Muslims march over cartoons of the Prophet

Telegraph ^ | 11/04/05 | Kate Connolly

[Pikamax]

Muslims march over cartoons of the Prophet By Kate Connolly in Berlin (Filed: 04/11/2005)

A Danish experiment in testing "the limits of freedom of speech" has backfired - or succeeded spectacularly - after newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed provoked an outcry.

Thousands of Muslims have taken to the streets in protest at the caricatures, the newspaper that published them has received death threats and two of its cartoonists have been forced into hiding.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen called the cartoons a 'necessary provocation' Jyllands-Posten, Denmark's leading daily, defied Islam's ban on images of the Prophet by printing cartoons by 12 different artists.

In one he is depicted as a sabre-wielding terrorist accompanied by women in burqas, in another his turban appears to be a bomb and in a third he is portrayed as a schoolboy by a blackboard.

The ambassadors of 11 Muslim countries called on Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the prime minister, to take "necessary steps" against the "defamation of Islam".

But Mr Rasmussen, the head of a centre-Right minority coalition dependent for its survival on support from an anti-foreigner party, called the cartoons a "necessary provocation" and refused to act.

"I will never accept that respect for a religious stance leads to the curtailment of criticism, humour and satire in the press," he said.

The Danish debate over how to integrate Muslims has raged for years, with nursery school menus and women-only opening hours for swimming pools particular battlegrounds. But the cartoons satirising the Prophet have injected a dangerous new element into the controversy.

"This is a pubescent demonstration of freedom of expression that consciously and totally without reason has trampled over the feelings of many people," said Uffe Ellemann Jensen, a former foreign minister and member of Mr Rasmussen's party.

Carsten Juste, the editor of Jyllands-Posten, spurned demands that he apologise, saying he "would not dream" of saying sorry.

"To demand that we take religious feelings into consideration is irreconcilable with western democracy and freedom of expression," he said. "This doesn't mean that we want to insult any Muslims."

Juste commissioned the cartoons after learning of the difficulties a children's writer, Kare Bluitgen, had in finding an illustrator for his book on the Koran and the Prophet's life. Bluitgen said all the artists he approached feared the wrath of Muslims if they drew images of Mohammed.

Many cited the murder of the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by an Islamist as a reason for refusal.

Juste said he wanted to counter growing "self censorship" and see how many cartoonists would be "bold enough" to draw the Prophet.

One artist, Franz Füchsel, said he intended no offence. "But I live in 2005, not 905 and I use my quill in the way that Danish law allows me."

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Dutch MP famous for her criticism of Islam and author of the screenplay for Mr Van Gogh's film Submission, supported the paper. "It's necessary to taunt Muslims on their relationship with Mohammed," she said.

"Otherwise we will never have the dialogue we need to establish with Muslims on the most central question: 'Do you really feel that every Muslim in 2005 should follow the way of life the Prophet had 1,400 years ago, as the Koran dictates?' "

[splint]

Deport, Defame and Concentrate. Sand to Glass!

[austinaero]

Love it!

I've seen drawing depicting Christians in much worse ways. It seems the Muslims just look for things to say they are pi$$ed off about because all they have to offer is anger.

that's it!

[GeorgiaDawg32]

this series of photos is a street trick for money. if he had stolen bread, his RIGHT hand would be cut off so he had to eat with the same hand he wipes his back end with. there would also be NO padding for him to rest his arm on..

[Steve_Seattle]

"It's necessary to taunt Muslims on their relationship with Mohammed," she said.

I absolutely agree. In a free society, religion is fair game, even if it hurts our feelings. We need to be in-your-face with Muslims about their worshipful (I know they deny it, but it's true) attitude towards Mohammed. We need to tell them point blank, "Here's what Muhammed said and did, and here's what I think of it, here's the contradictions and flaws in your holy Koran, and here's what I think of it. Welcome to the free world; if you don't like it, get your smelly asses out, you stinking hypocrites. " No more pussyfooting.

[austinaero]

Gee, how arrogant to think Islam should be the protected religion world-wide. What are they going to do, riot? Oh,,gee, they've done that?

Churn out more terrorists? Gee, been there too.
So, what's left?


Freedom, can you say, FREEDOM?

[DTogo]

Good! Hopefully this will throw fuel on the simmering fire, cause Muslims to react violently and show their true colors, and bring about the inevitable: The Crusades II.

Islam has already declared war on the West and Judeo-Christian faiths, it's high time we mobilized and fight back - to the finish!

[Eric in the Ozarks]

They hate the West. Why are they here ?

[Sthitch]

When I see the reaction by the Muslims to drawings that were paid for with private money, I harkens back to the controversy around Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ" in 1987. There might have been people who called for violence against Mr. Serrano, but I do not remember hearing of it. I also do not remember most people who were outraged being out raged that he took a picture of a crucifix in vial of urine. No what irritated many Americans was that the government was forced to pay for it.

The point being that in a truly free country people like Mr. Serrano are allowed to produce art that offends others without fear of bodily harm or a jail sentence. In the world of Islam Mr. Serrano's image would be applauded, but if he took the same photo of the Koran in urine he would be flogged before he was hanged.

[CommandoFrank]

That is the most nausiating thing I have ever seen. Calling these a-holes an animal is an insult to animals. If I were there and witnessed that, I would probably go into a rage with my tactical shotgun.

Where are the human rights people?

Damn, thats just pure evil in its rawest form... barbaric!

[Steve_Seattle]

"The deadly sin is not in how Mohammed was depicted but that someone "dared illustrate him at all"."

Then the Muslims are themselves guilty of blasphemy, because only God is not to be depicted by images. And what about all those flea-bitten Muslim men carrying around their posters with pics of Khomeini and Sadr and all their other freaky mullahs? Isn't that idolatry by their definition?

[Beth528]

You are right I apologize to all the animals and animal lovers out there..

[CommandoFrank]

I have reviewed those pictures again and am outraged. Every one of those men(men?) should be shot on sight and dripped with pigs blood.

Tell me more about this religion of peace...

[Beth528]

this is where they came from..but http://bareknucklepolitics.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=126#126

[peyton randolph]

If the Prophet Mohammed's prepubescent wives were alive today, I'm sure they'd enjoy cartoons. Preferable to his pedophilia.

[GeorgiaDawg32]

part of the overall plan to convert, forcefully if necessary, everyone to islam..here's my take on the situation..

zarqawi can lay down his weapons and stop the violence. based on the way things are going now, europe and britain will be islamic within the next 100 years and his dream of global domination will be well on it's way. witness what's happening around the world. muslims move to countries to escape whatever it is they're running from. they immediately refuse to be assimilated into their new country and instead are intolerant of all who aren't tolerant of them. under the guise of "dialogue", "openness", "diversity", "tolerance" and "political correctness", they gain more and more power over those who are trying to accommodate them until a situation happens like is happening in france at the moment. any attempt to fight back is viewed as intolerant of demands until those demands overwhelm the host. like a cancer, the leech kills the host, then reinvents itself as a new entity.

unless and until someone decides to actually fight back,not with more tolerance, diversity, etc. but with force, political correctness will lead to a much changed world in the next 100 years.

IMHO

[reagan_fanatic]

They hate the West. Why are they here ?

For a muslim, it's simple - the freedoms taken for granted in the West can be used as an effective weapon to undermine those Democracies and advance islam as a form of government while at the same time allow muslims to increase their numbers and convert non-muslims to their cause. They have a clear vision of what the World should be and are very committed to seeing it through. This is by far the gravest threat to the West that we've ever faced, and for far too many of us, it is a message we simply do not want to hear.

[Beth528]

Go to the link below and see it..There is a video report on Iran torture below the pictures you might want to view..This all revolts me too,I just get sick to my stomach when I think of how our government has closed their eyes to all the torture in this world mainly by Muslims..And when our President tries to do something about it look what he gets..Crap from the dems morons..we need to stand behind our president on all this stuff and let the dems know we do by voting the scum dems out of office including the RINOS..

[longtermmemmory]

Islam is a form of tribal governance for the ignorant.

[tioga]

more people need to see what the religion of peace does to little eight year old boys for stealing bread to eat........