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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Our View: Wider is better ... Hands needed to help Food Bank with bi-monthly drive ... Ashland High grad, professor, author and musician plays here Friday ... Our View: Wider is better ... Hands needed to help Food Bank with bi-monthly drive ... Ashland High grad, professor, author and musician plays here Friday ... COMMENTARY Jeffrey Gillespie: Is there a right to offend? Comment DailyTidings.com Writer Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Social News On Sunday night, two militant Islamic gunmen drove up to an event in Garland, Texas, where they shot a security guard, then were shot at and killed by police officers. The event was created as a deliberately provocative political publicity stunt and featured, as a central theme, a competition for the best caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. When local authorities heard of the event, they made a decision to ignore it, in an attempt to limit publicity and the possibility of friction. Apparently, despite their best efforts, word did get out to the extent that two thugs who admired ISIS attempted yet another mass killing under the authority of Sharia law. To what extent is freedom of speech considered reasonable before it becomes a provocation that endangers people's lives? At what point does an event that stokes the fires of an inflammatory issue need to be monitored by the authorities in order to provide for the safety of those involved? Many attendees at the Curtis Culwell Center were self-proclaimed anti-Islamic activists. Mike Huckabee, the Republican presidential candidate, was quick to blame President Obama for not being sufficiently vigilant in providing federal protection. The suggestion that the shooting is somehow the fault of the administration is laughable; even more ridiculous is the fact that Huckabee is running on a platform of limited government, but seems to expect the President of the United States to mobilize Homeland Security whenever some right-wing provocateur decides it might be a good idea to hide behind the the First Amendment as a means of instigating violence and promoting prejudice. That being said, there is still a case to be made for the problem of violence in radical Islam. We're all well aware of isolated incidents of religious fanaticism in other faiths — the horrors of the Eric Rudolph bombings at the 1994 Olympics come to mind immediately, as do the murders of abortion doctors John Britton and George Tiller. The reason these events are so easy to cite is that contemporary occurrences of radical Christian terrorism have been relatively rare. The anti-theist argument is that all religions are wrong in the same way, in that they emphasize faith over reason. However, there is a unique quality of toxicity in the Islamic fundamentalist agenda. The objectives of this particular strain of an otherwise quite beautiful faith are as follows: that there should be global Sharia law, and that the best and holiest route to that outcome should be a never-ending jihad that sets the infidel firmly within its sights. Radicalized Muslims believe it is their right — indeed, their duty — to carry out such a war, and they are encouraged to do so by a significant percentage of their religious leadership. When any thinking person compares this mindset to a provocation such as the rather ridiculous cartooning competition held by a small-time blogger in a city in northeast Texas that was the most recent target of said zealotry, there is only one sane conclusion. A seriously disproportionate response is at play in aspects of the Islamic faith when confronted with a perceived insult, however slight. Of course, there are underlying factors. But there has been a shift, of late, toward a sort of brutal pettiness in the philosophy of the average mujahid. It's one thing to fight in a war zone against a professional soldier. But to gun down a multitude of civilian columnists and artists in the heart of Paris (as in the now notorious Charlie Hebdo massacre) sends another message altogether. That message is clear: Any threat, imagined or real, to the devotee's interpretation of his or her faith, will be met with violence — against any target. That distinction creates a serious problem for free speech — a very real threat to one of the seminal pillars of democracy. There is the hope that things will become less polarized over time, but history suggests the opposite. Where to from here? Only time will tell. Jeffrey Gillespie's writing has appeared in the Santa Fean and Art Collector magazines, the Portland Mercury and Willamette Week. He lives in Ashland. DailyTidings.com Writer Posted May. 8, 2015 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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