Hi everyone,
I started watching the show which I love. I reached Season 1 Episode 11: Schmidt Happens. In one of Alan Shore's lines, he said, and I quote:
"Its religious freedom which is sacred in this country, unless of course you're Muslim".
My question is: What did he mean?
I am not here to discharge accusations nor to start a hate war, I am writing this topic only to know what do you think about it.
I hope I find appropriate responses.
Thx,
Mazen
I believe what he meant was you should be able to practice any religion, unless it is Islam, which took a jab at the people's dislike of Muslims after 9/11 attacks. In other words, he meant that the freedom of religion in people's opinion in the aftermath of those terrorist attacks was that it is okay to be religious as long as that religion is not Islam.
"Blame is for God and small children." -Dega, Papillon
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Well, the quote says: "Unless you are Muslim," so I was clarifying that, regardless of what the actual feeling toward other religions in the US is.
But you are right. It generally is not okay to be anything than a Christian.
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"He said it was a half Robin Hood kind of thing. That he took from the rich, and kept it."
what he meant was....to muslims there is no tolerance for religious freedom. from muslims there is just islam. the belief of these backward people that thier made-up faith is the only true faith
...make a deal, you know, a deal...maybe he's a republican
what he meant was....to muslims there is no tolerance for religious freedom. from muslims there is just islam. the belief of these backward people that thier made-up faith is the only true faith
Guessing you don't know them.
Now ask me how I really feel, I'm just here for the comments.
le that thier made-up faith is the only true faith
"the belief of these backward people that thier made-up faith is the only true faith "
Aren't all religions simply made up ?
As much as Muslims believe their belief is the only true belief, Christians, Mormoms also feel the same way.
You can't use one made up religion to dispel another one.
You're partially right. But the character (and it seems both Spader and Shatner in real life) are liberal Democrats. Attorney Alan Shore is criticizing American society for being intolerant of Muslims, and that Muslims in America are unfairly not accorded the same rights all religions should enjoy from our Constitution. His character is NOT for this intolerance; he's opposed to it. He's being facetious.
In the show, it's stated in several episodes that Denny Crane is a Republican (even though Shatner is a Democrat) and Alan Shore is a Democrat.
i think, you are right in your interpretation, what Alan Shore ment. He was criticizing american society for being intolerant to Muslims.
However, I am not sure, if its OK - I have doubts. Islam is not only a religion, but a state establishment. So it is maybe not appropriate to mention it as a religion (in par with other religions, which are not state establishments)
So, my take: if Islam would be only a religion, then equal rights. But if its an establishment thing, then it is right to exclude it from religions and treat it differently. As much as I love Alan Shore, I did not like this statement of his on this.
It's a stab at the post-9/11 aggressiveness towards Islam. You can be Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist etc etc and still be "ok" - if you mention you're a muslim, not so much.
share[deleted]
I have yet to view this episode so feel free to call me a twit.
I do not believe that 'Alan Shore' would denigrate the faith known as Islam.
He would however denigrate the attitude of those who shout loudly about the [religious] beliefs they feel they hold to be true in the USA while not actually practicing those beliefs.
If I am right then those who have posted prove that his statement as shown
previously to be correctly written and delivered.
As far as I can make out genuine followers of Islam do tolerate all other versions of the same tale. When you realise that the story is a lie then you can allow for variations of that lie.
If however you are sure that your take on that tale is the absolute truth then all other variations are obviously untrue. With this knowledge you can undertake things like a Crusade or a Jihad. Or in the USA's case send money to support 'IRA' in its quest to kill as many of the people who are in a special relationship with the USA as possible. Unfortunately many pennies of this money either through direct assistance or the many collection boxes on 17th March days found it being used to fund the training of young men who flew planes into the twin towers. Although this is a terrible IRONY it is not in the least amusing to know that the USA finest [ Police and Firemen] may have thrown pennies into the buckets that paid for the means to kill them. The IRA and certain Islamic groups had similar agendas that overlapped so don't kid yourselves that the end of hostilities in Ireland was due to the good nature of the IRA. It was due to the end of monies or help ending because of 9/11. It is odd that I would rather the situation in my country continued rather than you suffer the tragedy of 9/11 or the many deaths in Iraq of the indigenous or coalition troops. It is just a pity that US money did not assist the IRA at any time. Considering that the US has had such a special relationship with a nation it helped to injure.
Sorry this ended in a personal but truthful rant.
It was due to the end of monies or help ending because of 9/11
It was just the perception of a bleeding heart liberal. They're just never happy with anything.
shareThat's right -- liberals SHOULD be happy, because the world is perfection. There's no hunger, no injustice, no inhumanity, no cruelty, no war, no violence, no torture, no inequality. Life on Earth is paradise for EVERYONE. Now if those damn liberals would just admit it!
"All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people."
I think like others here that it was a jab at the perceived intolerance towards Muslims in the USA.
However weather that is a quantified perception is another matter entirely. Given the large numbers of Muslims that have legally migrated to the USA, who work, get educated and enjoy the same rights and benefits that all other citizens do I find it suspect to say they are not tolerated. They may not be liked, rightly or wrongly but that's another matter.
It certainly wasn't a jab at Muslims or Islam - which has been decidedly on and off with it's tolerance of minorities when it forms the majority. Certainly the scriptural ideas that minorities pay a special tax to be except from state duties and be tolerated is an interesting one that would have no place in any modern Western state.
N.
What he meant was that there was total freedom of religion except the religion of Islam.
After 9/11 there was high intolerance and prejudice against Muslims/Arabs & anyone looking like a stereotypical image of them. Which is why Sikhs were a common target due to their beards and turbans even though they have nothing to do with Islam. They were constantly attacked and murdered. Discrimination against American muslims sky rocketed. Just like it did against Japanese during WW2.
There isn't freedom of religion in any Islamic country - everyone has rulers who decide what the correct form is that must be followed. Some are more extreme than others.
It is sad Sikhs were targeted but that is the ignorance of some Americans who don't know much about the world around them. Sikhs have been fighting Muslims for centuries...
Ignorance is everywhere. This year in Abu Dhabi (a moderate and peaceful city in the UAE) saw an American lady (a teacher and long term resident) stabbed to death in the bathroom of a shopping mall by a Muslim local...it's not just America than has ignorant people.
N.
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First of all, let's get the quote right and provide context: The discussion was about whether a particular character had the right to determine whether a respirator should be used on his unconscious mother, who might or might not recover. Shore said, "The issue isn't recovery -- it's religious freedom, which is sacred in this country. Unless, of course, you're Muslim."
As some other posters have noted, he was being sarcastic; at the time, some Americans were behaving abominably toward Muslims, despite the U.S.'s emphasis on religious freedom (the subject of the First Amendment). Anti-Muslim sentiment began running high after Sept. 11, 2001, and was still running high during the show's 1st season (2004-05).
"All you need to start an asylum is an empty room and the right kind of people."
The show was reccorded during the Bush era, during war with Afghanistan, and right after 9/11.
Any muslim was under scruteny just because of the terrorist attacks.
So what he ment was that it was ok for this woman to excercise her religious freedom, and be taken off life support. It was not as easy for a muslim at that time to excercise religous freedom without being questioned.
--There is no spooon