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 Posted by Aron on February 07 2006 (Tuesday) : 10:26 PMI had to repost this, due to some site database errors. I have written in the past about my attitudes towards intolerance. And I have written about hypocrisy and the need to oppose anti-democratic actions by both the empire and its opponents. I feel, therefore, the need to write something about the hype surrounding the cartoons that are causing such an uproar around the world. As a basically intolerant person, there is plenty of reasons for me to be annoyed at everyone involved in this story. First, let's talk about all the Islamic political leaders, who are "shocked, shocked" by this offense to Islam. My favorite quote is from Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa, who decried the "double standards" in the European media. "We see double standards in the European media, which is fearful of being accused of anti-Semitism but which invokes freedom of expression for a caricature on Islam." Funny how I can't recall Moussa, or any of these other Arab politicians condemning the anti-jewish cartoons that regularly appear in the Arab press (most of which is carefully controlled by Arab governments so as not to "offend" anyone important, viz. the despotic Arab rulers who control the press). In fact, when Shimon Peres complained about a picture of him dressed as a Nazi which appeared in the official Egyption press, Mussa responded "there was Israeli hypocrisy, as he recalled remarks from Israeli rabbis who denounced Arabs as snakes and cockroaches and who said God had regretted creating them." Which is in fact true. But if Arab, and particularly Egyptian newspapers are in the regular habit of publishing cartoons depicting Jews as child-murderers and drinkers of blood, isn't it a bit hypocritical of Mussa, by his own argument, to get all upset about some Danish newspaper publishing pictures of Muhammand with a bomb in his turban and to accuse the European press of double standards? And the leaders of Hamas! Just the other day Haled Meshal, head of Hamas' political arm said: "Rather than recognise the legitimacy of Hamas as a freely elected representative of the Palestinian people, seize the opportunity created by the result to support the development of good governance in Palestine and search for a means of ending the bloodshed, the US and EU threatened the Palestinian people with collective punishment for exercising their right to choose their parliamentary representatives. We are being punished simply for resisting oppression and striving for justice." A very reasonable and logical argument. But then today, Hamas calls for all Muslims to boycott Danish goods because of the cartoons. So let me get this straight. The EU is wrong to withhold economic support to the PA because it has strong political disagreements with the Hamas. But Hamas can encourage withholding Muslim support to Danish merchants because of their strong disagreement with some Danish newspaper. Bzzzzzt. My hypocrisy meter just went off the charts. Then there is the U.S. reaction, as noted in Ha'aretz" "The United States condemned the cartoons, siding with Muslims outraged that newspapers put press freedom over respect for religion. 'We ... respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable.' said State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper." Whenever a government official uses the term "press responsibility" (an oxymoron if ever there is one) I give thanks to the Lord for bestowing the first amendment on this great nation. And don't get me started on the "defenders of freedom" who are trying to make the publication of some childish, xenophobic cartoons into an issue about defending press freedom. If press freedom is the concern, is it really necessary to reprint these cartoons as an act of "solidarity" with the Danish newspaper? Or is it more likely pandering to anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe which is motivating these reprints? An article in the Guardian about the origins of the conflict indicates that there are people on all sides who are doing their best to stir up trouble. It starts with a bunch of radical imams in Denmark who travelled around the Muslim world trying to ignite the flames and ends with a bunch of right-wing European newspapers who aim to fan the inferno. Ultimately, all sides carrying on about this issue are a bunch of hypocrites, involved in a false debate. On the Muslim side, as the Jordanian editor (who got sacked for writing this) said: "Who offends Islam more? A foreigner who endeavours to draw the prophet as described by his followers in the world, or a Muslim armed with an explosive belt who commits suicide in a wedding party in Amman or anywhere else?" As for the other side, yes there are people who truly fight for press freedom and the universal right for free expression. But the newspapers that reprinted these cartoons, including the right-wing Die Welt or France Soir, are not amongst these. Update: Today a mob burned down the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Syria. It is not surprising that the repressive Syrian regime encourages its citizens to vent their anger against foreigners, as an outlet to divert away from the real problems the Syrian people face. As an additional thought, even though it is blatently hypocritical for the Hamas to call for an economic boycott, it's interesting that it was the Palestinian militant groups who were out of power who called for the use of violence to protest the Danish "insult." Hamas, by contrast, called for an act of non-violent protest. I don't think that is a coincidence. < | >
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"Entre los individuos, como entre las naciones, el respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz -- Among individuals, as among nations, respect for the rights of others is peace" -Benito Juárez
"It isn't enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn't enough to believe in it. One must work at it." -Eleanor Roosevelt "Let them call me a rebel and welcome. I feel no concern from it. But should I suffer the misery of devils, were I to make a whore of my soul" -Thomas Paine | |
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Shocked, Shocked
