Harrisburg Hello is Clueless
Recently, I have received an email newsletter on Harrisburg events sponsored by Harrisburg Hello. Their director of marketing seems to have a bug up his you know what about Muslims. Here's the letter I just sent to the executive director:
Jeff S. Murison
Executive Director
Harrisburg Downtown Improvement District
22 North Second Street
Harrisburg, PA 17101
Dear Mr. Murison:
As a Harrisburg City resident, attorney and person of Middle-Eastern descent, I am writing to complain about the content of the Harrisburg Hello E-mail Newsletter. Your editor, Ron Bleacher, has now in two issues managed to offend Muslims and any person with any degree of religious or moral sensitivity.
I am referring to two articles penned by Mr. Bleacher.
The first advertised a puppet workshop to be held at the Jewish Community Center. In it, Mr. Bleacher stated parenthetically, “Please tell me there is no Kermit the Allah puppet in the Middle East.”
To equate Kermit and God would constitute blasphemy for Muslims, and the ‘joke’ falls flat. May I remind you of the furor caused by the Mohammed cartoons last year in Denmark? Riots followed the publications of cartoons depicting the Prophet. It simply isn’t done, and to make a joke of it is irresponsible, to say the least. It certainly isn’t good marketing. Besides, would you call Jesus a frog?
The second article is equally offensive. I quote from the most recent newsletter,
“The champagne has been uncorked, the strawberry, the pickle, the goatand Saddam have dropped and we have officially begun a new year."
To make a joke of an execution that is likely to spark more sectarian violence in a country where our own soldiers and countless civilians are losing their lives daily is beyond offensive. It shows a total disregard for human decency.
I think it significant that both comments are aimed at Muslims. What does Mr. Bleacher have against persons of Middle-Eastern descent or Muslims in general?
I will be filing a complaint with the Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission unless Mr. Bleacher issues a prompt retraction and apology in the email newsletter."
posted by Anniken Davenport, Esquire @ 3:00 PM
2 Comments:
So, what was it you posted on your website that got you hacked by a Turkish Muslim? Just curious . . .
I have to agree with your analysis of this gentleman's comments. This seems to be yet another occurence of the idea that the "cool" thing to do this time of the year is bash Muslims. I am not a Muslim, and I feel that humor is an important part of life. But there is a difference between tongue in cheek and just trying to offend people.
Why is it we can joke about the Prophet but you mention that Jesus was a political criminal and people go crazy? Or you make one comment about the feeling that a certain type of music is annoying and people will act like you said you are going to kill the Mayor?
You were right in trying to educate some of these yokels.
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