Posted on 02/01/2006 9:55:02 PM PST by Unam Sanctam
After getting kudos from free-speech activists for its courage, the French magazine Soir reversed itself and sacked its managing editor for publishing Danish caricatures of the prophet Mohammed. The owner fired his editor in order to placate the rage of French Muslims:
France Soir and Germany's Die Welt were among the leading papers to reprint the cartoons, which first appeared in Denmark last September. The caricatures include drawings of Muhammad wearing a headdress shaped like a bomb, while another shows him saying that paradise was running short of virgins for suicide bombers.
France Soir originally said it had published the images in full to show "religious dogma" had no place in a secular society.
But late on Wednesday its owner, Raymond Lakah, said he had removed managing editor Jacques Lefranc "as a powerful sign of respect for the intimate beliefs and convictions of every individual".
Mr Lakah said: "We express our regrets to the Muslim community and all people who were shocked by the publication."
The president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), Dalil Boubakeur, had described France Soir's publication as an act of "real provocation towards the millions of Muslims living in France".
The BBC reports that other publications have stood firm on their decision to reprint the Danish cartoons that have started a firestorm of protest from Europe's Muslim community. The newspapers and magazines remain steadfast in their right to publish satire on any topic of interest -- and certainly the rise of militant Islam makes it an open target for just such treatment. These publishers, sans M. Lakah, have shown more backbone and resolve in facing down the radical Islamists than their governments have shown thus far. Perhaps their courage might finally fire their politicians into showing more backbone.
Some commentators wonder whether the satirical value of these cartoons really outweigh the insult to Muslims that it represents. The religion forbids depictions of humans in art or sculpture (as does Judaism), and even the most sympathetic rendition of the Prophet is considered sinful. A few people have already reminded backers of the cartoonists of Christian outrage over Andres Serrano's "Piss Christ", a picture of a crucifix dunked into a beaker of urine. Other artistic depictions of Christian iconography have also gathered vitriol from religious and conservative circles, such as Chris Ofili's "Holy Virgin Mary".
However, the two issues differ in one important aspect. The exhibitions of the two artists mentioned received federal funds for staging these pieces of "art", and the reaction to their poor taste came from the support of the National Endowment for the Arts. No one disputed the right of the artists to create their offensive displays, but what really rankled most was that their money went into funding their exhibitions. Although both artists offended me with their creations and I firmly believe that government should have no part of funding them, I would absolutely fight against any attempt to censor them or to stop them from painting or photographing what they consider art.
These cartoons have been privately drawn and published by privately-owned enterprises. That is the essential nature of free speech. The Danes understand that, and I find the European impulse in supporting them the most hopeful sign from the Continent in a long time, Soir's surrender notwithstanding.
For more on this subject, please read Judith Klinghoffer, who has followed this story much more closely than me, and Michelle Malkin for more links. In the meantime ...
Well that didn't take long for the French to buckle under...
But of course!
We should really consider mimicing the French. They KNOW what free speech really is. :)
La République française Islamique.
24 hour surrender?
Well, I'm glad the author pointed out the distinction between the cartoons and the other two examples given. What I recall was not so much outrage over the "piss christ" image, but that our tax money was paying for the exhibit.
Apples and oranges; please come up with a legitimate whine.
This is really bad news.
Marechal, nous voila!
[spit]
You should send that pic to Monsewer Lakah and see if he publishes it.
I hope France Soir gets what it deserves and have people boycott them for their lack of ba**s.
Don't think of it as a surrender, think of it as an avance vite a l'arriere.
I hope someone like the New York Post offers him a job pronto.
A car backfired outside the newspaper's office.
Hey! It's France. What did you expect?
Wow, a white flag appears in Paris before any new riots have occurred.... this is the new French doctrine of "preemptive unilateral surrender" under which the French will make certain not to have a backbone under any circumstances, not even if their "multilateral" EU partners are trying to resist the hordes. "Alors, perhaps if we bow down to our Muslim brethren and beg for forgiveness they will allow us to live in abject dhimmitude for the rest of our pathetic lives!"
Reaction this morning: "Could this possibly be true?!?! A French newspaper has actually grown a pair?!?!"
Reaction this evening: "Never mind."
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.