- Culture
- 17 Feb 06
American Muslims have set up their own version of The Onion.
In the same week that Muslims were accused of overreacting to a series of Allah lampooning cartoons, Caught In The Net has been chuckling at the ‘Third Grade Palestinian Boy Claims Responsibility For Attack’ story on the www.islamica.com news site.
“For six minutes," it reports, "the air in Ms. Lambert's third-grade classroom was filled with the stench of a senseless act of juvenile mischief. Students were caught off guard when young Tahir Asafi released one of his lethal 'fart' bombs in the southeast region of the classroom. Seconds after the attack, screams of 'ewe's could be heard coming from the area hardest hit. The incident occurred sometime between math and social studies as the students were taking out their pencils. Ms. Lambert directly blames Tahir's mother for packing schwarma in his lunchbox every day."
Islamica is the work of an American Muslim group who’ve decided that the best way to overcome post 9/11 prejudice is to parody it.
In the interests of religious balance, we’d like to introduce you to the “World’s Christianist Rock Band” Sin Destroyers. Imagine if Justin Hawkins had looked to Jesus rather than ‘70s glam for inspiration and you’ll have some idea of the righteous noise these New Yorkers make.
“The band and I were team teaching a Sunday school class and giving a lesson on how God invented everything,” reveals lead singer Tyler Walker. ”One of the students asked if God invented the electric guitar. ‘Of course,’ we told him, ‘and double bass pedals, and gongs, and whammy bars, and cowbells, too.’ Curiously the child responded, 'Why?' Like a bolt of lightning from the almighty himself, it hit us: ‘So that we can kick ass in his name!’ That afternoon we all gathered our guitars, basses, drums and bibles and met in Peter’s basement. The rest is history.”
Find out why they’re all going to hell on a Harley Davidson at www.sindestroyers.com.
In the interests of even more religious balance, CIN has been checking out one of reggae’s more unlikely practitioners, Matisyahu.
A Hasidic Jew replete with signature black coat, hat and beard, the New Yorker explains: “I would meditate on the concepts that Bob Marley would sing about. He was a person who was going against the stream. I would listen to his lyrics and relate them to my own life, my own searching.”
The only one of the featured sites so far that isn’t a spoof, www.hasidic.com finds him hanging with the likes of Saul Williams and Death Cab For Cutie.
Which just leaves time for quick visits to www.dogjudo.co.uk (‘Ruff’ Rex Hunter takes on ‘Barking’ Bob Bones) and www.delorentos.net (free download from the Dublin Franzalikes).