DrTdaxp

“Yahoo!Mail bans Allah and Dirty Harry Handles,” by John Oates, The Register, 20 February 2006, http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/02/20/yahoo_upsets_religious/ (from Slashdot).

“2nd Russian Paper Shut in Cartoon Furor,” by Steven Myers, New York Times, 21 February 2006, http://www.nytimes.com/glogin?URI=http://www.nytimes.com/2006/02/21/international/europe/21russia.html&OQ=_rQ3D1&OP=3434b636Q2FQ3BjvyQ3Ba@4ge@@bQ2BQ3BQ2B22JQ3B2Q2BQ3BQ2B!Q3BQ5EQ5BbveQ5BRbQ5E@Q5BRmQ3Bv1e@VvQ3BQ2B!e1ggQ5ERiQ24bdm.

Yahoo has joined the dhimmis and refuses to allow screen-names with “allah” in them. tdaxp‘s dream of having a screen-name that references the death threats I’ve received from Islamic militants thus ends:

As Howard Dean says, “Inshallah” — banned by Yahoo!

So tdaxp, must respond!

Not only are other phrases with “allah’ banned

Worshippers of Allah Threatened My Life — banned by Yahoo!

Syrian Catholics Worship Allah Too — banned by Yahoo!

So are proper names — enraging even more partially-Irish-descendant tdaxp

Mickey O’Callahan — banned by Yahoo!

(Of course, other references to the Diety are allowed by Yahoo

Jesus Christ God Jehova — (not) banned by Yahoo!

)

Meanwhile, anti-speech extremism spreads to Russia, where Vladimir Putin is arrested journalists who print the Mohammed cartoons

The owner, Mikhail M. Smirnov, said he decided on his own to close the newspaper on Friday, even as the prosecutor general’s office announced it would bring criminal charges against the paper’s editor, Anna V. Smirnova.
Ms. Smirnova, who is also the owner’s wife, faced charges of inciting religious animosity, a crime punishable by a maximum sentence of two to four years in prison

The actions of Yahoo and the Russians are much worse than Google’s restricted entry into China. While google.cn censuring its results opens the door to Chinese readers a little, the likes of Yahoo and Russia are attacking away connectivity from those who formerly had it.

How should one respond?

• We can spread disconnectedness. Those who embrace the tyranny of the mullahs (and their sympathizers) might say “If we will ban speech offensive to them, then also ban speech offensive to us!”
• We can Use the mullahs (and their sympathizers) to do our dirty work. For instance, by taking cases involving weeks-long torture and murder of a Jew by Muslims, and decide it had nothing to do with antisemitism.
• We can do them one better, and try to have Yahoo convicted for violations of international law
  
• We can mock the tyrants, denying them of the legitimacy they desire. We did this before, we should do it again

In that spirit…

Mohammed Emoticons

Muhammad (((:~{>

Muhammad playing Little Orphan Annie
(((8~{>

Muhammad as a pirate
(((P~{>

Muhammad on a bad turban day
))):~{>

Muhammad with sand in his eye
(((;~{>

Muhammad wearing sunglasses
(((B~{>

Muhammad giving the raspberry.
(((:~{P>

Giving Muhammad the raspberry.
;-P

Muhammad with a bomb in his turban:
*-O(:~{>

Mohammed on a *really* bad turban day.
)8(:~{>

Muhammad sees a Danish cartoonist
!((((8~{o>

Muhammad turns Christian
(((+:~{>

Muhammad imitates Charles Manson
((((x8~{>

Muhammad wears his Johnny Carson “Great Carsoni” turban
(((0))):~{>

Muhammad after going quail hunting with Dick Cheney
(:(:(:((8~{>:::::::::::::

Saudi Arabian/oil sheik version of Muhammad
(($$(((:~{>

Muhammad wearing his personalized designer turban
(((MOE)));~{>

Muhammad wearing his “elevator” turban
((((((((((((((;~{>

Osama bin Laden dressed up as Muhammad on Halloween
(((:~{>

Osama bin Laden dressed up as Muhammad on Halloween with an improvised explosive
device in his turban
(((*-O(((((:~{>

Muhammad is not pleased with Muhammad emoticons
((((;~{[>