Posted on 02/02/2006 7:11:45 AM PST by Cornpone
PARIS, Feb 2, 2006 (AFP) - France's respected daily newspaper Le Monde joined a European press campaign for freedom of expression Thursday with a front-page cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed and an editorial defending the right to ridicule religions.
The drawing by the paper's long-time cartoonist Plantu featured a head of the prophet made up of the words "I must not draw Mohammed" written repeatedly in long-hand.
"Religions are systems of thought, constructions of the spirit, beliefs which are to be respected certainly, but also freely analysed, criticised and even turned to ridicule," Le Monde said.
"A Muslim may well be shocked by a picture of Mohammed, especially an ill-intentioned one. But a democracy cannot start policing people's opinions, except by trampling the rights of man underfoot," it said.
Plantu told the newspaper that cartoonists and other humourists find it increasingly hard to touch on religion in their work.
"People do not understand to what point -- outside the Catholic Church which we can attack and which is, one has to say, very lenient -- it has become impossible to criticise religious things," he said.
Well said.
I was thinking the exact same thing. I would not want to be the night lobby security guard.
Well, move France up a notch in the testicle department.
Congratulations!
Well... there go another eight, nine hundred French cars, up in flames... :)
Good.
Now, where's The Guardian, The New York Times, The New Yorker, the New York Review of Books, etc., etc.?
The recent display of testicular fortitude will not last for very long. Expect a recantation.
This is the true revelation of Muhammad
Their Koran is the fantasy revelations of Muhammad. Some say were hallucinated during epileptic fits. In any case they are false because Mo' is false prophet
and the present day outcomes of following his vile ideology, they try to hide the truth in the dark and "shoot the messenger" who reveals it instead.
The Supreme Court building in Washington, D.C. has some friezes showing likenesses, or supposed likenesses, of various famous lawgivers as a presentation of the history of law. Hammirabi is there. Moses is there. Christ is there. Solon is there. Guess who else is depicted?
Yep, that's right; Mohammed. Like it or not, he set forth a system of law used by many people around the world. The Moslem world is not too pleased about this. Some of the more "official" Moslem organizations complained a while back; they wanted it's face defaced. The Supreme Court, which would have to approve any such act, said "No". They don't want to spoil the historicity of the building, or something such.
I don't think the Islamic whack-jobs have heard about this yet. When they do, look for someone to try to sneak into the building with a bomb, or a hammer and chisel. Or kill a few dozen people in a riot protesting it.
How refreshing -- someone has finally admitted what I've known for some time now.
Even here on FR.
It's ALWAYS open season on us mackeral-snappers!
Cue the Parisian yutes.
Euh, was that out loud?
Sorry to have to break the news to you, but Frank died May 18, 1998.
That's a pretty strange admission by these "frogs."
(Sheesh, Christians endured a crucifix in a beaker of urine as a piece of "art." )
Actually it's much worse. That piece of "art" was funded by our government (our taxpayer money) through the National Endowment of "art".
The managing editor of France Soir, Jacques Lefranc, was fired after the publication by owner Raymond Lakah, an Egyptian magnate, employees said. No official reason was immediately announced.
. . . surprise, surprise, surprise!
The article's also correct that Catholics put up with a LOT worse . . .
Well that explains it. Nice to know some of the other European papers aren't being intimidated.
Also, there is a report on counterterrorism blog from Lorenzo Vidino, a terrorism authority, that claims there is much more to the story than the twelve cartoons:
Fabricated cartoons worsened Danish controversy
Counter Terrorism Blog is made up of recognized authorities; it is not amateur hour. That doesn't mean the information is right, but it should be taken seriously.
Bear in mind that the owner of that newspaper is Egyptian, whereas the fired editor was French.
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