Posted on 02/04/2006 1:23:16 PM PST by Lorianne
News agencies settled on "Muslim outrage" as a shorthand to describe the uproar over the cartoons. This is accurate but tells only part of the story. In the Arab world, press reactions revealed additional nuances in what is the biggest international wrangle over freedom of expression and respect for Islam since Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses.
The caricature that has sparked the loudest outcry depicts Muhammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb. Muhammad al-Hamadi, writing in the United Arab Emirates' Al-Ittihad, argued that the perception of a link between Islam and terrorism is not merely a figment of European cartoonists' imaginations: "The world has come to believe that Islam is what is practiced by Bin Laden, Zawahiri, Zarqawi, the Muslim Brotherhood, the Salafis, and others who have presented a distorted image of Islam. We must be honest with ourselves and admit that we are the reason for these drawings. Any harm to the Prophet or Islam is a result of Muslims who have come to reflect the worst image of Islam and certain Arabs who have not conveyed faithfully the life and biography of the Prophet."
Al-Hamadi criticized Denmark as well for picking the wrong issue for a stand on principle: "If Denmark has tried to teach Arabs and Muslims a lesson in respect for the country's constitution and its laws, I believe it did not succeed in choosing the right issue. The justification that one must respect the constitution that guarantees freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to denigrate others, was not appropriate—this is the trap that Denmark fell into."
(Excerpt) Read more at slate.com ...
I hadn't thought of that, all this is merely redux Rushdie.
Perhaps it IS true, Muslims just cannot understand
the separation of church and state, or what a "free" press
really means.
I hope they are ready for the Totaler Krieg they keep talking about.
This is true to an extent, they are responsible but the terrorists are not portraying a false image of the prophet, he was a pedophile, murderer and advocated killing anyone who is not a muslim. The thing is, people are seeing them for the first time as the majority" are. This is proven by the vote of the so called palistines when they voted in Hamas.
Denmark didn't "choose the issue," the islametards burning buildings chose the issue.
Your principles are admirable, but please, don't put them into action.
Sincerely,
Mo Ham.
It's so obvious what our press is all about.
They didn't fear publishing Abu Graib pictures and inciting the Muslim world.
But when it involves another country, they won't publish the cartoons for fear of inciting the Muslim world.
"If Denmark has tried to teach Arabs and Muslims a lesson in respect for the country's constitution and its laws, I believe it did not succeed in choosing the right issue...."
Okay. How about the issue of muslim males raping Danish women? They do so with no criticism from their religion, because the women are non-muslims-infidels.
And islam doesn't care that they are raped--they are not muslims, so they don't matter.
Let's do that issue. That ought to piss off the Danes about enough to do MORE than burn a flag.
That's putting it mildly.
Lesson #1 if you break the laws and fail to obey the country's constitution, at best you will be asked to leave, there is also prison time after which you will be thrown out and sent back to sandpit where you came from.
Lesson #2 Those that give respect get respect, saying you are going to kill everyone that doesn't obey islam is a sure sign you don't respect anyone else. Lesson #3 European countries have armys, navys, and air forces you have signs, ugly women in burhas,and big mouthes even France conquered almost all of europe all the way to Moscow while your islamic ancestors were still humping camels and children.
They didn't fear publishing Abu Graib pictures and inciting the Muslim world.
But when it involves another country, they won't publish the cartoons for fear of inciting the Muslim world.
BINGO!
And wiping their rears with their hands. They have made a lot of progress, though, they have added sheep to the herd. Otherwise, no change.
For those who were disheartened to hear the State Department's official position regarding the Islamic cartoon matter, the press has misrepresented their official position (no surprise).
The statement in its entirety can be read here:
http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1571906/posts
"Al-Hamadi criticized Denmark as well for picking the wrong issue for a stand on principle: "If Denmark has tried to teach Arabs and Muslims a lesson in respect for the country's constitution and its laws, I believe it did not succeed in choosing the right issue. The justification that one must respect the constitution that guarantees freedom of opinion and expression, including the freedom to denigrate others, was not appropriate—this is the trap that Denmark fell into."
"
This from a group of people that teach hatred of the west in their schools? They want to lecture us on respect?
Thanks to prairiebreeze for this:
Please take a look at some further analysis about the State Dept statement.
Right Wing Nuthouse calls it more of an example of laziness and poor writing ability on the media's part. For instance he says:
So just where did the State Department get it wrong? They stand up for free speech. They recognize that the cartoons offended Muslims. They tell the idiots in the Middle East to look to their own portrayals of Jews and Christians before going off half cocked about the Mohamed cartoons. And they call upon everyone to settle down.
But all we got from press reports was the fact that the State Department seems to be condemning the Danes and other European publications for running the offending cartoons and an obligatory nod to the First Amendment.
Also on this Little Green Footballs link Charles posts the transcript from the actual briefing of Scott McCormack at State Dept. He gives a MUCH fuller explanation to the State Dept's stance on the situation with Denmark than was initially reported by the press. AND, btw, reported word for word by three different reporters.
It is a big joke when they insult Jesus Christ or the Jewish religion. But oh their religion has all these holy cities and we in the USA had to fight to have stores and other business say Merry Christmas . They make fun of us Christians cause we pray , hey look at the cartoon and weep cause weither or not you like it you want to be a world class society , your religion is now on fire also.
I believe that an early response was a brief press release from the State Department that did not give sufficient respect to free speech and the First Amendment, IMHO. It was posted on FR.
Later reports have been satisfactory.
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