Febraury 3, 2006

"Yesterday, a newspaper in France and another in Germany published the cartoons, citing freedom of the press.
But the issue goes well beyond the old debate over whether freedom of expression has limits. It does in countries like Canada, which have anti-hate laws. But regardless of the presence or absence of legislated limits, every society has its own notions of what is acceptable and what is not.
We can be certain that the editors publishing the Muhammad caricatures would not smear their pages with anti-Semitic graffiti. Or commission drawings maligning the Pope, by depicting him, say, in compromising sexual positions.
And had the editors opted to be that offensive, we can be equally certain that not too many people would have been rushing to their defence.
It is this double standard that's at the heart of the repeated conflicts between the West and the world of Islam over how far anti-Islamic provocateurs can go in baiting Muslims, repeatedly, knowing full well the depth of Muslim feelings about their most cherished beliefs.
Invoking freedom of speech or the need to puncture political correctness are no more than smokescreens to hide that larger, and uglier, truth.
The Danes have neither defended freedom of speech well nor upheld another sacred secular principle, mutual respect between peoples of all faiths.
In balancing these two competing rights in this troubled world at this time, thinking people and responsible public institutions should err on the side of advancing mutual understanding, not fanning more conflicts."
Denmark embroiled in Muslim controversy February 2, 2006

"What defines a hypocrite? Answer: a person who follows the letter of the law, but not its spirit. The laws against anti-semitism are just that: laws against anti-semitism enacted by hypocritical Europeans with blood on their hands from the genocides in their recent and distant past, and much guilt to atone for in their hearts and minds.
The spirit of the law, which would extend this protection to Muslims as well, if not indeed other religious groups, is nowhere to be found in the Western legal code. You can curse the Prophet of the Muslims at will and with total impunity. However, approach the holocaust at your own risks and perils if you do not include in your discussion the standard, ritualistic incantations about the six million Jewish victims of the European Nazis. There is a word for this in the English language: hypocrisy."
Cartoons and Hypocrisy: Danes Finally Apologize to Muslims (But for the Wrong Reasons) February 2, 2006

"If blasphemy were the problem, the loud voices raised in protest have very successfully disseminated the blasphemy - much more effectively than the misguided Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, that originally published the cartoons. The protests have turned the issue into a full-blown news story, and millions of people who would not otherwise have done so have now seen the cartoons.
At the same time of course, the protesters' flag-burnings and threats against the various publishers of the cartoons do nothing but harden anti-Muslim attitudes in the West. And this is what it's all about. Poke each other often enough with a stick - or a cartoon, or a fuel-laden airliner - and tolerance wears thin. Forget the "winning hearts and minds" drivel, or at least collapse in hysterical laughter over it. Civilizational war is what the protagonists want, and that's what they're getting."
A kick in the eyeballs (Asia Times editorial) February 4, 2006

As for the cartoonist:

"This is a war of two cultures, it's really a war, and it's really important that in the West we stand up for these hard-won freedoms and that we stand up to bullying and intimidation in the name of sensitivity," Marlette said. "No one is more intolerant than people demanding tolerance, that's been my experience."
... "In America we don't apologize for opinions, that's why we have a first amendment," Marlette said. "If we can't discuss even controversial opinions in the pages of our newspapers, where are we going to do it?"
Cartoonist: We don't apologize for opinions February 3, 2006