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US backs Muslims in cartoon dispute
Reuters ^ | 02/03/2006 | Saul Hudson

Posted on 02/03/2006 1:31:35 PM PST by thierrya

US backs Muslims in cartoon dispute Fri Feb 3, 2006 3:28 PM ET

By Saul Hudson

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States backed Muslims on Friday against European newspapers that printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a move that could help America's battered image in the Islamic world.

Inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States sided with Muslims outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion.

"These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims," State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question.

"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable."

American Muslims welcomed the U.S. position, although it stopped short of urging American media not to republish the cartoons that include depicting Mohammad as a terrorist.

Cooper said he had no comment as to why the United States chose to pass judgment in a dispute that ostensibly does not involve America.

But the United States, which was founded by immigrants fleeing religious persecution, has previously spoken out against publications offensive to believers of other faiths.

"Anti-Muslim images are as unacceptable as anti-Semitic images, as anti-Christian images or any other religious belief," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

The United States, which before the September 11 attacks was criticized for insensitivity to the Islamic culture, has become more attuned to Muslim sensibilities.

Accusations last year that U.S. officials desecrated the Koran sparked deadly riots in Asia and heightened that awareness.

DIFFERENT RESPONSE IN U.S. AND EUROPE

Major U.S. publications have not republished the cartoons.

In contrast, some European media responded to the criticism against the Danish newspaper that originally printed the caricatures by reproducing the images and fueled anger that has led to boycotts of Danish products and widespread protests.

The U.S. response contrasted with European governments, which have tended to acknowledge the tension between free speech and respect for religion but have generally accepted the newspapers' rights to print the cartoons.

Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic Relations, told Reuters he welcomed the U.S. position.

The State Department reaction "was a strong statement in support of Muslims around the world. It's a reflection of the concern felt by millions of Muslims and I think it will be appreciated," he said.

"It is support for an understanding that with freedom comes responsibility."

But Stephen Zunes, a professor of politics at the University of San Francisco and a Bush administration critic, said the United States was responsible for creating far more anger in the Muslim world because of its invasion of Iraq.

"The United States is the last nation that should caution against unnecessarily inflaming sentiments in the Muslim world," he said.

The U.S. criticism of the newspapers also comes after the Pentagon complained over a Washington Post cartoon.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent an unusual letter to the editor published on Thursday, denouncing as "reprehensible" and "beyond tasteless" a cartoon earlier in the week portraying Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld as insensitive to U.S. troop casualties.

The cartoon portrayed a soldier who had lost his arms and legs with Rumsfeld at his hospital bedside saying, "I'm listing your condition as 'battle hardened.'"

(Additional reporting by Caroline Drees)


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: europe; muslims; ululululululululul
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To: thierrya
Whatever we do we musn't agitate the mooselimbs.

They might fly planes into our buildings and murder innocent people.

41 posted on 02/03/2006 1:45:37 PM PST by FerdieMurphy (For English, Press One. (Tookie, you won the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes. Oh, too late.))
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To: thierrya
Yoo hoo! State Department! Over here!

Bin Laden artwork hanging in NYC (Osama as Christ?!)

42 posted on 02/03/2006 1:45:43 PM PST by lowbridge (All that is needed for evil to triumph is for "RINOS" to do something)
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle

State: "Muskrats, guarding their musk."?

And what makes the hottentot so hot?
If he tells us, we'll pass it on.


43 posted on 02/03/2006 1:46:08 PM PST by tumblindice
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To: thierrya

State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said ...

"We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable."

WTF???!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is not for President Bush or SoS Rice or Kurtis Cooper to determine the extent of "acceptable" press freedom, nor can they enforce the coupling of "expression" with "responsibility".

And, why would anybody in the Federal government -- GWB included -- get upset about some foreigner offending Muslim sensibilities when the National Endowment of the Arts subsidizes blasphemy?


44 posted on 02/03/2006 1:47:35 PM PST by RBroadfoot
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To: tumblindice

...winning the war on terror.


45 posted on 02/03/2006 1:47:46 PM PST by Blue Turtle
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To: Haemo

Whats so horrible about this story is how the State Dept could have contained this. THis all came about because the House of Faud was desperate to get the fact that again hundreds of pilgrams died during this year pilgrimage as well as about sixty in a hotel collapse and all of that could have been avoided if not for Saudi mismanagement. So they have their papers find cartoons in a Dutch paper four months before that no Moslem reads and inflames the issue to cover their butt. As usual the House of Saud couldnt contain the jeannie once it was out of the bottle. If someone had been paying attention at Foggy Bottom they could have nipped this in the bud with some phone calls to the Saudi Govt. THere is a cool Saudi Moslem guy that a blog called the Religious Policeman that has a hillarious take on this.


46 posted on 02/03/2006 1:47:54 PM PST by bayourant
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To: Darksheare

The Bush administration disagrees with you. They do not claim that WMD was found.


47 posted on 02/03/2006 1:47:55 PM PST by Austin Willard Wright
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To: thierrya

The State Department works for Condoleezza Rice.
She works for the President.

This fellow has stated that the US supports the Muslims.
Either he was talking out of turn, in which case there will be a public correction and he will be said to have been in error, or there will not be a public correction.

If there is not a public correction, then this is, in fact, the policy of President George Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and the United States Government, and it is dishonest to slough off such an utterly gutless position on some underling flunky.

If there is no retraction, the buck stops with Bush.


48 posted on 02/03/2006 1:48:37 PM PST by Vicomte13 (Et alors?)
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To: KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle

Gee....I didn't know Condi had so much hair!


49 posted on 02/03/2006 1:48:53 PM PST by Austin Willard Wright
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To: libertarianPA

only when we become muslims, and not until then, will they not find reason to be offended


50 posted on 02/03/2006 1:49:59 PM PST by sure_fine (*not one to over kill the thought process*)
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To: Austin Willard Wright; thierrya

Sarin shell rigged as an IED, and several mustard gas shells say different.
Anyone with half a brain knows that.
However, the goal posts have been moved repeatedly, and what the MSM wants as proof is a working nuke foud in a crate labeled 'nuke'.

Thierrya is a U.S. bashing troll, and said they were leaving.
They posted this article to merely bash the U.S. again.


51 posted on 02/03/2006 1:52:08 PM PST by Darksheare (Aim low! They got knees!)
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To: Vicomte13
If there is no retraction, the buck stops with Bush.

Precisely. I am very interested to see what Condi and Bush have to say about this matter.

52 posted on 02/03/2006 1:52:18 PM PST by Dark Skies ("The sleeper must awaken!")
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To: dirtboy

Here is more --

President Bush decided Wednesday to waive any financial sanctions on Saudi Arabia, Washington's closest Arab ally in the war on terrorism, for failing to do enough to stop the modern-day slave trade in prostitutes, child sex workers and forced laborers.


In June, the State Department listed 14 countries as failing to adequately address trafficking problems, subjecting them all to possible sanctions if they did not crack down.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/n/a/2005/09/21/national/w184052D94.DTL&type=printable

I'm not proud of Pres Bush here.


53 posted on 02/03/2006 1:52:34 PM PST by dervish (Osama, please hold, I'm trying to reach an FISC judge)
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To: thierrya; HEY4QDEMS

54 posted on 02/03/2006 1:52:48 PM PST by Lady Jag ( All I want is a kind word, a warm bed, and world domination)
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To: thierrya

This is hardly a surprise. We're negotiating all sorts of things with Islamic countries. What do folks expect the State Department to do, roll on the floor laughing at depictions of Muhammad that Muslims all over the world consider blasphemous?

I realize that many here on FR don't think there is any such thing as a decent Muslim, but I know that to be wrong.

The United States of America, under the leadership of President Bush, is not fighting a war against Islam. We are fighting a war against terrorism conducted in the name of Islam. At the same time we are doing that, we are attempting to convert two Islamic countries to a democratic form of government.

It is wrong to depict any religious leader or icon in a way that will be interpreted as blasphemy by those who follow that religion. There are many blasphemous images of Jesus on the web. Blasphemous images of deities or prophets is not the way to conduct affairs of state, so the State Department is correct to dissassociate itself with such images.

Short of leveling the entire Muslim part of the world, we must deal with Islam. We're obviously not going to do the former, so we must do the latter.

We even have a few million Muslim citizens of this country. They are citizens of the United States of America, the country that champions freedom of religion. The government of this nation will never engage in blasphemous portrayals of any religion. We are above that sort of nonsense.

President Bush is right. The State Department is right. We are not at war with Islam. We are trying to help Islamic countries become nations of democracy. If we are going to abandon that effort, then let's bring our troops home. If we're going to keep them there, then we are continuing to respect Islam as a religion.


55 posted on 02/03/2006 1:53:03 PM PST by MineralMan (godless atheist)
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To: HEY4QDEMS
"I remember when we used to have a spine."

The last time we had a spine was when RWR was presiding.

56 posted on 02/03/2006 1:54:18 PM PST by Czar (StillFedUptotheTeeth@Washington)
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To: thierrya

I personally wouldn't offend somebody else's religious beliefs. But freedom of speech in Denmark is a matter for the Danes. And I admire the Danes - they're a tolerant, freedom loving people, without bigotry as far as I know.


57 posted on 02/03/2006 1:55:06 PM PST by popdonnelly
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To: thierrya

One of twelve cartoons posted on Michelle Malkin.

58 posted on 02/03/2006 1:55:58 PM PST by UnklGene
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To: MineralMan
We're negotiating all sorts of things with Islamic countries. What do folks expect the State Department to do, roll on the floor laughing at depictions of Muhammad that Muslims all over the world consider blasphemous?

How about telling Muslims that they need to understand that our laws and cultural values allow the publication of such images without the creator or publisher being subject to prosecution or a fatwah?

59 posted on 02/03/2006 1:57:25 PM PST by dirtboy (I'm fat, I sleep most of the winter and I saw my shadow yesterday. Does that make me a groundhog?)
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To: HEY4QDEMS
Pictures of the "Prophet" (pigs be upon him) through the ages.
60 posted on 02/03/2006 1:57:43 PM PST by Virginia-American
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