Cartoons

“GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: — Rage against caricatures of Islam's revered prophet poured out across the Muslim world Saturday, with aggrieved believers calling for executions, storming European buildings and setting European flags afire.

Hundreds of Syrian demonstrators have stormed the Danish Embassy in Damascus, and they've set fire to the building…..” Fox News February 4, 2006.

It seems patently obvious that no one need belittle another person's religion. Having said that, it is also important to realize that most, if not many, newspaper editors believe that freedom of the press obligates them to print materials that lack sensitivity and are may well be offensive to large groups of people. Muslims do not have a monopoly on being insulted by the press. Many individuals and groups are insulted daily in the press around the world.. For example, one of the latest and, frankly egregious, examples of this was the distasteful and repugnant cartoon which appeared in the Washington Post. This cartoon, using a caricature of a wounded GI to take issue with the Secretary of Defense was an insult to every member of our armed forces. Said cartoon has been defended under the banner of freedom of the press. Freedom of the press is what we are speaking of here. My comments in this piece are not about the appropriateness, or inappropriateness, of the Muslim cartoon, but the over reaction to it by Islamic Fundamentalists.

Muslims are upset because the Prophet Muhammad was caricatured (last September by the way) in a number of European newspapers. So upset in fact that they are rioting throughout Europe, the Middle East and the Orient. It seems strange that a group of fanatics can whip up such strong emotions over such a seemingly trivial incident, an incident resulting from freedom of the press and freedom of expression. But, let’s face it, these cartoons were a perfect opportunity for Islamic fundamentalists to organize demonstrations whereby they tell the West that we are barbarians who have insulted their religious leader, and if all else fails we should die for this insult to Islam. Why is it that Muslims have so little sense of humor, or take them selves so seriously that they fail to see the message of these cartoons in relative context? Cartoons have a message, and that message reaches far beyond the actual drawing. It more often than not says in a picture what is difficult, or even impossible, to say succinctly in words.

One of the reasons that these cartoons have caused so much upset is that the Koran contains a caveat against graven images. I respect that, just as I respect the fact that synagogues have no graven images for not so different reasons. That is a religious tenant of that faith and that is fine. However, the caveat is a Muslim caveat. It does not apply to Christians, Jews, Buddhists or other faiths because it is not a matter of faith for those who are not Muslims. For example the Ten Commandments are rules for Christians. Non-Christians need not pay attention to them.

Muslims are not innocent in the “insulting religion” business. They have impugned Christianity, as well as other religions for centuries. I somehow think that on the list of things to be concerned about, the killing of Jews by Muslim fundamentalist groups in Palestine ranks a bit higher than a cartoon depicting Muhammad. No one dies when a cartoon is drawn. No dignity is taken from the Prophet or God that a cartoon depicts. Actually if the cartoon is in very poor taste, the loss of dignity is charged to the person who draws it, and to those who enjoy it. Usually the message in a cartoon is a powerful one, and those to whom the message is addressed need take notice.

If the Muslim groups protesting this issue were simply upset, and asked that the cartoons be withdrawn, or if they wished to publish letters to the editors of each papers that showed said cartoon, all well and good. However, the Muslims who are so upset have decided to do what they always do – kill somebody. That seems to be the solution to everything in this group. Kill writers if their writing does not comport with Muslim doctrine, kill wives and daughters if sharia laws are not obeyed, kill prisoners who upset you, and in this case kill cartoonist. Why is that the only solution? It reminds me of the saying “When the only tool you have is a hammer, you see every thing as a nail”.

If the Muslims who have emigrated to various countries in Europe and the Americas want to become part of the larger society in the country to which they have emigrated, they need to make a few decisions. France, Denmark or Germany are not Algeria, Saudi Arabia, or Morocco. Immigrants need to understand the customs of the country to which they have moved, and to adjust their behavior accordingly. This does not mean giving up your native language, food customs, or certain dress customs, but it should mean that the language and customs of the country where one moves become the norm at work, public places or school. Moving to a free country from a repressed one, is exhilarating for some, and frightening to others. Freedom is a double edged sword. Freedom of speech means you can express an opinion, no matter how dumb or brilliant it may be, but it also means that others can express their opinions about your opinions in whatever verbal or written fashion they deem appropriate regardless of how insulting you may think that is.

Finally, I wonder if the Prophet Muhammad would be as upset as his followers if he saw the aforementioned cartoons. I imagine that he is wise and dignified, and has seen much in his many, many years. I imagine that he would instruct his followers to “lighten up” relative to this cartoon thing, and if they must, they need to find an Islamic cartoonist who would level the playing field.

In the end are these cartoons worth the troubles caused throughout the world by Islamic groups. The Danes who started all this say it best:

“…Danes Unrepentant Over Muhammad Cartoons

An editor with the Danish newspaper that ran cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad said the resultant furor was "worth it. Joern Mikkelsen, political editor of the conservative paper Jyllands-Posten, said the still-raging debate over who is or isn't entitled to criticize a religion only served to further legitimize the paper's decision to run the cartoons.

The cartoons, first published four months ago in Denmark, included one showing Muhammad wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a lit fuse. Islamic tradition bars any depiction of the prophet, favorable or otherwise.

The republication of the cartoons in a Norwegian publication on January 10 touched off a storm of protest in the Islamic world. Danish products were boycotted in Arab countries and protesters burned the Danish flag.

Jyllands-Posten's office in Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city, received bomb threats and its employees were flooded with death threats by phone and mail.

But when the German magazine Der Spiegel asked Mikkelsen if publishing the cartoons was worth the controversy, he replied: "Yes, it was worth it."

Tage Clausen, a spokesman for the paper, said it did not intend to anger Muslims by running the cartoons. "Instead we wanted to show how deeply entrenched self-censorship has already become."

Other Danes who spoke with Der Spiegel in Aarhus supported the publication of the cartoons.

"I can't imagine living in a country where I am no longer allowed to voice my free opinion," said Eminie Ehlers. ….”NewsMax, February 2006