Posted on 10/23/2005 10:05:53 AM PDT by aculeus
Islam is no laughing matter. The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten is being protected by security guards and several cartoonists have gone into hiding after the newspaper published a series of twelve cartoons (view them here) about the prophet Muhammad. According to the Islam it is blasphemous to make images of the prophet. Muslim fundamentalists have threatened to bomb the paper’s offices and kill the cartoonists.
The newspaper published the cartoons when a Danish author complained that he could find no-one to illustrate his book about Muhammad. Jyllands-Posten wondered whether there were more cases of self-censorship regarding Islam in Denmark and asked twelve illustrators to draw the prophet for them. Carsten Juste, the paper’s editor, said the cartoons were a test of whether the threat of Islamic terrorism had limited the freedom of expression in Denmark.
The publication led to outrage among the Muslim immigrants living in Denmark. 5,000 of them took to the streets to protest. Muslim organisations have demanded an apology, but Juste rejects this idea: “We live in a democracy. That’s why we can use all the journalistic methods we want to. Satire is accepted in this country, and you can make caricatures,” he said. The Danish imam Raed Hlayhel reacted with the statement: “This type of democracy is worthless for Muslims. Muslims will never accept this kind of humiliation. The article has insulted every Muslim in the world.”
Flemming Rose, the cultural editor at the newspaper, denied that the purpose had been to provoke Muslims. It was simply a reaction to the rising number of situations where artists and writers censored themselves out of fear of radical Islamists, he said. “Religious feelings cannot demand special treatment in a secular society,” he added. “In a democracy one must from time to time accept criticism or becoming a laughingstock.”
The affair, however, has also led to a diplomatic incident. On Thursday the ambassadors of eleven Muslim countries, including Indonesia, a number of Arab states, Pakistan, Iran, and Bosnia-Herzegovina, complained about the cartoons in a letter to Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen. They say the publication of the cartoons is a “provocation” and demand apologies from the newspaper.
Jyllands-Posten was also included on an al-Qaeda website listing possible terrorist targets. An organisation which calls itself “The Glorious Brigades in Northern Europe” is circulating pictures on the internet which show bombs exploding over pictures of the newspaper and blood flowing over the national flag of Denmark. “The Mujahedeen have numerous targets in Denmark – very soon you all will regret this,” the website says.
Meanwhile in Brussels a young Muslim immigrant published a poster depicting the Virgin Mary with naked breasts. Though the picture has drawn some protest from Catholics (though not from Western embassies, nor from the bishops), this artist need not fear being murdered in the street. On the contrary, he is being subsidised by the Ministry for Culture.
They've been getting away with crap for centuries to where they believe it is ok to blow up anyone who they don't agree with. I'm sick to death at the way we cower before these towel heads. Their whole religion needs to be crushed.
The Peaceful Religion of Islam makes another statement to the world.
"Our way or death"
I've been to Denmark, one of the most peaceful and placid places in the world. If Muslims can't get along there, they can't get along anywhere. I hope the Danes chase them out.
This man is an idiot. Democracy is mob rule. When Muslims outnumber non-Muslims in the Netherlands, they will be able to enforce Sharia law on all inhabitants. When that happens, they will shut down all the newspapers that espouse anti-Muslim points of views.
I should have said Denmark, but both the Netherlands and Denmark have the same problem.
I really wish I could call them extinct.
Muslims attempting to squelch free speech ping.
The Imam has a point ... the delusional, epileptic, psychopathic, pedophile prophet IS an insult to every Muslim in the world.
Ah, a religion of peace and tolerance.
I'm still waiting for the rest of the West to understand that Mohammedism is a violence based, totalitarian system, not unlike Nazism, fascism or communism. The religious element of it was primarily stolen from Judaism and Christianity mixed with local, tribal mumbo-jumbo enhanced by a charismatic, pederast killer. They understand only one thing through out their history, power. The sooner we give them a huge whoopin where it counts, and start shipping them out of the West, the better off we'll all be, including the ragheads. Wake up, America, the fuse has been lit for some time. 9/11 will happen again, just give it time.
What a paradox eh? Makes you have conflicting feelings. Considering the main stream press in America is almost a partner to those who hate America. Do the papers in America have the balls to make derogatory images about Muhammad and islam the way they do about republicans.
Danes, the descendents of Vikings, the terror of every coastline and river in Europe. How times change. Too bad they can't fire up just enough of the ol' Viking juice and propel the towelheads out of town.
Why do you think communists and fascists are attracted into alliances with Islamists? Leftists consider Christianity to be their enemy. They welcome tactical alliances with those who would destroy it. Immigration of Muslims into western countries fragments the cultural loyalties of the populations of those countries and dilutes Christian influence. Of course once Christians and Jews are in a status of dhimmitude, the Muslims will go after the communists, socialists, and fascists.
The cartoons are pretty funny...but the captions are all in Danish. Don't you have a link to English captions...I know I saw the captions in English once.
Who really cares? Muslims are BORN offended. If they worked half as hard at productive economic activity as they do lugging around that huge chip on their collective shoulders, they would already own the world.
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