David Warren: Organized apoplexy [Riots seldom, perhaps never happen spontaneously]

davidwarrenonline.com ^ | February 8, 2006 | David Warren

[Tolik]

It is important for people in the West to realize how the “Danish cartoon apoplexy” was started. Contrary to the impression left by most mainstream media, most of the Muslim world does not read Danish, store Danish flags in their closets, or have sea-mail subscriptions to all the Danish provincial newspapers. Everything they needed to riot was supplied, including a large volume of hateful lies.

Riots seldom, perhaps never happen spontaneously, in the Muslim world, or in ours for that matter. You need people committed to setting the bold example -- to pitching the first rock through the first window. And as we were reminded by the recent riots in France, it takes organization to keep a riot going. Witness the young men on scooters with cellphones, scouting fresh streets for the vandals to attack.

On Monday morning, the Wall Street Journal fleshed out what Danish media and the interested blogosphere had been uncovering through last week: the true history of how the international riots were organized and seeded.

The cartoons were nearly ignored when they first appeared: there was one death threat from a Muslim immigrant, but police determined the man was mentally ill. Trouble began stirring when imams called attention to the cartoons, with incendiary sermons in Danish mosques. An imam in Aarhus publicly reminded the editor of Jyllands-Posten of what had happened to the Dutch filmmaker, Theo Van Gogh. But even that could have blown over.

From several sources, we now know that word of the cartoons was then carried systematically through the Muslim world -- to principal mosques, madrasahs, and government offices starting in Egypt. This was done by delegations sent by Ahmed Abu-Laban, the Saudi-supported Imam of Copenhagen. And in addition to the dozen cartoons that had actually appeared in that obscure provincial newspaper -- most fairly innocent, and one actually satirizing opposition to Islam -- the delegations' "media kits" included as many as 30 graphics that had never appeared, and by their nature would never appear, in a Western mainstream newspaper. For instance, a photo of a man dressed as a pig, over the caption, “This is the real Mohammad.”

The fake pictures not only outnumbered the real ones, they were much nastier. Many were in the style of anti-Semitic cartoons that appear frequently in Arab papers, but turned around to target Muslims instead of Jews. And the covering letter, which I have read in translation, was full of outrageous lies about events in Denmark, and misrepresentations of what had been said by Danish journalists and politicians.

It is this document, and not any copy of Jyllands-Posten from Sept. 30th, 2005, that is at the root of the Muslim riots, the Saudi-sponsored pan-Arab boycott of Danish goods, and various fatwas and other acts that put Danes and other Europeans, who had never previously heard of Jyllands-Posten, in peril for their lives.

That the first violent acts were performed in Gaza and Damascus, under the oversight of Hamas and the Syrian Baath party, respectively, speaks volumes. That the Danish embassy in Beirut was torched just after the one in Damascus, says more. Lebanese police arrested nearly 200 provocateurs, most of them Palestinians and Syrian nationals. These people also tried to start a rampage through the whole upscale Maronite (Levantine Catholic) neighbourhood that is also Beirut's embassy quarter, by pitching rocks into random windows, and leading anti-Christian chants.

The barometer is still falling. Local Islamists have now seized upon the issue to launch more riots in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Indonesia. Across Europe, attempts are being made to rekindle the sort of thing we saw in France. And apologies are being demanded, that would be very foolish to give.

For the whole point of this exercise is to enhance the power and prestige of radical Islam, over the great number of Muslims who have not been looking for trouble. Simply by recognizing the least reasonable Muslim voices as the legitimate representatives of Islam, terrible damage is done to moderate interests.

It is utterly wrong to appease an Abu-Laban. Here is a man who gave an interview on Danish television, pretending great distress, and condemning the excesses of the international campaign against Danish persons, property, and products. But he also gave an interview to Al-Jazeera, in Arabic, cheerfully congratulating the world's Muslims on putting a scare into the Danes, and gloating over the success of the boycott. Alas for him, the Danish television network, DR, has now shown excerpts from the Al-Jazeera interview, translated into Danish.

This has to be spelled out very plainly to people in the West who don’t get it, including ignorant scribes in the U.S. State Department, the British Foreign Office, and the Vatican, who have added their official voices in condemnation of those irrelevant Danish cartoons.

Every time we refuse a radical Muslim demand, by sticking to our sound Western principles, we strengthen reasonable Muslims against the fanatics. Every time we relent, we strengthen the fanatics.

[Tolik]

...For the whole point of this exercise is to enhance the power and prestige of radical Islam, over the great number of Muslims who have not been looking for trouble. Simply by recognizing the least reasonable Muslim voices as the legitimate representatives of Islam, terrible damage is done to moderate interests.

It is utterly wrong to appease an Abu-Laban. Here is a man who gave an interview on Danish television, pretending great distress, and condemning the excesses of the international campaign against Danish persons, property, and products. But he also gave an interview to Al-Jazeera, in Arabic, cheerfully congratulating the world's Muslims on putting a scare into the Danes, and gloating over the success of the boycott. Alas for him, the Danish television network, DR, has now shown excerpts from the Al-Jazeera interview, translated into Danish.

This has to be spelled out very plainly to people in the West who don’t get it, including ignorant scribes in the U.S. State Department, the British Foreign Office, and the Vatican, who have added their official voices in condemnation of those irrelevant Danish cartoons.

Every time we refuse a radical Muslim demand, by sticking to our sound Western principles, we strengthen reasonable Muslims against the fanatics. Every time we relent, we strengthen the fanatics.

Nailed It!
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[Frank_2001]

Good article!

[ClearCase_guy]

Here is a man who gave an interview on Danish television, pretending great distress, and condemning the excesses of the international campaign against Danish persons, property, and products. But he also gave an interview to Al-Jazeera, in Arabic, cheerfully congratulating the world's Muslims on putting a scare into the Danes, and gloating over the success of the boycott.

The Moderate Muslims are the ones who talk nice on western TV but incite violence against the West in the Arab Press.

[ncountylee]

Abu-Laban should be expelled back to the Turdistan of his vile dreams.

[Billthedrill]

BTT. I admit to being astonished at just how meekly the collective knee of the U.S. media has bowed to the intimidation of street violence and the treacly platitudes of political correctness on the issue. These are First Amendment "warriors" unafraid to call Bush a Nazi but kissing the hand of the first bearded bully to whine that he's offended. I thought that my contempt for the MSM couldn't get any lower, but it has.

[guitar4jesus]

[knews_hound]

For more information on this manufactured "Crisis" mash here.

Iran and Syria are trying to shape Euro Public Opinion and have decided to strike first as a Dane is about to assume leadership in the UN Security Council.

With a cowed EU at the helm of the UNSC, they can act with impunity and continue to threaten the West.

As is typical, they have overplayed their hand and their clumsy attempt to make the Danes grovel has backfired on them.

Living in a 3rd world dictatorship with 7th century technology and culture makes for a poor strategy.

Cheers,

knewshound

[SandwicheGuy]

Excellent post, quite informative and spot on. Thanks for posting.

[YHAOS]

Is the article charging apoplexy on cue? I think that's right. Is the article suggesting that lunacy should not be humored or indulged? I think that's right.

[Tolik]

I remember my delight (about a hundred years ago, back in the elementary school) when I heard for the first time this very old joke:

A passerby stops seeing a man on his fours searching for something under the light poll.

-- What are you doing he inquires, can I help you?

-- I am looking for my wallet, the man responds.

-- Where did you lose it?

-- Right there, the man gestures toward another side of the road, that disappears in the dark.

-- So why are looking for it here? - the passerby asks in total astonishment.

-- It's brighter here...

It was hilarious because it is so nonsensical.

But so are the Left Stream Media. They critique mercilessly Israel for each real or imagined transgression, but are silent about Arabs. Why? Because they can't loose with Israelis: nobody is going to kill them and they can look good and compassionate. Another thing is to offend the ill-tempered "translators". Same as MSM withholding truth in Bagdad to keep their presence under Saddam. Same as Hollywood bravely attacking military, CIA, any government agency claiming sinister conspiracies on their part, all too aware that if any of these were true, they would be killed right away indeed. So, what's the surprise when Jihadists exploit MSM's cowardice, for a thousands time?..

[ctdonath2]

Riots can indeed be spontanious. Self-organizing chaos does exist. Enough participants are ready to act on certain stimuli, all they need is a spark - one rock impulsively thrown is enough.

That said, some riots are meticulously planned. The fall of Yugoslavia (? one in that region) had been planned for years, with players given their parts and ready to follow the script - which they did to dramatic effect.

Either way, a tone is developed and individual actions are predefined - be it aggregate personal choices forming a whole, or a whole being defined and personal actions assigned.

[USS Alaska]

If mooslims really hate pigs, what would they do to this daughter of satan?

[GOPJ]

It is utterly wrong to appease an Abu-Laban. Here is a man who gave an interview on Danish television, pretending great distress, and condemning the excesses of the international campaign against Danish persons, property, and products. But he also gave an interview to Al-Jazeera, in Arabic, cheerfully congratulating the world's Muslims on putting a scare into the Danes, and gloating over the success of the boycott. Alas for him, the Danish television network, DR, has now shown excerpts from the Al-Jazeera interview, translated into Danish.

Danes are growing spines ... hats off to them. Australians are growing spines...hats off to them. Even the French are standing up ... We're next guys -- publish the cartoon when it's part of a legitimate news story.

[GOPJ]

Every time we refuse a radical Muslim demand, by sticking to our sound Western principles, we strengthen reasonable Muslims against the fanatics. Every time we relent, we strengthen the fanatics.

BINGO

[kalee]

Contrary to the impression left by most mainstream media, most of the Muslim world does not read Danish, store Danish flags in their closets, or have sea-mail subscriptions to all the Danish provincial newspapers. Everything they needed to riot was supplied, including a large volume of hateful lies.



Exactly! Nothing else need be said.

[JohnBovenmyer]

Abu-Laban should be expelled back to the Turdistan of his vile dreams.

Wrong penalty although the EU stupidly prohibits the right one. If it can be proved that one Dane was murdered by someone acting on his call to murder than he is guilty of the exact same crime as Charles Manson was in sending his acolytes out to kill Sharon Tate et al. He deserves the same correct punishment that the jury gave Charlie. Alas the Supreme Court gave Charlie the same limits to which the EU hold the Danes. Since Abu-Laban advocates the death penalty for his charges it's unfair and unwise to not offer him the same for inciting mass murder.

This isn't to imply I favor the Clintonian strategy of only using the legal system in this fight, just that we shouldn't avoid using it where appropriate. When the cause is sufficient and the guilt is self evident the Commander in Chief has the right to choose which branch of the CIA or armed forces is appropriate to administer the penalty.