Under the headline "We have the right to caricature God," a French newspaper today reprinted the Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have ignited extraordinary anti-Danish protests, death threats and boycotts across the Muslim world.
France Soir published the drawings, first printed by Jyllands-Posten, a right-of-centre Danish broadsheet last September, across pages four and five of this morning's edition with an editorial that defended the freedom of the press.
"The publication of 12 cartoons in the Danish press has shocked the Muslim world for whom the representation of Allah and his prophet is banned," the newspaper said. "But because no religious dogma can impose its view on a democratic and secular society, France Soir publishes the incriminated cartoons."
For its front page, the newspaper even commissioned its own image, showing a peeved Muhammad sitting on a cloud with Buddha, a Jewish God and a Christian God, who says: "Don’t complain Muhammad, we’ve all been caricatured here."
William Jefferson Clinton, former sensitive person extraordinaire-in-chief had this to say:
Former US president Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti-Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.
"So now what are we going to do? ... Replace the anti-Semitic prejudice with anti-Islamic prejudice?" he said at an economic conference in the Qatari capital of Doha.
"In Europe, most of the struggles we've had in the past 50 years have been to fight prejudices against Jews, to fight against anti-Semitism," he said.
Clinton described as "appalling" the 12 cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September depicting Prophet Mohammed and causing uproar in the Muslim world.
"None of us are totally free of stereotypes about people of different races, different ethnic groups, and different religions ... there was this appalling example in northern Europe, in Denmark ... these totally outrageous cartoons against Islam," he said.
As usual, Clinton misses the point. This controversy is not about anti-semitism vs. anti-Islamic prejudice. It so happens that I think being "prejudiced" against someone who is trying to kill, enslave and/or silence me is a sort of reasonable thing. Islam doesn't much care about hurting other religion's feelings, do they? Can you read a Bible in Saudi Arabia? My goodness, you face the sentence of death in Islam if you convert to another religion. But even with all that aside, making fun of Islam and their god is a...god-given right--even if it upsets a million little mullahs.
No, the entire controversy is about freedom of speech--not about hurting Islam's feelings. Quite frankly, appeasing the wrath of a consummate bully only encourages them in their bullying.
Is Clinton so totally clueless that he is unable to recognize the psychopathology of the bully who whines piteously and claims the status of poor helpless victim; while out of the other side of their mouth they demand death for artists and filmakers (has anyone heard an apology for the killing of Theo van Gogh??); issue fatwas against writers who displease them; and scream for the extermination of the Jews and Israel? These are cartoons, for heaven's sake, Mr. Bill. Go look at Islamic newspapers sometime and see how they portray Jews, Western politicians, Christians, etc. See if they are willing to apologize (they aren't); and did we even ask them? (we didn't). Maybe their cartoons are offensive; maybe the drawings of Mohammed are offensive. So what. Tsk. Tsk.
Are you suggesting that to further appease this violent, irrational, and pathological religion we must be willing to give up some of our fundamental liberties? Is that what you are saying?
If Bill Clinton is representative of the Democratic Party and the liberal left, then I think it is clear who symbolizes the greatest threat to our most precious civil liberties. They would willingly give away these precious freedoms to appease and further enable the bullies and butchers of Islam.
Michelle Malkin is absolutely correct. We must fight the bullies of Islam. Say NO to them and YES to freedom and free speech.
Michelle has the 12 "offensive" images here. And Zombie has a collection of images of Mohammed throughout history. Enjoy.
Oh! And, Vive La France!
UPDATE: Support Denmark! Malkin has more. So does The Astute Blogger.
UPDATE II: The Belmont Club has a fascinating analysis of Europe finally being shamed into standing up to Islamic fanatics. Something is rotten, and it isn't in Denmark.
UPDATE III: Well, perhaps I spoke too soon about French courage. Sad. For now the rest of the EU appears to be standing firm behind the Danes. Maybe. We'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment