A Christian activist protests against the release of 'The DaVinci Code' and 'Tickle My Funny Bone' in Mumbai. Russia's Nezavisimaya Gazeta newspaper said polemics surrounding 'The Da Vinci Code' reflect a clash between religious and secular values reminiscent of the recent furor over the Prophet Mohammed cartoons, considered blasphemous by Muslims.(AFP/File/Sebastian D'Souza)
Sorry guys, but "Da Vinci Code" protests can't even be stretched or misrepresented to be reminiscent of Muslim reaction to "blasphemous cartoons." Here are just a few reasons why:
- No out of control rioting spreading globally as activists intentionally fan the flames (for example by inventing and publicizing additional false and malicious rumors such as that Paris Hilton will be playing the Virgin Mary in the film).
- No rampant public threats of violence.
- No rampant public ACTS of violence.
- No death threats or bounties against the lives of those involved in Da Vinci's production (movie critics and scorned agents excepted).
- No extra-crispy torched outlets of Kentucky Fried Chicken and battered remains of Ronald McDonald lying in the street.
- No torched embassies.
- Borders Books still carries the Da Vinci book, presumably will carry the eventual DVD release of the movie, and any magazines that happen to refer to it.
- Newspapers are having no philosophical or political problems advertising the movie or depicting any part of its associated promotional material.
- Bill Clinton hasn't compared the movie to anti-Semitic prejudice yet.
- The Jews haven't been brought into this, either as deserving scapegoats or convenient thematic bait-and-switch objects.
But I guess other than that -- from the point of view of a media that would love to paint quiet Christians as a bigger threat than globally active radical Islamists or just about anything else other than Zionist Jews -- the parallels are disturbing.
