These satirical drawings was a reaction to the fact, that no Danish artist wanted to illustrate a childrens book about Muhammeds life
According to Islam you may not make images of the prophet - so since Jyllandsposten decided to do so regardless, not only Danish but now also muslims from the rest of the world have reacted with dismay.
This is their perogative, if anyone offended Christian religious symbols or national symbols we'd see dismay and outcries as well.
The newspaper insisted, that the drawings were published as "a reaction to self-censorship, restrictions on freedom of speech, and injustice and murder on critics of islam, such as has happened in Holland."
Now Jyllandsposten is not the most liberal and tolerant of newspapers to say the least. It's full name is Morgenavisen Jyllandsposten (The Morning Paper The Jutland Post), which we often call Morgenfacisten Jyllandspesten (The morning fascist The Jutland Plague).
So their motivations might just as well have been to stir up intolerance between the muslim community in Denmark and "native" Danes.
Things seemed to quiet down during the fall, until a religious party from Pakistan interferred and put out a reward on the heads of the artists.
Now many Middle Eastern countries are boycotting Danish goods, and I am trying to figure out if this is truly a religious or a politically motivated reaction.
The newspaper has NOW apologized...
What are your thoughts on this?
Me? The west has boycotted many countries and regimes in the past over political issues. So Middle Eastern countries are in their right to boycott Danish goods. Should the paper have abstained from insulting muslims in the first place, since it seems to be their whole intend to begin with.
Should the Danish Prime Minister apologize?
__________________ "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
-Voltaire
"That includes ruining Halloween because someone swallowed a Bible."
"I just thought you were a guy."
"... Most guys do."
It's very rare to see people actually speak out against Islam - most people/governments/institutions seem to pussy-foot around it.
Islam demands a lot of respect from people these days, thanks to politicak correctness. Even if someone speaks out against suicide bombers, you tend to get branded a racist or intolerant.
I don't think what the paper has done is right, per se. But it's nothing that hasn't been done before in some other way or another and the reaction from the East isn't anything that hasn't been seen in other countries before either.
It's not worth the Prime Minister apologising over in my opinion.
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The REAL Men on KMC - Whirly, Juntai, Darkcrawler, Avalon...
I'm a Christian and I don't find that offensive, and I don't believe Jesus Himself would either. It's a commonly known ability of His and is being used in a non-offensive comical form. It's not rude, nor insulting.
No-one in their right mind owuld take offence at that.
Likewise with this paper - papers take the mick out of everyone all the time - one shouldn't let what the papers say have any bearing on your feelings...
Otherwise we'd have lots of celebrity suicides....
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The REAL Men on KMC - Whirly, Juntai, Darkcrawler, Avalon...
There are satirical pieces against christianity all the time and politics and poverty and race and the point is its satirical humor and everyone is a target
Well, my point is that I think the uproar and boycott is more politically motivated than religious, you see? Fatah has instigated burning of the Danish Flag in the Palestinian areas (yes, fatah, after loosing the election) and many Middle Eastern regimes seem to be a little uneasy about the strong religious feelings these days.
Maybe this is more a "the final drop"-kind of reaction? I'm sorry to say that the Danish government (backed by the extreme right) has passed legislature here in DK, that makes it impossible for, say, a mentally injured victim of torture who is unable to learn (danish) to obtain Danish citizenship.
These past couple of years seems to me to be a re-make of the Cold War, the USSR has just been replaced by Islam, just as drugs were in the 90's.
There is a lot of racism abound in the west these days and it focuses on muslims. I'll just whisper "Palestine and Israel", and somehow I can understand these reactions... although I think it's kinda not going the right way.
__________________ "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
-Voltaire
"That includes ruining Halloween because someone swallowed a Bible."
"I just thought you were a guy."
"... Most guys do."
Theres a bit of a difference between jesus scoring a goal in a sport and jesus using his powers to kill people... The insinuation that there god and bombs have a close link is wrong... also the fact that its defying a rule he set.. Not to draw him, If jesus was pictured was a killer, then christians would be annoyed...
While I don't see drawning him as that bad an offence.. They do...
But I do see the offence of drawing him with a bomb..
I think the easiest way to decipher the difference is that had this been published in an American newspaper, it would be a reason for American soldiers to die due to the resentment that Muslim fundamentalists would feel over it.
__________________ "If I were you"
"If you were me, you'd know the safest place to hide...is in sanity!
I dont see why a group of people care what others think of their religious figures.. that and they shouldnt really pin the entire fault of the danish people (by boycotting, or however else they're demonstrating).. when the fault really lies on the integrity of the newspaper that printed it.
Gender: Unspecified Location: With Cinderella and the 9 Dwarves
To portray a Historical Person or Mythological Figure does hardly qualify as Racist. You are just over sensitive.
I personally ont he one hand don't see anyting wrong with the Cartoon. On the other I can also understand why Muslims feel offended, but they need to accept that not everyone will play by their rules. If they want to boycott Europe that's their perfect right but I don't see how that will change much.
I get pissed at times, because it seems that Christians are allowed to offend Muslims, and get away with it, but God help if a Muslim offended a Christian.
Last year, Muslims were offended by a Christian Pastors rantings about the Muslim religion. This Pastor said that Muslims want to take over the world, they are dangerous and violent, they swap their women around, etc. The Muslims were outraged, as well they should have been, because none of this is true.
They lost their case because the Pastor's words were deemed to be 'Free Speech'.
Imagine if a Muslim offended the Christian religion, it wouldn't be 'Free Speech' then.
its the same situation for Norway and Norwegian after the christian magazine Magasinet printet the drawings.
Now it might be wrong to offend a religion but these extremes reactions that happens are just idiotic.
Now muslims claim all the time that Islam, as a religion, cant be held responsible for the actions of a few extremist who hide behind the religion instead of cause. Well the same goes for this situation, entire nations and its people cant be targeted as victims for the actions of a newspaper.
here in Norway it is the complete opposite, muslims can rant and piss about christianity and all its faults and how bad those of us that doesnt give a rats ass about religion are, but try to criticise the muslim way and all hell breaks loose with death threats and the likes
KMC Community Forums
Feb 2nd, 2006 12:17 AM
By Barker
