I was watching a program on Channel 4 yesterday evening called "The World's Most Offensive Joke" and perhaps it comes to no surprise to some of you that I was very offended. You can watch the program online.

The jokes list included ones on Princess Diana, the tsunami, 9/11 and 7/7, paedophilia, disabilities, and the number one on the list were jokes on Islam. They gave examples of each category. One on the tsunami was:
What is the most popular sport in Indonesia?
Body Surfing.
How can we as a society sit there and think its ok to laugh about people who have died or incurred a tragedy in their lives?
Then of course, the number of jokes that have come out on the internet following the tragedy of 9/11 far surpasses any other category.

Islam being at the top of the list didnt come to much surprise and the Danish cartoons crisis was once again brought to the forefront. While in no way am I defending what a group of radical (and/or brainwashed) muslims did in Lebanon or the protest signs held in London of "beheading those who offend Islam", I wonder whether all people who had a strong faith - regardless in what religion base - would not be offended by jokes made on their symbols and ideolgies. Indeed, Arab newspapers have made "jokes" about Jewish beliefs and this is just as sick, if not worse, but why provoke further anguish between what is seen as already hostile groups? One comedian on the programme argued that our freedom of speech must include a freedom to insult as well as to offend others. I wonder if he would say the same thing if a group of Muslim "comedians" made tasteless "jokes" about his own core values. And where should we draw the line? I do not believe that we have a right to offend people, and plus, why would we want to do so? I simply dont get it. Then again, perhaps instead of protesting with strong language banners, muslims should have had their own contest in the West as a response - one that would have asked the reverse: what Muslims' perceptions are of the other groups in their society. I bet our reaction would then have been to launch a new war - The War on Sick Jokes.