Hollywood has been almost universally silent regarding the legal harassment and threats aimed at the person behind the anti-Muslim film some blame for the current Middle East-based violence.
One prominent celebrity wants murder charges against the filmmaker, ignoring this country’s First Amendment as well as the countless examples of artists denouncing Christianity without any similar fallout.
Now, a Pakistani official is going one step further:
A Pakistani government minister today offered a $100,000 reward for the death of the “blasphemer” who made the anti-Islamic movie that has fueled deadly violence in the Middle East. “I invite the Taliban brothers and the al Qaeda brothers to join me in this blessed mission,” Railways Minister Ghulam Ahmad Bilour told a news conference in Islamabad.
Will Hollywood denizens keep up their silence? Artists don’t have to defend the film on its merits – virtually all accounts say it’s a crudely made project. What about the right to create, to mock religion, to commit your beliefs to film? And where does it end? Should we re-visit Bill Maher’s inflammatory documentary “Religulous” and yank it off the shelf, or even pin blame on Maher should anyone use his film as an excuse for violence?
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