Some folks on the right have taken issue with our interview with comic book writer David Hine concerning the controversy of an Algerian Muslim taking up the mantel as France’s Batman.  Blogger Avi Green has responded with his thoughts on the interview.  I thought it’d be good to respond to some of it.  But first, thanks for reading Avi (and the links)!

Below are quotes from Green’s blog post and our response:

The British-born writer who wrote that whitewashy, morally equivalent story of Batman recruiting an Algerian Muslim in France gave an interview to the leftist Graphic Policy site, where he continues to be as insular as ever, and sees conservatives as merely manufacturing the news.

Green calls this site leftist.  First, yeah I’ll admit we lean left for now, but to say we’re “leftist” is a bit of a stretch.  I’ll give some more evidence of that below, but the reason we’ve covered this story and did the interview is because it’s news.  Who cares if it’s right or left, it’s interesting and political, you know a topic this blog deals with.  Here’s a challenge, if someone from the right wants us to read their comic, I’d be happy to and promise to be fair and do an interview.  We’re an equal opportunity blog.  In fact, if someone who leans right would like to start blogging here, I’d invite you too join us.  The more the merrier.

I’ve been to France too, but do I adhere to the kind of socialist leanings and contempt he probably has?

Uh, what does the new French Batman have to do with socialism?  That’s just name calling for name calling’s sake.

Wow, he really thinks even I’d care if the character was Algerian. I don’t care about his race and/or ethnicity. What I care about is his default religion, Islam, whose Koran/Hadith contains creepy verses like, “Your women are your fields, so go into your fields whichever way you like” – Sura 2:223. And, lest we forget, there’s also the matter of “prophet” Mohammed’s marriage to a 9-year-old girl, Ayesha. (See also this topic and this one for more insight). I assume Hine considers that “normal”? If this were an Algerian Christian, maybe even an apostate from Islam, who was the protagonist, all this disgust at Hine and company’s subtle insult wouldn’t have been.

Thank you for being honest in the issue being he’s Muslim, cause that makes it pretty simple.  But the reasoning and examples given are laughable.  The Bible advocates for the stoning and murder of people for so many reasons and Christianity is used to this day to justify murder and genocide.  All religion is guilty on this one.  It also paints all Muslims as the same.  I know many, and none of them believe in the above.  I guess Green truly believes everything in his religion down to the “t”?

And what’s that supposed to mean? That the French are stupid and have no knowledge of how to judge a story, and will take what’s offered no matter what? It figures that such a Briton would be so murky and otherwise contemptible. I may not be French, but if I were, I can assure you I wouldn’t take kindly to this, and it’s got nothing to do with whether or not the character is indigenous. It’s just his chilling religion.

Isn’t this part of the point?  This issue started with American Conservative bloggers, not French.  Why are you taking up the cause for some other nation and people?  Sit down until there’s an American Muslim Batman, then you can speak up.  Or how about just flipping out about the numerous other Muslim American characters out there.

Again, he fogs it all up as “racial”, in his failure to distinguish between race and religion. A man or woman who cannot distinguish between race and religion is not a very well educated person, IMHO. He should also consider the rage manufacturing his own country’s spent its time doing, like that there was ever a “palestinian Arab people” who existed. Or how about what may be the first anti-Jewish pogrom in Europe, which, as Melanie Phillips wrote in City Journal, took place in none other than England

How has Hine fogged it all up as “racial.”  Hine calls this as part of “anti-Muslim sentiment” which doesn’t fog anything.  He lays it out as the hatred of a religion.  I also understand the right has a fascination with Israel, but what does pogroms in England have to do with any of this.  Here’s the logic.  A pogrom occurred in England against Jews.  Hine is English.  Therefore Hine hates Jews.  Yeah, it doesn’t work that way.  I’ll do my version.  Americans committed genocide on Native Americans.  Green is American.  Therefore Green wants to exterminate Native Americans.

Oh, and I thought we’d moved on from a time when it seemed as though indigenous Bulgarians, Ghanians, and Armenians didn’t exist in entertainment, but do you actually see them seriously emphasized in entertainment today? Not really. Not even the Ainu of Japan seem to get much attention; it’s as though they don’t exist either! What’s so special about a religion like Islam that isn’t so special about a race like the Armenians?

But the emphasis of the character as Hine is pointing out isn’t he’s Muslim, it’s he’s Algerian and torn between being a hero and the racial tensions between that minority and the French.  Isn’t that also “fogging up” the racial and religious issue like Green himself accused Hine of doing?

Is that also his opinion on 9-11 Families for a Safe & Strong America and their opposition to the Ground Zero mosque abomination? No surprise he would merely dismiss the movement against the whitewash of Islam so cynically.

What the hell does my interview with Hine have to do with this?  I asked Hine if he followed the controversy online.  He said he normally ignores bloggers, but decided to check this out and was shocked at the anger over a comic book character.

What is this supposed to be? What’s the tragedy in Arizona got to do with this? Is this some sort of attempt to hijack something unrelated as part of the left’s effort to demonize the right over something that leftist ideologyactuallycaused?

My question to Hine about threats wasn’t specifically about Arizona and it’s point wasn’t to demonize anyone.  So settle down skippy.  The fact is, the question was about a threat, and threats in general was a hot topic when I sent Hine the questions.  The point of the question was about that, not Arizona (I might not have worded it quite as I should).  Next, for the record, the tragedy in Arizona has nothing to do with politics, right or left.  The tragedy was due to a mentally unstable person who’s cries for help went unheard.  It has nothing to do with immigration, or politics, or guns.  It has to do with a crazy person.  The suspect’s searches leading up to the tragedy had to do with mental health issues.  He was asked to get a mental evaluation.  There were signs and no one intervened.  Green might be surprised I support the 2nd Amendment and I enjoy shooting guns (not so leftist now am I?).  The point of that question was the threats.  I have covered these types of stories and have received threats over my coverage.  I was interested if he received one as a writer.  That’s it.

As it so happens, it’s very fortunate that he hasn’t recieved any threats. Let us be clear: it would be wrong to do what the Islamofascists have tried doing to Lars Vilks.

I agree it’s nice he hasn’t received threats.  And as far as that issue, this “leftist” blog has covered that pretty down the middle as you can see here, here, here, here and here.  For the record we condemn those threats and those who make them should go to jail for a long time.

Speaking of which, “Nightrunner” is actually pretty weak for a code name too.

Here’s something Green and I agree on.