Editorial Cartoon ["We Are All Danes, Now" -- Brave, MUST-READ Editorial!]

Hamilton Spectator ^ | 02/04/2006 | Dianne Rinehart

[KentTrappedInLiberalSeattle]

We are all Danes now, as Paul Belien, editor of the Brussels Journal said in his editorial this week.

Or we should be.

Because today Denmark is taking a beating for us all, fighting for press freedoms that can mean the difference between democracy and totalitarianism, between free speech and terror, between sleeping at night and being afraid of the knock on the door, between light and despair.

And that tiny democracy is doing so under threat of economic sanctions -- and death for its citizens and those of other Western countries where news media have rallied to the defence of free expression.

Think I'm overstating the danger of the outpourings of threats, violent protests and intimidations from radical Muslims over the Danish government's refusal to shut down Jyllands-Posten -- a newspaper in the Free World, after all -- after it published 12 cartoons depicting Mohammed, including some that appeared to be commenting on terrorism carried out in the name of religion?

Consider this news sampling: Fatah gunmen took over the French cultural centre headquarters in the Gaza strip to protest the refusal, Jyllands-Posten received bomb threats, its cartoonists death threats, Libya announced it would close its embassy in Denmark, and Pakistan's ambassador -- eeek! --urged the Danish prime minister to "penalize the cartoonists!"

Meanwhile one Muslim leader noted if Satanic Verses author Salmon Rushdie had been killed for his writings about Islam -- "this rabble who insult our Prophet Muhammad ... would not have dared to do so."

This is a powder keg of violence, we should note, created by Danish Muslims who enjoy Danish freedoms -- including the rights to pen their own opinions for publication and to hold protest rallies, if they'd cared to -- who toured Arab countries in January denouncing Denmark and demanding a boycott of Danish products.

(They got that. Arla Foods, Denmark's biggest exporter to Arab countries, announced this week it would lay off 125 staff as a result of lost sales.)

And what did some publishers of newspapers -- which are supposed to defend free speech -- do in the face of terror?

Fold.

Ironically the first "beheading" occurred in the homeland of the great French philosopher Voltaire whose views were once summed up as: "I do not agree with what you say, but will defend to the death your right to say it."

Would that the publisher of France-Soir had remembered those words before firing his editor after the paper republished the original cartoons along with another depicting Buddhist, Christian, Jewish and Muslim gods sitting on a cloud that said: "Yes, we have the right to caricature God."

Meanwhile a Jordanian newspaper reprinted the cartoons to show readers "the extent of the Danish offence" -- along with an editorial entitled "Muslims of the world be reasonable."

"What brings more prejudice against Islam, these caricatures or pictures of a hostage-taker slashing the throat of his victim in front of the camera?" wrote editor Jihad Momani -- before he was fired.

Whether you find the drawings clumsy, offensive or dead on (they're on the web) is not the issue.

The issue is that the paper had a right to print them. And a proper response is to write back to express views -- not violence.

It's called democratic debate, and there's too precious little of it in this so-called Free World anymore where governments and powerful institutions, including religions, use politically correct blankets to smother debate and criticism -- for their own purposes.

Ironically, the world's most beloved religious leaders -- who so often fought despotic rulers for the right to freedom of religion, expression and peace -- must be mourning this turn of events from the heavens.

And so in the spirit of the solidarity in which the Danes defended Jews in the Second World War -- by suggesting if the Nazi's ordered Jews to wear armbands in Denmark they would all be Jews.

And in the spirit of former U.S. president John F. Kennedy's "I am a Berliner" speech -- defending democracy over Communist tyranny.

And in the spirit of the editorial in the French paper Le Monde after 9/11- "We are all Americans."

I agree with the Brussels Journal: We are all Danes.

And I for one am going out to buy some Danish cookies and jams today. And if you care one fig for freedom, so should you.

Dianne Rinehart is a former magazine editor and news correspondent who has worked in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver and Moscow.

* Freedom of the press includes defending the right to criticize religion

[Steel and Fire and Stone]

Ya know... If these had been cartoons about Jesus, no one would be defending the right of the paper to print them.

Mooslimes take outrage to new limits, I'll grant you and should be smacked down for it but their outrage is every bit as real as if it were our own.

====================================================================

Well, there are a whole lot of problems with your comment.

1. It presupposes that there'd be some reason to show Christ, or portray Christian's in the same light, i.e. with a bomb hidden in a crucifix?? I'm sorry, Christian "soldiers" feed and cloth the poor, and tell people of the good news of Jesus Christ. The build hospitals, and found organizations like Samaritan's purse, or the Red Cross. They don't go around beheading unbelievers or rioting when someone creates art such as "piss Christ". (We might object to public funding of such an outrage, but not the right of an artist to create the art.) In short, there's nothing remotely "morally relative" between the Christian's situation and the Islamic "norm".

2. Are you saying that the USA would be up in arms, that Christians' would be rioting, and that the ACLU would NOT stand up and defend the publishers authors of political satire that skewered Christians and Jesus Christ? Umm .... you don't live in America, do you?! I guess your ignorance is understandable, then.

3. re: "their outrage is every bit as real as if it were our own.". Who are you including in "our"? All Americans? Conservatives? Christians?? Again, can you point to a similar incident where Christians went berserk and threatened lives and property about an insult to their religion?? DO NOT confuse, willfully or misguidedly, peaceful protest over GOVERNMENT FUNDED art or literature, or with the freedom of private authors or publishers to publish anything they want. The closest you might come to would be Christian protests against exploitative pornography - hardly the same thing.

I'm sorry, but you're so far off base as to be ridiculous. All religions are not the same. The differences mean something, and Christians are unique in the breadth and depth of their charitable deads among religious peoples of the world.

[mewzilla]

Got it bookmarked. Thanks for all that work, backhoe! Again :)

[djf]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1136113/posts

[Recon Dad]

It's ironic that the countries of Europe have persecuted the Jews for a thousand years now find themselves up against a religion that is aggressive and wants to dominate them. I bet they wished they had the Jews back.
I don't think they have the guts to deal with this threat.

[SkyPilot]

Michelle Malking posted a link to a site that proves that images of Muhammad (Fleas be Upon Him) were drawn my Muslims throughout history.

Interestedly, the depiction below from show Muhammad (Trees be a Lawn Him) and his followers with halos around them - obviously copying Christian medieval depictions of Christ with a halo.

Later version appear to show halo changing from an aura to flames.

Looks to me like they are burning in hell.

Muhammad (Sneeze be Upon Him) is really catching fire here! He is witnessing a beheading (how sweet, isn't he great!)

Hunka hunka of burning love.

Whoa.

I'm on fire!

[backhoe]

Thanks for looking & booking!

[TheSpottedOwl]

Maybe this is some kind of cosmic payback? They've treated the Jews horribly for centuries, and now look what they've got: hordes of people in their midst who want to exterminate them and make slaves out of them.

Some of Europe's leaders in WWII showed us just what they're made of.

[backhoe]

Good job as usual. Can you believe the infantile reactions of these Islamists? They're cartoons, dumbasses!

Thanks, Owl! Yes, they are the idjits of the village. Inbreeding does that, and I say that as a resident of the South where a common joke is-

"So, what do you call a six-year old virgin?"

"A girl who can run faster than her brothers..."

[backhoe]

They speak rather good English, wouldn't you say? I wonder if these signs are like others that show up in whatever country's language...?

There's no doubt in my mind that this is Manufactured Outrage- the cartoons appeared September 30th, yet now they become offended...

[TheSpottedOwl]

I wonder what's in that black box he's praying to? A flight recorder? Yves Saint Laurent perfume? Great pics, and your comments are a hoot : )

[dagnabbit]

They speak rather good English, wouldn't you say?

I'd guess most of them hold British passports and at least half are native-born UK citizens.

BTW, British passport holders need no visas to enter the USA.

[GAB-1955]

Someone, anonymously, brought Danish cookies into our office, where our team has Christians, Muslims, and Hindus. They all disappeared. We are sacrificing our waistlines for freedom!

[Recon Dad]

My point exactly. European countries do not know how to absorb foreigners as we do in the U.S. The question is will they have the will to purge the offending population. You're never going to get them to assimilate.

[TheSpottedOwl]

Hahaha! Daddy stop it, yer crushing my Marlboros ;-)

You're right about the inbreeding problem in the ME. In fact, someone posted an article here detailing some of the birth defects and inherited medical conditions, due to that fact.

It amazes me that some can leave, become productive citizens, send their kids to college, and to be sure practice their faith, but also assimilate. Then you have these folks who act utterly insane, screaming at everyone who tries to help them climb out of the 6th century.

[ken5050]

Did you notice that the editor of the Jordan paper who was fired for printing the cartoons is named.."Jihad.."

[antivenom]

Angry Muslim (that may be redundant) = "Cheaply Manufactured Outrage" aka Cartoons

[TheSpottedOwl]

That's the question, now we will have to wait for the answer. The US used to know how to absorb foreigners, but I'm starting to wonder. People are staying in the "ghetto" for generations, instead of joining the mainstream in one or two generations.

[TheSpottedOwl]

I'm coming around to the opinion that it is just an excuse to blow things up. Like they really need one :/

[backhoe]

It amazes me that some can leave, become productive citizens, send their kids to college, and to be sure practice their faith, but also assimilate. Then you have these folks who act utterly insane, screaming at everyone who tries to help them climb out of the 6th century.

Exactly.

( and BTW, that "Marlborough Joke" is pretty popular down here, too... [ ducking!] )

[varon]

So when do we start telling the Euros to look for the "root cause"... And that it is all really their fault by inciting all this rage. Had they changed the policies towards these people this never would have happened... Bla, bla, bla...

We are in no position to be telling the Europeans anything regarding their policies towards these people. Our policies are no better. If it wasn't for our geographic size and if we were compacted as the Europeans are, our whole country would be burning by now and many of our own citizens would be either pouring more gas on the fire or standing on the sidelines and cheering on the ones that are.