Culture War Ahead
By now you have hopefully heard of the rapidly-escalating feud over some cartoons originally published in a Danish newspaper.
Basically, the cartoons included caricatures of the Muslim prophet Mohammed. Islam prohibits any depiction of Mohammed, much less mockery, and LOT of Muslims around the world are very upset, protesting and boycotting everything Danish. Muslim leaders have demanded that the Danish government both beg forgiveness and punish the newspaper and its editors.
The newspaper issued an apology in an attempt to calm the furor, but now other publications have started reprinting the cartoons to protest Muslim attempts to impose its beliefs. For a better synopsis, read Al Jazeera, here. (I’m surprised how little bias I was able to detect in their article. I wonder if their Arabic version is like that. Monk? You read Arabic, don’t you? Chime in.)
We are seeing, in stark relief, the vast cultural divide between the Western and Muslim worlds.
Freedom of the Press: Muslim leaders don’t understand or don’t agree with the fact that Western governments are generally prohibited by law from controlling the press.
Freedom of Speech: One person’s idea is another person’s blasphemy. Muslim culture doesn’t accept that individuals should have the right to say things that Islam considers blasphemous.
Freedom of Religion: Muslims are demanding that the West follow Muslim religious rules. But we in the West don’t believe that religion is so sacred it cannot be satirized. To our own peril, perhaps, we have been blaspheming our own sacred traditions for generations. It is arrogant and crazy of them to think that we would stop short when it comes to theirs.
Rule of Law: Muslim leaders demand that the Danish government punish the newspaper and its editors. In their countries, governments typically do what they please, and can punish whomever they please. Our governments are (ideally) limited by laws.
All nations and cultures are arrogant. But for Muslims and Muslim leaders to demand that the West observe Islamic laws and cultural mores is arrogant to the point of insanity. They’re welcome to hate us for it, but to act as though the Danish newspaper and the Danish government violated some universally-acknowledged principle is ludicrous.
It’s also hypocritical. Where were the furor and condemnation from the Muslim world when the president of Iran suggested that the Holocaust had never happened, or that Israel be “wiped from the map”? An editorial in the German publication Die Welt writes, “The protests from Muslims would be taken more seriously if they were less hypocritical. When Syrian television showed drama documentaries in prime time depicting (Jewish) rabbis as cannibals, the imams were quiet.”
Personally, I’m troubled that the Danish publication, Jyllands-Posten, issued an apology, not because I’m not in favor of apologies, but because Muslims do not have the right to not be offended. Nobody does, of course, but the history of the Muslim world is far too checkered for them to claim any sort of special respect. It would be like the Pope demanding that people stop talking about the Inquisition, or priestly pedophilia. When your behavior warrants respect, you’ll probably get it. There aren’t a lot of people making Mother Theresa or Ghandi jokes, are there?
Democracy is the institutionalised form of freedom of expression. There is no right to protection from satire in the West; there is a right to blasphemy. - Die Welt
Now they want an apology from a society characterized with freedom of expression and religion at a time when they deny their peoples the right to free speech. We will give no heed to their objections and insist on drawing pictures of Muhammad, Jesus and Buddha, which has everything to do with the freedom of expression we do enjoy in our society. - France Soir
All countries in Europe should be behind the Danes and Danish authorities to defend the principle that a newspaper can write what it wishes to … even if it offends people. - Reporters Without Borders Secretary General, Robert Menard
Again Europe is defending its values, again the danger is seen in the Muslim world. For there is apparently an infernal anger against caricatures of Islam there. And this anger, or better the expression of this anger, is considered illegitimate, lacking in respect for the freedom of opinion. And if we really want to protect our values, then we should respect this call for boycott and just accept the sacrifices they will incur, as the sacrifices of a civil, market-oriented way of life. - Berliner Zeitung
February 1st, 2006 at 9:35 pm
Not really that different from Christian Fundamentalists, except there isnt quite as large of a threat of bombing by the Christians. As exhibit “A” I give you the show “The Book Of Daniel”, pulled from the air due to religious furor.
I guess we part company, here. I often find Christian Fundamentalists obnoxious and arrogant, and as a Christian myself, they embarrass me. But this is their country, and they have every right to bring their views to the table, and to throw their economic weight around. Like every other lousy special interest group. And I believe Muslims have the right to be pissed and offended by the cartoons. They just don’t have the right to demand that people in other countries give a shit. And you of course, are absolutely entitled to not like Christian Fundamentalists.
Please feel free to elaborate on your feelings. It’s an interesting dialogue. - SF
February 2nd, 2006 at 2:25 pm
It wasnt supposed to be an attack on Fundamentalists, Christian or Muslim, but a demonstration of people throwing their weight around for religious reasons. Here or there, all a religious person need do if they are offended is turn the channel or the page, and Presto! it’s gone.
As for Christian Fundamentalist pushing their views outside the country, exhibit “B” is the “abstinence” clauses forced on AIDS workers to get American money.
Fair enough. - SF
February 6th, 2006 at 7:35 pm
I think they should burn down the Danish embassy. Oh, wait! They did!
I think they give way too much power to those cartoons.
I’ll show my support for Denmark; I should start buying Band and Olufsen.
Give mig en øl! Tuborg!