Response to the Muslim Judicial Council

Following the barbaric attack on a bunch of nearly retired cartoonists in France, it is inevitable that Islamophobia would rear its head again. There's also this half-baked, watered down and not really helpful comment from the Muslim Judicial Council. They're not really doing a good job to help the rest of us discern between Muslim extremists and moderate Muslims. This comment has been deleted from their drivel (Freedom of speech has its limits), so here it is in all its glory:

"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist" ~Salman Rushdie. 

A depiction of someone's imaginary friend is not hate speech. Hate speech is clearly defined in our constitution. Drawing cartoons does not target a specific group for their race, religion or beliefs. 'I believe in freedom of speech, but..' sounds a lot like 'I am not a racist, but ...'. Nobody has the right not to be offended and neither does anyone's god or prophet.

The burden of proof is on the Muslim Judicial Council to show that Islam is in fact the religion of peace and that they do not tolerate extremist savages in their midsts. Their condemnation of these acts should be unequivocal and their support for freedom of expression should likewise be unequivocal so that the more ignorant amongst us have no chance of associating them with extremism.
That being said, I for one am looking forward to this year's Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.

Muslim extremists and moderate Muslims: Know the difference!

Recently, there's been a debate about depictions of Mohammed. This is because Mail & Guardian dared to publish a Zapiro cartoon that depicts the Prophet (Peace be Upon Him, but not upon those who dare get in the way of Muslim extremists). In former cases of depictions of Mohammed, the creators of South Park have received death threats, while some Danish embassies were burnt to the ground.

For these reasons, it is absolutely crucial for us as practitioners of freedom of speech to know the difference between Muslim extremists, and moderate Muslims. Though I don't get the big deal. We in the West don't have freedom of speech anyway. Just try some holocaust denial or to walk around with Nazi regalia, my friend. Even saying that Jesus was a Jew could land you in the principal's office (don't ask).

This is an example of Muslim extremists

This is an example of moderate Muslims

Know the difference! It could save your life!

Acts of God by Architecture of Aggression Review

Conclusion

The friendly beardos of Architecture of Aggression were not content with Christian blasphemies alone. Nay, nay, they decided to take a stab at all the desert peasant religions on this ambitious concept album. Regardless of your opinion on Islam, Christianity or Judaism, if you like technical death metal with a solid groove, you'd be content with this album.

Review

Lyrically, this album borrows from the Bible, the Quran and Richard Dawkins plenty. I shall not venture on this too long because the concept of memes and how religion is a destructive one is quite popular of late. Read The Selfish Gene if you are interested in the topic.


Richard Dawkins, who wants to eat your young, apparently.

By the time of their previous release, the band had just completed their stable touring lineup. One of the tracks that resulted from this unholy union is Systems of Control. That track more or less sets the tone of the new album. It also happens to be one of my favourite A.O.A tracks, so this album heads in exactly the right direction for me. They self-released it and practically gave it away for a mere R50 at the launch gig.

Some highlights of this album are the closing track, Requiem for a Meme, with its chanting and horn section (yes, you read that right), the middle tracks, Designer Religion and Immaculate Deception, and House of War. It's also fun to hear the Boere accents bashing religion.

My favourite section is the last section, which focuses on the atrocities of Islam. These tracks have a Middle Eastern feel to them, with their exotic rhythms and scales used to personify the region and its religion.

Overall, this album represents a transitional album for the band, moving from a comfortable duo to a slightly more dynamic power trio. Sometimes the results are amazing and sometimes the results are a little rough around the edges. I feel this represents a positive change, as the band members are not staying in their comfort zone.

Individually, the tracks take some time to get going and to get locked into a groove. Some fans rate their previous releases higher, though I disagree. I think this new album is their best yet and deserves a couple of listens. To me, it is always good when a new album makes you feel uncomfortable at first and then comes back to haunt you over time.

Track listing

1. Sol Invictus


2. Memetaphage


3. Brutal Belief


4. Covenant


5. Peadophage


6. Religion of Love


7. Designer Religion


8. Immaculate Deception


9. Verses of the Sword


10. Slaves of God


11. House of War


12. Deus Ex Memetica


13. Requiem for a Meme

Personnel

• Van666 Alberts: guitars and vocals.


• Anton 'Belial' Alberts: drums, percussion and vocals.


• William Tempest Bishop: bass, trombone, keyboard and vocals.

Rating

Buy it, listen to it and give me your rating for a change.