The Italian footoball team Inter Milan has a stylish uniform, white jerseys with a bold red cross.
Well, I think it is stylish. Baris Kaska, a Turkish lawyer, doesn’t like it. Indeed, according to the London Times, Mr. Kaska has initiated legal action against the team, alleging that the “Crusader-style” uniforms are “offensive to Muslim sensibilities.” Yes, really.
Baris Kaska, a lawyer in Izmir who specialises in European law, said that he had lodged a complaint in a local court against Inter Milan, which last month played the Istanbul team Fenerbahce in a Champions League match at the San Siro stadium in Milan. The Inter players wore a new strip – a white shirt with a giant red cross on it – marking the club’s centenary.
Mr Kaska said he was not only seeking damages but was also appealing to Uefa to annul the match, which Inter won 3-0. “That cross only brings one thing to mind – the symbol of the Templar Knights,” he said. “It made me think immediately of the bloody days of the past. While I was watching the game I felt profound grief in my soul.” Mr Kaska told the Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia that the cross symbolised “Western racist superiority over Islam”.
I used to think these “offensive-to-Muslim-sensibilities” stories were half comical–I saw that they had an edge, but really, I thought, they were local eruptions of politically correct nonsense: a nuisance, no more. I have corrected that opinion. A English school teacher in Sudan allows her students to name a Teddy bear “Muhammad” and she is jailed for “insulting the prophet.” Maclean’s magazine publishes a chapter from Mark Steyn’s best-selling book America Alone and a London lawyer files a “human rights” complaint in Canada against Mr. Steyn and the magazine for fostering “contempt and hatred” of Canadian Muslims. Everyone knows what happened when a Danish newspaper published some satirical cartoons of Muhammad. A very long list of such incidents could be compiled. Now a Turkish lawyer arrogates to himself the power to tell an Italian football team what they can wear. And Turkey wants to join the EU? Think about that.
Muslims have mastered the Western system of litigation and forged a powerful weapon out of it. When will they manage to adopt the Western system of free speech and respect for individual freedom? When will they learn that the luxury being offensive and offended is part of what it means to be a grown up? While we wait for an answer, I suggest that every Western sports team adopt a uniform that features a large cross as a sign of solidarity.
Greetings:
Censorship is the tactic; self-censorship is the goal.
“While I was watching the game I FELT profound grief in my soul.”
I felt.
I felt, I felt, I felt!
That is, in it’s entirety, what the very shattering of the Western world and it’s philosphical foundations, by modern day ideals is about.
Western Civilization, which has advanced the human race to an astonishing level, is criminal, immoral, and corrupt….. because “I FELT”.
This loathsome and heinous ideal, that others and the state itself is responsible for how you FEEL, must be fought and fought savagely on every level that such a battle can be waged. It is an ideal as monstrous as any that has come down the pike of human civilization, but much more insidous, rather like a venom that numbs it’s prey rather than killing it outright, that it may feed upon it’s flesh until the beast is satiated and it’s prey consumed.
(Pardon if I come across as ambivalent.)
The Muhammadans only have interest in exploiting the tools of the West to damage the system itself, they have no desire to embrace the aspects that will free themselves.
Mr. Kaska has a very “convenient” sense of outrage and history, doesn’t he?
If the Italians are smart, they’ll really piss off Baris Kaska (and the rest of his Islamo-fascist pals) by adding, “FREE CONSTANTINOPLE” to the fronts of their shirts and “REMEMBER THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE” to the backs.
I “feel” that the symbol of a crescent is offensive, inasmuch as it represents hundreds of years of slaughter and conquest across the Middle East, northern Africa, Spain, and parts of France.
The proper response is for lots more Western sports teams to add crosses to their uniforms…and to publicly express contempt for Kaska in the most offensive terms possible.
The real tragedy is that so many Westerners have internalized this guy’s assumptions about the Crusades. When will the West recover its backbone, and stand up to such bullying by pointing out that the Crusades – as off the rails as they went in some respects – were essentially defensive actions mounted in response to several centuries of Muslim imperialism in the near East?
Yet more evidence that Turkey is suprmemely unfit to joint the EU. I
I hope Inter-Milan will stand up to such bullying and proudly continue to wear their Red Cross jerseys. One can only hope more sports teams will do the same in solidarity.
Does anyone know where one can buy replicas of these Inter-Milan jerseys?
Department of sartorial intimidation
Power Line
<a href=”http://pajamasmedia.com/xpress/rogerkimball/2007/12/22/department_of_sartorial_intimi.php…
I can only ponder which aspects of Muslim sensibilities Mr. Kaska finds
offensive in “Crusader-style” uniforms.
Appealing to Uefa to annul the match?
3-0?
I thought those kinds of mulligans applied only to Italy’s “lazy husband”
laws and western “virgin purity restoration” remorse cases. not every time Muslims get THEIR heads handed back to them in struggles for domination .
Pre order yours now!
http://www.worldsoccershop.com/shop-by-league-champions-league-inter-milan-inter-milan-07-08-ls-away-soccer-jersey.html
I wonder if Mr. Kaska has considered the possibility of suits filed by Lokomotiv Sofia or teams in other areas that had less than robust ties to the Ottoman empire? Or are all those churches built so low because it was the style of the day?
My plumber intimidated my kids when he was bent over fixing the water heater. They were screaming about a “half-moon”. Half-moon, crescent moon, not a lot of difference, so I’m pretty sure this was an attempt at Muslim intimidation.
The fascinating thing is how so many Canadians are apparently sympathetic to the CIC and the Ministry of Truth… er… I mean Human Rights Commission.
I guess any opinions you don’t want to hear are hate speech.
How about jerseys with a cross on one side and and the image of mohammed on the back.
Dear God, someone needs to kick the SOB right in the nuts. Then he could really “feel” something profound.
If you don’t like it, tough. Go cry to mama, weenie.
Dennis W nails it. The Crusades were not an important part of the Islamic countries’ history of themselves until they started coming in contact with European historians in the early 19th C. They had, frankly, ignored it as less important than their own wars with each other and their more directly territorial wars of slaughtering Romanians and Bulgarians. Kaska’s complaint about images of the Knights Templar only come up because he learned about them from Europe.
I’m puzzled by the few comments suggesting that this incident exposes Turkey’s unsuitability to join the EU. I believe it reinforces their claim. They have little left to learn and are fit to take their place in Europe as full equals.
This shows that they “get it.” Welcome to the victim ideology, Turks! Now use it to extort concessions and cash. Only, be prepared for the inevitable suits from, say, Armenians for example. It works both ways.
The team is pictured wearing their away games uniform.
Yes, Inter Milan sells official replicas of the jersey.
Also available for sartorial intimidation at close range is a white polo shirt with the cross logo on the pocket.
“Muslim sensibilities”…what sensible Muslims has anyone seen lately? They crowd into the streets, beards,turbans, and sensibilities aflame like Seattle anti-globalists to the third power on meth.
May I add, as an Italian, that the red cross on Inter’ s uniform represents the flag of the City of Milan.
And I’ m afraid that this turkish lawyer is not so stupid, since I know that a lot of judges, alas even here in Italy, would agree with him.
Of course, someone can countersue Turkey for their national soccer jersey, which has the crescent and star: Turkish National team jersey
People (condemned to repeat history, no doubt) forget that the Ottoman Empire spent nearly five hundred years trying to conquer Europe (including part of Italy). For centuries, the crescent and star were most likely a hated symbol across Eastern and Central Europe.
If this lawyer wants to return to the status quo ante, maybe Europe should insist on Turkey changing its flag before joining Europe.
Turkish lawyer sues against “Crusader-style” uniform
Via Powerline . Roger Kimball responds to the lawsuit filed by a Turkish lawyer taking offense to the
Turkish lawyer sues against “Crusader-style” uniform
Via Powerline . Roger Kimball responds to the lawsuit filed by a Turkish lawyer taking offense to the
Andrew X:
While you’re correct, I think you give this guy too much credit for sincerity.
This is just another in a long line of contrived, greivance-hustling shakedowns — part of a deliberate effort to game the West’s legal and media institutions to silence critics and cow opponents.
It’s little different than the guilt-tripping charlatans and hustlers we pay to pan-handle and mau-mau us at the UN.
Or the gangsters posing as statesmen from police states who lecture us about ‘international law’.
Or all the yammering about ‘social justice’ coming from incompetent kleptocrats who loot third world basket case nations and run them like organized crime concessions.
Nothing but a racket.
And, of course, since our so-called leadership classes no longer possess the street smarts to tell when they’re being snookered, they fall for this stuff every single time.
Do you feel yourself subdued yet?
(Quran 9.29)
It’s all part of the “protection” Islam would like to give you. Sounds great, no?
I doubt that the Italians will stand up to keep the cross in the uniform. Most people in Europe do not realize the meaning of what is going on. The Barça (Futbol Club de Barcelona) has withdrawn the cross from their uniforms when playing in Arab countries.
http://blogs.periodistadigital.com/religion.php/2007/12/15/el_escudo_del_barca_pierde_la_cruz_de_sa
If Kaska really felt “profound grief” in his soul (cue the violins and crocodile tears), it’s because the Knights Templar often kicked Muslim butt.
Being the inventors of one of the vilest, sickest cultures on earth, one based on sacred hatred, genocide, victimology, and lust for plunder, the Muslims will perpetually recycle these grievances to gain tactical advantage over us.
We, on the other hand, have been taught to be so ashamed by the Marxists of the West’s often glorious imperial and colonial past that we revile the Knights Templar just as the Muslims do. 100 years ago, these guys were our western heroes. Now they have come to epitomize our self loathing for ourselves and our history. Of course the “crusades” were sometimss a somewhat bungled misadventure, but they also repelled for a time the rampaging onslaught of Muslim rape, pillage, and genocide that began when their hideous “prophet” started his thieving and hacking off of heads.
Today we answer the Muslim onslaught in court where Muslims brilliantly uses our laws to destroy us. It’s Jihad jujitsu.
We must give Muslims credit for turning their enormous disadvantages into strengths, and for turning our strengths into our worst vulnerabilities. They do this with our laws, with our science, with our openness, with our capital, with our rights, with our cell phones, and with our airplanes on stunning clear days.
Vinny – Quite right back atcha.
But while this guys “feelings” are in fact a race hustle, I am entirely of the belief that huge numbers of (essentially white) people who go along with it ARE acting on their “feelings”, and thus are contemptably manipulatable. And they are held in contempt by the hustlers, make no mistake. Useful idiots all.
Thus, it is pointedly not the likes of Mr. Kaska that is the real problem. It is rather the way so many others FEEL when Mr. Kaska makes this statement. Heaven forfend they should have the simple guts to say “Hey, Kaska, why don’t you shut yer frikkin’ pie-hole and quit whining like a little beeyotch”… etc etc. And he would, and that would be the end of it. Betcha HE wouldn’t even give it a second thought by sundown.
But no, people’s FEELINGS preclude that! Horrors!
The fault, dear Brutus, is ourselves. (Our own do-gooder elites, at least.)
well, if muslims in europe are allowed to deck themselves out in islam-sanctioned garb, such as the hijab and other authentic mohammedian getups which, incidentally, are troubling and offensive because of what they represent, why not this?
if the european muslims are willing to drop their religious costumes, then non-muslims will do likewise. how’s that for a deal?
If the crusades had not happened Islam would have probably ruled Europe a very long time ago and the U.S. would not exist. I’m pretty damn proud of those crusaders.
I may add that the badge of the prestigious Spanish club FC Barcelona bears on it the cross of St. George. This club is very popular in Morocco and fake copies of its characteristic blue and maroon colored jerseys are sold through out that country sans the cross, which is whitened out.
Andrew:
You’re right. If guys like this weren’t able to gain purchase with an audience receptive to his message — people who are more concerned with being well-liked than doing the right thing — this whole problem would be much smaller.
Abu suggests a possible compromise I could live with.
What kind of sick mentality can comment such ridiculuous nonsense.Roger, go back and read your comments over.Football jerseys are not banners displaying your religious or political views.Football is not a crusader war.Most badges already include a cross anyway.But sporting it in an in-your-eye manner is PRIMITIVE.
Ates,
You are a part of the problem, which is pandering to a bunch of closed-minded, hate-mongering religious zealots that have murdered thousands in the past and continue to this very day murdering people of their own as well as the Jewish religion in Palestine and Israel, hell, all over the map!
Their idea of “religious freedom” is that you can be THEIR sect or you can be DEAD. When are we going to get over their whining and realise we are a target?
TJ
I guess it is different in Europe. In the US, teams of all sports try to avoid doing anything that motivates their opponent.