It’s Pride Month this month and as urban publications around the world are rushing to camp up their covers one mag may have gone too far. Above is what readers of TimeOut Tel Aviv saw recently when they picked up the special Pride edition (June 4-11, 2009). Translated from the Hebrew, the title reads:
You see here a threat, we see here an opportunity.
Some LGBT & feminist groups in Israel & Palestine are in an uproar over this sexualized depiction of male Muslim’s in prayer and they are organizing a protest against the magazine. They explain in a press release sent to LGBT & feminist groups around the world:
Even though the magazine pretends to be open minded, it did not reduce the deep disgrace we felt when seeing the image or reading the article, which is explicitly racist, violent and even homophobic. The editorial choice to use this particular image for the front page suggests total ignorance and racism.
Now, I’m a little torn over this since it may not be a tasteful cover but it does combine a lot of conflicting stereotypes (Muslim population explosion, gay male sexual predatorism, etc.) in what seems to be a campy manner. But they don’t see it that way:
The title of the front page suggests that violent, vulgar and disturbing sexual acts are “opportunities”. Opportunities of what, we ask? “To fuck Islam”? “To fuck Muslims”? Is it because “they are a threat”? Or they are “exotic”? Is this an opportunity to “fuck” the “enemy” and stab them in the back as they pray? Is anyone who turns their back an “opportunity” for rape?
I admit I’m conflicted (part of me is laughing, part of me is appalled) because of the camp factor involved. Camp is supposed to be tasteless, ironic and extreme. It’s supposed to push buttons and it’s supposed to challenge stereotypes…so, I’m asking my readers to vote. What do you think? Did TimeOut Tel Aviv go too far?
It’s like immortal technique says, if we can take a dick we can take a joke.
But I haven’t dated a guy in a few years so maybe I’m out of the loop. It’s always seemed to me that the people who get mad about this kind of thing are just looking for something to point their (sometimes justified) anger at. There are plenty of publications out there that spread stereotypes to be taken at face value.
And they’re doing reading into “oppurtunity” that shows their own preoccupation with violence.
Can’t you appreciate a nice ass while on the road to peace?
I’m not religious, so maybe I’m missing some of the anger, since I don’t see any problem with mixing love and prayer, but maybe the message is just that we should be asking out (and checking out) our enemies as potential lovers, instead of continuing predictable conflict.
I don’t get why some people see that cover as violent.
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There’s a bizarro mixed message there that annoys me more as “bad picture editing” than anything else. But yes, it’s dumb.
Do you need more evidence?, Why Hitler did not finish the job whyyyyy?
@jewkiller, take your vitriol & ignorance elsewhere….this isn’t a welcome forum for your anti-semitism.
I’m with hv,jewkiller is way out of line, he is entitled to his own opinion, but when it inflames a religion,a people, to take violence out on a whole for the opinion of one, is just wrong! When they set off an atomic or dirty bomb in his front yard he’ll change his mind,a little late to do anything but in that brief flash before he’s incenirated or infected with terminal radiation,he may change his mind.
Born and grown in a muslim family, I have gradually learned not to be religious, since about early high school. Without compliment and not to instigate sensitivity of believers, the fact is Religion is full of dogmatic and extremist views. Once in my 20s I had extensive studies on Chrsitianity and Budaism. Although these religions have eroded in the course of time, due to longer age than Islam and partially transformed for a bit lesser extremism but the core of these religions are also dogmatism. Not Islam nor Christianity and in my belief any other religion can lead us to humanity, they have caused so much wars and atrocities in the course of history and still we see its signs. Mullas in Iran now are killing voices of freedom in Iran, Taliban in Pakistan made lives of millinos total disaster. Afghanistan still suffers from deep scars of harsh Islam and I think it will suffer for decades to come. Europe, with its whole social and democratic development and econimic prosperity still mourns of antisemitism of Hitler era, sign of which can be read in comments of hv above; you can trace some kind of extremism in hv’s tone equally.
It seems for me untill we camp up to a common idealogy, which is humanity, we will suffer religious extremism, though its heat might be different comparing Islam, Jedasim, Christianity, … I can give an example, however, which was more close to values of humanity: Zorostrianism, the ancient Iranian religion whose believers (Koorosh) helped Babylonian Jews and established first human rights decree. Zorostrianism holds three principles: Pendare-nik (positive thought), Goftare-nik (positive talk) and Kerdare-nik (positive action) and does not interfere in people’s private life, sexual life and more and more, opposite to Islam which has strict rules on the way you urinate!!!
Let alone people to enjoy their life!!!! God will not be infuriated if two animals of human kind (every human is an animal at the first hand), homo or hetro sexually f~ each other. You can see some animals also f~ the male animals, especially if there is no female in the reach; so this is the nature and humans also belong to nature
ms, you don’t make any sense and I think it’s telling that you seem to call me extremist but don’t condemn “jewkiller.” I guess this just tells me this is time to shut down the comments on this post…people are just bizarre I guess.