Posted on 10/26/2007 7:00:24 AM PDT by WesternCulture
This week Denmark’s Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen called elections for November 13, and today Danish People’s party announced that they will place election posters around the country with a cartoon of the Muslim prophet Mohammed.
They do not hide that they are inspired by the cartoon crisis in 2006 that put Denmark in the headlines around the world. Demonstrations and violence in the Muslim world erupted.
The cartoon is drawn from a portrait of the prophet from a book about Islam by Alexander Ross published in 1683. Ross was behind the first translation of the Koran into English (1649). The poster reads ”Free speech is Danish, censorship isn’t – we stand by our Danish values”.
In an interview with Nyhedsavisen party leader Pia Kjaersgaard explains the reasoning behind the decision to put Mohammed’s face on election posters.
“”It’s part of our campaign for Danish values and we want to draw attention to those values. Among others they include equality between the sexes, solidarity and other things. This election add clearly has to do with the right to free speech.”
Why do you run this add after the violence during the cartoon crisis?
”Why shouldn’t we? Is it forbidden? On the contray, we have had a very comprehensive debate, that was very good because we spoke about the values we were in the process of losing. We have to stick to those values. We would never have spoken about these matters if it hadn’t been for the cartoon crisis. Self censorship is a bad thing.”
Don’t you think that you are undermining the diplomatic effort by the Prime minister to calm down the situation during the crisis?
”No, I don’t think so. It would be self censorship if we were thinking that we shouln’t do something like this.”
Did you consider the risk of provoking violence with this add?
”No, that hasn’t been part of our deliberations about publication of the cartoon.””
Klaus Kjoeller, expert on political communcation, comments on the add (Nyhedsavisen):
”It’s pretty smart of Danish People’s party. They have everything to win with this add. Experience tells us that the higher immigrants and culture clashes move up on the political agenda the more votes they get. They have to provoke and at the same time stay respectable negotiating partners to the Prime minister. With this add they achieve both.”
Hooray for Denmark. That would NEVER happen here in the “don’t want to offend anyone” States.
Danes get it.
Go Danes!............I’ve been to Denmark. It’s a really nice place.............for now........
Amen.
I was there this August. Great place. Great people. And they have supported us with forces in the Gulf and Iraq.
This is exactly what the American left should be saying. Not to mention the fact that the feminists should be resisting hard-core Islam too.
Danish Woman
Amen.
No, self censorship is not a bad thing. It's like self disipline. Having someone else censor you is a bad thing.
Nice pastries!
Not because the Islamofascist lunatics will fear us more (you can’t stop suicide bombers by spitting at their religious idols), but because intelligent and moderate Muslims will understand that they have an ally.
Today, all sorts of ignorant Western Liberals and Socialists condemn any questioning of Islam whatsoever and by doing so they actually aid the spread of Islamofascism on Western soil.
A lot of Muslims in the West have fled from Islamofascism. We Westerners ought to remember this.
To any aware Muslim, it is apparent that the Danish Mohammad cartoons does not aim at hurting the feelings of devout Muslims, but to create a debate regarding democratic rights vs the hegemony of religious dogmas over freedom of speech.
In a persons individual life, religion might matter more than politics, but as freedom loving citizens we must always be prepared to defend basic democratic rights. If we hesitate to do so, this passion for liberty obviously isn’t strong enough and we have, furthermore, proved ourselves unworthy of remaining free citizens.
- Couldn’t agree more. Most Feminist careerists in politics, journalism etc care more about the equality of pay checks and such issues than the horrifying, uncountable atrocities that are committed against females in the Muslim world on a daily basis.
“Danish People’s party announced that they will place election posters around the country with a cartoon of the Muslim prophet Mohammed.”
WOOHOO! Let the fun begin!
Good on you, whatever party you are! LOL !$#@#$ you, Moslems!
Nit-pick: the abbreviated word form is “AD”, not “ADD”. Yikes.
I agree. Thought that was a stupid statement. But oh well. I still don’t think printing Turban-boy is worthy of self-censorship. ;-D
Actually, given both these catch-phrases and the term “PEOPLE’S PARTY”, they’re probably hypocritical communists.
Can these people run here?
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