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'Mickey Mouse Should Be Killed in All Cases'

Jacob Sullum | September 18, 2008, 2:51pm

Sheikh Muhammad Munajid, a Muslim cleric and former Saudi diplomat with a show on Iqra TV, deplores the influence of cartoon mice such as Mickey and Jerry, who encourage children to believe the filthy rodents are benign and lovable:

According to Islamic law, the mouse is a repulsive, corrupting creature. How do you think children view mice today—after Tom and Jerry?

Even creatures that are repulsive by nature, by logic, and according to Islamic law have become wonderful and are loved by children. Even mice.

Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases.

Don't even get him started on Porky Pig.

Is this the real reason Farfour had to go? If so, what should we make of the fact that he was "beaten to death by an actor posing as an Israeli official trying to buy Farfour's land"? Perhaps fictional rodent eradication is a cause that can unite Muslims and Jews.

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Comments to "'Mickey Mouse Should Be Killed in All Cases'":

The Extispicator | September 18, 2008, 3:01pm | #

Too bad they don't hate coyotes, cause they'd get to see one of them die every 30 seconds if they watched Looney Tunes.

Of course, the coyote is repeatedly resurrected, which sounds kinda Christian...

Fluffy | September 18, 2008, 3:02pm | #

What can I tell you? Religious people are stupid.

Mice are agricultural pests and people living at the edge of survival probably should always want to kill them "in all cases". So maybe when the Qu'ran was written this made sense.

People living in a situation of surplus don't need to kill mice "in all cases", and keeping them as pets and making up the occasional cartoon about them is no big deal.

Similarly, if you wandered into a time travel experiment and found yourself surrounded by sabre tooth cats, you probably should pursue a kill 'em all policy. But in 2008 having a "kill 'em all" policy about big cats would pretty much make you a dick.

Religions that claim eternal truth are pretty shitty at dealing with changed conditions on the ground.

Michael | September 18, 2008, 3:04pm | #

Please don't anybody tell this guy that Mickey Mouse can't be killed because HE'S JUST A FUCKING CARTOON.


I want to see where he goes with this.

Thanks.

Pinette | September 18, 2008, 3:07pm | #

Michael,
even better, let's also don't tell the DHS or FBI. Let's see what steps they take to investigate assassination attempts against Mickey.

Mad Max | September 18, 2008, 3:14pm | #

M-I-C-K-E-Y D-I-E, allahu akbar!

Mad Max | September 18, 2008, 3:15pm | #

"What can I tell you? Religious people are stupid."

Damn, that was quick.

critic | September 18, 2008, 3:41pm | #

And yet no one takes issue with his assertion that "Mickey Mouse is an awesome character". When everyone knows Mickey isn't fit to hold Donald Duck's jockstrap.

Mad Max | September 18, 2008, 3:48pm | #

Wait, my jokes would have scanned better if it had gone like this:

E-X-T-E-R-M-I-N-A-T-E

Donatus Anatidae | September 18, 2008, 3:52pm | #

"Muris Delenda Est"

J sub D | September 18, 2008, 3:59pm | #

Itchy's still cool, right?

BoscoH | September 18, 2008, 4:01pm | #

"an Muslim cleric" Fail!

Brandybuck | September 18, 2008, 4:03pm | #

So does that mean Disneyland is going to cancel their annual Islamist Nite™?

John C. Randolph | September 18, 2008, 4:23pm | #

Hmm.. Well, Farfour was certainly a repulsive, corrupting creature. Perhaps the Learned Theocrats just haven't been introduced to the right rodents?

-jcr

creech | September 18, 2008, 4:25pm | #

Then again Donald is delicious whereas who knows what mice taste like?

Matthew | September 18, 2008, 4:30pm | #

So, can someone explain to me how a mouse (or any animal) can be repulsive "by logic" ?

omar ali | September 18, 2008, 4:50pm | #

Mice taste like chicken, everyone knows that.
A couple of points about some comments though: commentators should keep in mind the absolutely medieval mindset of the typical saudi cleric (or the typical muslim cleric period). When he says "by logic" he really believes that ALL reasonable people believe ALL the things he believes (and in his own society, no one would every publicly contradict a cleric's basic frame of reference, so his experience has taught him exactly that), so they tend to see conspiracy where you may see a cartoon. And when he says "all mickey mouse must die", I think he means "when we see a mouse, we want to kill it". I dont think he is specifically asking for Mickey the cartoon character to be killed.
Globalization and terrorism have brought these people into the field of view of the rest of the world and endless entertainment will surely follow. Unfortunately, there are also other, less entertaining, consequences.

Shem | September 18, 2008, 4:52pm | #

And yet no one takes issue with his assertion that "Mickey Mouse is an awesome character". When everyone knows Mickey isn't fit to hold Donald Duck's jockstrap.

Dude, when was the last time you watched Donald. Neither he nor any other Disney characters have need for any kind of athletic support. They have no genetalia.

Allah | September 18, 2008, 4:58pm | #

All your Mickey Mouse are belongs to us.

Oh yeah, Death to America!

Woodsey Owl | September 18, 2008, 5:01pm | #

Then again Donald is delicious whereas who knows what mice taste like?

I do! They're Yummilicious!

J sub D | September 18, 2008, 5:06pm | #

Dude, when was the last time you watched Donald. Neither he nor any other Disney characters have need for any kind of athletic support. They have no genetalia.

Nay, Nay, oh ignorant one. I've seen drawings on the internet* proving that Snow White and the Seven Dwarves do. The dwarves are exceptionally well endowed. Snow White appears happy with that.

* If it's on the internet, you know it's true.

rana | September 18, 2008, 5:21pm | #

"Nay, Nay, oh ignorant one. I've seen drawings on the internet* proving that Snow White and the Seven Dwarves do. The dwarves are exceptionally well endowed. Snow White appears happy with that."


Uh, you are really into some wierd porn... but to each his own...

Tbone | September 18, 2008, 5:35pm | #

The Sheik better back off lest I mobilize the forces of America's greatest superhero.

"Here I come to save the day!"

HAMAS | September 18, 2008, 6:19pm | #

Farfour will be avenged

economist | September 18, 2008, 6:47pm | #

Say, has anyone here read "MAUS"?

The Angry Optimist | September 18, 2008, 7:38pm | #

"Mickey Mouse is the most miserable ideal ever revealed....Healthy emotions tell every independent young man and every honorable youth that the dirty filth-covered vermin, the greatest bacteria carrier in the animal kingdom, cannot be the ideal type of animal....Away with Jewish brutalization of the people! Down with Mickey Mouse! Wear the Swastika Cross!"

economist - yes, I have, and clearly I drew the parallel you did. :-)

Jeriba Shigan | September 18, 2008, 7:56pm | #

Your Mickey Mouse is one big stupid dope!

The Wine Commonsewer | September 18, 2008, 10:18pm | #

According to Islamic law, the mouse is a repulsive, corrupting creature

Isn't that offensive to Hindus?

Metal Messiah | September 18, 2008, 10:27pm | #

In somewhat related news, over here in the states, DC Comics pulped a run of Superman comics because the cover depicted Superman enjoying a beer with his Dad one evening on the Kent farm.

Story here:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18091

brotherben | September 18, 2008, 11:10pm | #

Mickey and Minnie are in divorce court.
Judge says to mickey, "you say you want a divorce due to your wife's insanity?"

Mickey says, "I didn't say she was crazy,

I said she was fuckin Goofy!"

Bob Smith | September 19, 2008, 12:58am | #

According to Islamic law, the mouse is a repulsive, corrupting creature

Isn't that offensive to Hindus?
Considering Muslims murdered 70-80 million Hindus in their attempt to conquer India, and continue to this day to murder them, everything about Islam is offensive to Hindus.

Mike Laursen | September 19, 2008, 1:42am | #

The taxonomy of the Disney universe doesn't work like that of our universe. Pluto is a mere dog, but Goofy is some kind of super-dog. Or trans-canine entity that may be more closely related to Mickey Mouse genetically than he is to Pluto.

Mike Laursen | September 19, 2008, 1:43am | #

Whoops. Forgot my main point. And, therefore, it isn't clear that Mickey Mouse is literally a mouse.

VM | September 19, 2008, 7:29am | #

Michael | September 18, 2008, 3:04pm | #
Please don't anybody tell this guy that Mickey Mouse can't be killed because HE'S JUST A FUCKING CARTOON.
I want to see where he goes with this.
Thanks.
Tell that to Judge Doom.

Bob Smith | September 19, 2008, 10:45am | #

Please don't anybody tell this guy that Mickey Mouse can't be killed because HE'S JUST A FUCKING CARTOON.
He knows that. This isn't about mice, it's about ridding Muslim societies of Western (read: non-Muslim) influences.
And yet no one takes issue with his assertion that "Mickey Mouse is an awesome character". When everyone knows Mickey isn't fit to hold Donald Duck's jockstrap.
By awseome he doesn't mean "great", he means "influential".

economist | September 19, 2008, 9:35pm | #

I was actually expecting that Episiarch would get the reference, too.

Kevin Carson | September 20, 2008, 3:19am | #

How come Porky Pig wears a shirt with no pants, but Mickey Mouse wears pants with no shirt?

And how come I can't find any Davey & Goliath hentai online?

Danny | September 24, 2008, 2:00am | #

What the fuck is this? I am a Muslim but i never saw anything like this in Holy Book that kill a cartoon or an animal without any reason .These Saudis bastards have a lot of time wracking off muslim image allover the world. Fuck you Saudis.

JewsFatwaKillAllGentiles | September 25, 2008, 3:04am | #

Talmud Sofrim 15:10
R. Shimon ben Yochai taught: Kill [even] the good among the gentiles.
Wow, isn't that like mass genocide???

Take anything out of context and you can make a laughing stock of anyone over anything.

In typical Islam-bashing media frenzy, no one actually bothered to actually notice he was LAUGHING when he said this (yes, it was a video clip). He was indeed talking about rodents and their disgusting traits, and that in his opinion, using what in normal human nature is considered to be filthy and undesirable, as a wildly popular protagonist in children's cartoons, is not the most appropriate choice. Then he said jokingly, in fact, since Mickey Mouse basically is a rodent, and rodents should be exterminated, that in fact Mickey should be exterminated.

He LAUGHED while saying it, get it? Doesn't matter whether you like it or not, but presenting this as some kind of scholarly fatwa to search out and behead a cartoon character just reflects the simple-minded blind media stupidity that the average person is ready to consume and regurgitate blindly.

And of course since it is about Islam or Muslims, hey, it's OK--have a field day. Now if it were about Jews...