hart, a notorious Christian whom they all hate. Breathed it particular is a well know Christian hater.

If you have read BC before, he uses outhouses because it takes place in the distant past.

There is no slur here and those who think there is are humorless shrews looking to slam an innocent party with their hate talk.

Even so, I recognse a simple misinterpretation. For example, last night I was teasing a Scottish friend of mine, saying he was Irish. He was pointing out the differences, and I said, “They’re all the same — a bunch of drunks” just as an Oneida (American Indian) individual walked by. For those that don’t know, alcoholism tends to be a big problem among American Indians.

Needless to say that was a tense little situation. Thankfully I knew the guy, and my explanation of what I’d said wasn’t disbelieved.

My point may be convoluted, but I think that it’s aparent if you look hard enough. These two situations may not be entirely dissimilar.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For what it’s worth.

Fair enough, and I knew that when I wrote my comment. But I still think, in a Watsonian wishing I were Holmsian, sort of way, that it is a dig. Of course, I could be totally off, then again, maybe not.

As those who know me understand, I’m up for subtle digs and sarcasm as much as anyone — and I have a finely tuned radar when it comes to that type of thing — but this just isn’t making a blip on that screen.

Again, though, as I’ve said I may be biased. I rather enjoy Hart’s work. I believe that had he meant an actual insult he’d be much more clever (as this lacks much humor even from a political standpoint).

I come to this conclusion based on my knowledge of Hart’s background as an evangelical, the previous strip with the torah turning into a cross, and his not-so-subtle slams at evolution in his strip.

I’m afraid I don’t buy his, and “a stupid box”‘s, interpreration of the menorah/cross strip. I used to attend an evangelical church and they honestly believe they’ve supplanted judaism. For the most part they say the jews used to be the chosen ones, now they are. I’ve seen this in many, many places. Some honestly believe co-existence is possible and try for mutual respect – but there’s still that arrogance of being “the chosen ones”.

GM wrote: “Let’s say this is a ‘slam’ on Islam. Is it appropriate?” Yes and No. It might be if it were a statement on the radical forms of Islam but it paints the entire religion with a broad brush.

Let’s say there was a slam on christianity, with a cross on that outhose door instead of a crescent moon. There are radical elements in any religion (the religious right, crusades, our current president, etc.) and it stinks on the fringes of Christianity also. Would that be appropriate? Would people stand for it? The editorial pages would have been screaming by now for blood and that strip would have been cancelled.

I agree that the strip isn’t ‘funny’ (note the quotes) if the connection to Islam isn’t there. But isn’t this the type of ‘wit’ that good political cartoonists use time and again?

I, personally, like the B.C. comics… not that I’ve read them for the past year or two. Hart tends to tout a generally liberal message in most of his comics that have a political implication, so I was initially surprised at this interpretation of his comic.

However, as Adam pointed out, he *did* get in trouble for a rather questionable comic when it came to a religious implication (though I choose to think that the menorah/cross comic was meant to show that the two religions can co-exist peacefully).

Obviously Hart is aware of religious messages. I may be speaking from a bit of a biased standpoint here, but based on what I think the menorah/cross strip meant I don’t think this is an intentional insult. Keep in mind that if it were it would probably be either a lot more obvious or a lot more obscure. After all, media is generally conveyed at a fifth-grade level, to assure understanding by a wide audience.

I’ve personally noticed a LOT of people up in arms lately about Islamic slander. Perhaps this is merely a result of that? My friend has a tattoo of a cresent moon with a bloody dagger piercing it. She’s had it for about 8 years now. Only recently have people been asking if she is trying to make some type of statement, which she isn’t — it’s just cool-looking.

Should Hart have looked over his comic a bit better before sending it off? Probably, though when you write something of a comparable complexity and humor level to “why did the chicken cross the road” the last thing you’re expecting is the ASPCA to get all torqued off.

But that’s just this Watson’s two cents. BTW, John, nice to see some lies.com swag that I won’t be buying :D If ymatt isn’t going to do that “Mission Accomplice” pic I’ll take a whack at it.