Sadr City outraged over 'Buddy Jesus' (aka Kevin Smith's 'Buddy Christ')

[philosophie_en_rose]

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/regional.asp?dismode=article&artid=282578144

BAGHDAD: Iraqi Shiite residents of Baghdad's Sadr City expressed anger yesterday over a picture of a grinning Jesus they mistook for a Shiite holy figure that appeared in the area after a joint US-Iraqi operation. Residents found a picture of "Buddy Jesus" from the 1999 film "Dogma" posted in the streets, accompanied by a badly photocopied pamphlet bearing a crude approximation of a US military crest and outlining a US "plan" to subjugate the neighbourhood. "That picture abuses our Imam Mahdi and his holy character, and mocks our sacred figures," said resident Abu Riyam, apparently mistaking the satirical movie still of Jesus for one of Shiite Islam's historical imams, whose images adopt a Jesus-like iconography.

The grinning, winking model of Buddy Jesus giving a thumbs-up sign appeared in the comedy film as a fictional attempt by the Catholic Church to present a kinder and more accessible image of Christianity. "If it wasn't so serious it would be funny," said a coalition spokesman, Major Will Willhoite. The pamphlets outlined a so-called plan to discredit the militias in the sprawling Baghdad slum of two million people, a stronghold of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada Al-Sadr.

"Destabilize security in the militia areas with explosions and assassinations to create panic" and "killing, raping and kidnapping women" were all measures the pamphlet recommended to cause people to lose faith in the militias. "Do not tell the suspect militias of these plans, but keep them among friendly forces," admonished the pamphlet. The US military did not confirm that it had conducted an early-morning raid into Sadr City yesterday, but said that an Iraqi force accompanied by coalition advisors did conduct an operation in "northeast" Baghdad. Much of Baghdad's violence has been laid at the feet of Shiite militias, many of whom are based in Sadr City, but US forces have yet to enter the neighbourhood in force. _ AFP

[rocktivity]

1. "killing, raping and kidnapping women" --in that order?

But seriously, folks, I've misplaced my scorecard--is this good news or bad? And since there was an U.S. exercise in the area, why shouldn't we believe that the U.S. is behind it?

:headbang:
rocknation

[MADem]

3. Well, they did not expressly confirm that there was, but ya gotta figure

that it did happen.

I suspect this is one of those hideous 'gallows humor' things that get passed around in war zones. No, not funny from afar, but when you are fighting a losing battle, it's ironic and absurd.
Unfortunately, there's always a fool or two who takes that shit seriously.

If it were sincere, I doubt the use of "Buddy Jesus" from Dogma would come into play. It reminds me of that hysterical "gay agenda" list that was going around years ago.

The thing is, did someone leave it behind deliberately, or did they drop it accidentally?

Not a winner in the Hearts and Minds category in any event.

[Ian David]

5. Weird War Tales. See also:

So-called U.S. hostage appears to be toy
Tuesday, February 1, 2005 Posted: 5:37 PM EST (2237 GMT)



(CNN) -- A photograph posted on an Islamist Web site appears to be that of an action figure and not a U.S. soldier being held hostage.

Liam Cusack, the marketing coordinator for Dragon Models USA, said the figure pictured on the Web site is believed to be "Special Ops Cody," a military action figure the company manufactured in late 2003.

"It pretty much looks exactly like the same person," he said.

Cusack said he was contacted Tuesday morning by one of his retailers, who informed him that the alleged hostage appeared to be one of the company's action figures.

"I thought it was a joke at first," he said.

But after reading a report on a news Web site about a U.S. soldier allegedly being captured, "I looked at it and said, 'It does look like one of our action figures.'"

More:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/02/01/iraq.hostage/index.html




And:

Osama Has a New Friend

By Declan McCullagh| Also by this reporter
07:18 AM Oct, 10, 2001
WASHINGTON -- Evil Bert, meet Evil Osama.



Right now, the two appear to be inseparable -- at least on ubiquitous posters carried by pro-Taliban demonstrators.

Devotees of freak-humor websites will recall the infamous "Bert is Evil" page, a shrine to the gourd-like Sesame Street character, which offers compelling photographic evidence of the muppet consorting with Hitler, the KKK and, of course, Jerry Springer.

Now, in a move that defies all rules of logic, a doctored photo showing Bert with the world's most-wanted terrorist, Osama bin Laden, seems to have made its way into an anti-American Islamic protest in Bangladesh.

Reuters photographs of a rally this week organized by Jaamiat-e-Talabaye Arabia, a radical Islamic organization, show that protesters created a pro-bin Laden sign out of a collage of photos they apparently lifted from Internet sites.

More:
http://www.wired.com/news/conflict/0,2100,47450,00.html

[patrick t. cakes]

6. is that bin laden poster for real??

ive got to get one.
thats funnier than shit!!:spray:


(might be worth some money in 60 years on
antiques road show.)

[MADem]

7. I remember both those events...the Cody 'kidnapping' was quite the

drama, because that was around the time they took poor Matt Maupin, who still is 'missing' (no one wants to address the issue that the film of "someone" in fatigues and the hat he favored being executed at night in the desert looked way too much like the poor kid). They still haven't found the body. The outrage about the action figure sucked up a news cycle or three. The story of the fake sucked up another one or two.

And Bert and Osama is something that ALWAYS makes me smile. It's just too rich. It reminds me of so many goofyass things I saw over that way and elsewhere that just didn't "go."

There are guys in West Bank and Gaza, potential suicide bombers, some of them, surely, wearing high fashion civilian "fatigues" in snazzy cammy designs with "United States Air Force" logos over the breast pocket.

Who said irony's dead?

Chinese people get the same kick that we do out of stuff like that, with these poor boastful fools who (often after a night of liberty in a bar) get "chinese character" tattoos when they aren't chinese, can't read the character, and know nothing about the culture--they think it says "strong warrior" or "invincible" when it actually says something like "incontinent" or "mentally defective."

[krispos42]

8. Something similar in the book "Enemy Mine"

The human pilot is taught to say a bunch of derogatory things about what Intelligence thinks is their god or other chief religious figure.

Later on in the story, the alien screams some badly-worded English phrases that insult Mickey Mouse.

Ah, cultural misunderstandings...

[leftchick]

4. I have no doubt! here is a link to the photo I posted

on Oct. 1

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=364&topic_id=2274087

[Name removed]

2. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mhatrw]

9. What is the real story here? n/t

[Blue State Bandit]

10. WOW! Now the Sunni and the Radical Reich finally have a common enemy,

WOW! Now the Sunni and the Radical Reich finally have a common enemy.

Jay and Silent Bob (Bong-gu!)! Someone should look into flooding the Muslim world with copies of "Jay and Silent Bob Strikes Back", translated into all the major dialects, with caveats explaining scenes like "Judgment in the Boardroom", and our respectful (as hot as she still is) admiration of the "Muse" character.

All jokes aside though, this incident brings a sobering possibility to my attention; a scenario that we must watch out for.

The Democratic/tolerant majority of America has the pallet and/or basic constitutional gnosis for such forms of expression (i.e. SNL, Daily Show, Clerks, Dave Chapelle, Copernicus, Di Vinci, or just humanity's greatest skill, to use "levity" to "over come" adversity).

Tactics taking similar forms could be perpetrated by the Bush/ Neo-Cons on their way out of power. Such a strategy would be par for the course for these a**holes.

By now, the Neo-Con artists are accepting the fact that they will lose power over the next year. With any luck we may be in a position to handicap them good if we get both sides of Capitol Hill. But think about it. What would you do if you were power hungry, multi generational, unscrupulous group of international imperialists with unlimited resources?

They would be plotting their comeback, post-haste. And what better way, considering the view of the chessboard, than to attempt to make the Muslim world hate the Dem's even more than they hate themselves.

[lpbk2713]

11. Who do these people think they are anyway?

They act just like they think it's their country or something.


They don't seem to realize that they are in a possession of the United States of Halliburton.





:sarcasm: