Posted on 02/15/2006 9:01:45 PM PST by USMMA_83
THE disgraceful racist cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed originally published by a sensation-seeking Danish newspaper have produced an international firestorm of hysteria and racism.
Mobs of enraged Muslims have rioted from Morocco to Indonesia and burned Danish and Norwegian embassies. Editors of other European newspapers that ran the offensive cartoons piously insist they did so to defend the sacred right of free speech.
This writer detests any form of censorship, including so-called ‘hate laws’ that are really modern forms of heresy and blasphemy statutes. But free speech, as the great American jurist Felix Frankfurter said, does not include the right to scream ‘fire’ in a crowded movie theatre.
And that’s just what the European newspapers did. They were trying to boost circulation and pander to anti-immigrant right-wingers by attacking Islam.
Nor is it a coincidence these grave insults occurred in Denmark. Its current rightwing government has been close to President George Bush, sent troops to Iraq and Afghanistan, and has adopted an unfriendly policy towards Denmark’s small Muslim community and the ummahh. While the Danish government had no direct responsibility for the cartoons, it helped foster a climate of hostility to Muslims.
This whole ugly business is really about anti-Islamism — the modern version of 1930s anti-Semitism. Today, promoting hatred and scorn for Islam and Muslims has become the only socially and legally acceptable modern prejudice in western society.
Just questioning the Jewish holocaust in Germany or Austria results in a jail sentence. Doing the same in Canada gets you thrown in prison or expelled. In the West, it’s totally a taboo to say homosexuality is wrong, or women are less intelligent than men. But it’s OK to slander Islam.
The Danish paper that ran the racist cartoons ‘to defend free speech’ refused in 2003 to run satirical cartoons of Christ, saying ‘it would provoke an outrage.’ So much for claims of defending free speech.
America’s four leading evangelical Protestant leaders, reverends Jerry Falwell, Franklin Graham, Pat Robertson, and Marvin Olasky preached a ‘crusade’ against Iraq. Graham branded Islam ‘an evil and wicked religion.’ They called the prophet ‘a terrorist.’ Among American evangelical Christians, 87 per cent supported invading Iraq and hoped to convert Iraq’s Muslims to Christianity.
Italian propagandist Oriana Fallaci churns out best-sellers calling Islam a dirty, backwards creed of violent thugs. In Paris, a Jewish newspaper editor, who should know about promoting hate against minorities, ran the Danish cartoons in his newspaper.
In liberal Holland, it’s cool to despise Muslims. In America, pseudo-historians and professional hate-mongers wage jihad in the US press against all things Islamic.
One Danish cartoon of Prophet Mohammed shows him with a long, hooked nose, thick lips, a sinister, malevolent glare on his ugly, semitic face and a curved dagger in his hand. Change the caption ‘Prophet Mohammed’ to ‘Jew swine’ and you have the exact double of Nazi anti-Semitic hate cartoons of the 1930s.
That’s what this is all about. Modern anti-Semitism, reborn. What Europeans are saying through these cartoons is, ‘we hate Muslims. We want all Muslims out of Europe.’ In the 1930s, Europeans held the same sentiments for Jews.
There can be no doubt all Muslims and Islam have been gravely offended. But having said this, too many Muslims have been reacting hysterically by rioting and burning embassies. The Prophet Mohammed and Islam don’t need rioters and arsonists to defend them.
In an act of pure childishness, Iran’s largest newspaper says it will solicit and run cartoons of the Jewish holocaust, proving there is no sickness as contagious as stupidity. This is no way for adults to behave.
Muslims suffered 150 years of the most brutal European imperialism and exploitation. Millions of Muslims were slaughtered by European and Russian colonialists, though we never hear about this green holocaust. Europe’s 20 million Muslims are third-class citizens. Muslims have every right to anger.
But where were all these angry Muslims when Serbs were massacring 250,000 Bosnians, gang-raping thousands of Bosnian Muslim girls and women, and blowing up mosques? Why have there been almost no protests over Russia’s horrifying genocide in Chechnya? Over, outside Pakistan, protests against India’s brutalities in Kashmir. Or the US invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq, and Australia’s annexation of East Timor?—Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2006
social darwinism is nothing new... I would be careful in whos steps you walk.
Since it's true that some islamic nations are really backwards - some are not (malaysia, indonesia). And then some nations are backwards - but are not islamic (north korea - large parts of africa)
Indeed many muslims are on our side in the dispute about the cartoons and some just don't want their religion misused - not by taliban or the iranian government AND not by cartoonists. I can understand these people. It's not funny to be a muslim today. And muslims that do not preach hate and follow the islamic revolution have my sympathy and should have yours, too.
I have no sympathy for silent people who allow things to happen they do not believe in. They are called enablers.
I don't care where they come from or currently live.
No religion that proclaims death to those who question various doctrines represents a valid place in civilization.
Consequently, Islam is where it is.
I have no sympathy.
They are not all enablers and there are muslim organisations speaking out against their regimes and the hate imams.
Yeah, so we are told. When the terror level drops to green from yellow I will believe there has been progress. Until then nothing will change my mind.
Good people need to step forward. Silence is the great enabler, regardless of the so called muslim organizations who think it is all one big misunderstanding and we need to listen.
No thanks. I've heard all I care to hear.
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