Hollywood considers Christian landmarks fair game, but Islamic off limits

November 6, 10:11 AMAtlanta Conservative ExaminerKevin Duncan

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The Kaaba is one of Islam's holiest sites.
(Muhammad Mahdi Karim)

In his new film "2012", director Roland Emmerich reinforces a double standard by depicting the destruction of numerous Christian landmarks while sparing Islamic ones.

The Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican and The Sistine Chapel in the Vatican all meet untimely fates in Emmerich's latest end-of-the-world extravangza.

However, The Kaaba, the cube-shaped structure that is the focus of prayers and the site of the most important pilgrimage in Islam, was spared.

And this double standard was not, it turns out, an oversight or mistake.

A deliberate act

In an interview with Sci-Fi Wire, during which the director admits he is "against organized religion", Emmerich discussed his thought process:

"You can actually let Christian symbols fall apart," explained Emmerich. "But if you would do this with [an] Arab symbol, you would have a fatwa."

Emmerich admitted he wanted to depict the destruction of the holy Islamic building, but that his co-writer Harald Kloser talked him out of it.

"Well, I wanted to do that, I have to admit," Emmerich told Sci-Fi Wire. "But (Kloser) said, 'I will not have a fatwa on my head because of a movie.'"

In short, Emmerich believed a fatwa, a death sentence, would be placed on someone, possibly himself, had he destroyed The Kaaba in his film.

This news is undoubtedly a surprise to anyone who has seen Emmerich's films and assumed he only feared coherent plots.

Reinforcing a double standard

His fatwa fears, warranted or not, reinforce the mindset in this country that it's alright to attack Christianity, but one must be tolerant and should placate all other religions.

In Emmerich's world, and those like him, destroying Christian landmarks and symbols is good, wholesome entertainment. Destroying an Islamic landmark, on the other hand, would be insensitive and could result in dire consequences.

He shouldn't be able to have it both ways.

Either all religions are fair game or none of them are fair game.

If Emmerich can't handle that, maybe he should try something radical like making a movie that doesn't depend on the destruction of treasured landmarks via expensive special effects.

Of course, considering he is the man that brought us Independence Day, Godzilla and The Day After Tomorrow, that might be beyond Emmerich's skill set.

What do you all think? Why is it permissible to attack Christianity in this country, but not Islam or other religions? Why are stories like this one and the one about the father of 9/11 victim being unable to erect a plaque stating his son was murdered by Muslim terrorists becoming so common?