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| Britain |
| Comedian Rory Bremner afraid to do sketches about Islam |
| 2010-06-16 |
| One of the UK's top comedians, satirists and impressionists, Rory Bremner, says he's afraid to write jokes about Islam because he fears death threats. Bremner was discussing the future of satire with David Frost on Frost on Satire, a BBC documentary. "The greatest danger now is that one of the toughest issues of our time is religion," says Bremner, as quoted in the Daily Telegraph. He says that, when he's writing a sketch about Islam, "I'm writing a line and I think, 'If this goes down badly, I'm writing my own death warrant there.' Because there are people who will say, 'Not only do I not think that's funny but I'm going to kill you' -- and that's chilling." Bremner cites the case of a Danish cartoonist, who isn't named in the Telegraph article, but is likely to be Kurt Westergaard, who drew a cartoon of Mohammed with a bomb in his turban. His life changed after that and other cartoons appeared in Jyllands-Posten, and Muslims reacted with violence. "If you're a Danish cartoonist and you work in a Western tradition, people don't take that too seriously," Bremner tells Frost in the interview, to be aired Thursday. "Suddenly you're confronted by a group of people who are fundamentalist and extreme and they say, 'We're going to kill you because of what you have said or drawn.' Where does satire go from there, because we like to be brave but not foolish." Frost comments that he finds it surprising that Bremner thinks a joke could put his life in danger. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #11 This is why I supported the "Draw Mohammad Day" last month. I posted some art online and got a TON of hate mail from the Moose-limbs. It was really rather funny. In the spirt of free speech: I-Slam, The 7th Century sucked then, and it still sucks! |
| Posted by: Dash Riprock 2010-06-16 23:19 |
| #10 I will die, Swani, but I guarantee that won't be how. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2010-06-16 19:27 |
| #9 Rory is not alone. Smpsons, South Park, comedy central.... none dare poke the bear. not a draw mohammad day, not a word against "honour killings" not a word aginst genital mutilation. never speak out loud the 7th century barbarianism towards women and female children. We will die defending their right to kill us. |
| Posted by: Swanimote 2010-06-16 18:28 |
| #8 I thought David Frost was a muslim. I thought all the BBC-aljazeera types plus the royals, the lords, and the progressives were all muslims. That would explain a lot. |
| Posted by: Goober Goobelopolous 2010-06-16 15:49 |
| #7 Those treacherous I guess the only ones left to |
| Posted by: wt 2010-06-16 14:55 |
| #6 This is shocking! David Frost is still alive? The jury is still out on this. Maybe from the neck down. |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2010-06-16 14:37 |
| #5 Dave Frost is about 70 yrs old ne of his gigs is Al Jazeera (the english version). He is enormously wealthy ($100 Million or more) |
| Posted by: lord garth 2010-06-16 12:44 |
| #4 This is shocking! David Frost is still alive? |
| Posted by: AuburnTom 2010-06-16 12:28 |
| #3 Then Mr. Bremner PMIF...PMIF :-( |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-06-16 11:14 |
| #2 "Frost comments that he finds it surprising that Bremner thinks a joke could put his life in danger." The Mr. Bremner should make a joke about mo-ham-head and/or i-slam and say that Mr. Frost was the originator of the joke, and that Mr. Bremner condemns it. If Mr. Frost is correct that a joke can't put someone's life in danger, then he'll be OK - right? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2010-06-16 11:13 |
| #1 "Frost comments that he finds it surprising that Bremner thinks a joke could put his life in danger." God save us, where has the man been living for the last twenty years, under a rock? Wasn't the Affair of the Danish Mo-Toons something like a clue? Not to mention the fatwa on Salman Rushdie? |
| Posted by: Sgt.Mom 2010-06-16 09:57 |