I'm quite troubled over the cartoon controversy in Denmark, not because of the cartoons themselves, which I agree are offensive, but rather, because of the absurd overreaction of Muslims worldwide. We haven't learned from the Rushdie affair - this is yet another instance where we've gone out of our way to make ourselves look stupid.

For anyone living under a rock, here's what happened. Four months ago, on September 30th, 2005, a Danish newspaper called Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in ways that many Muslims deemed sacrilegious. The newspaper claimed - quite foolishly, I think - that the cartoons were "part of an ongoing public debate on freedom of expression" in Denmark. There were a few protests by Muslims and meetings with the Prime Minister of Denmark, but things came to a head on January 10th, 2006, when two Norwegian papers published similar cartoons that were then circulated in the Middle East. Since then, the response has been stupendous:

There were street demonstrations and flag-burnings in the Middle East. Libya joined Saudi Arabia in withdrawing its ambassador from Copenhagen. Islamic governments and organisations, including the Muslim Council of Britain, issued denunciations and a boycott of Danish goods took hold across the Muslim world.

The Danish Government warned its citizens about travelling to Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Syria, and withdrew aid workers from the Gaza Strip.

Last night EU foreign ministers issued a statement in support of Denmark, and the European Commission threatened to report any government backing the boycott to the World Trade Organisation.

By yesterday governments across the Arab world were responding to public outrage. Libya closed its embassy in Denmark and the Egyptian parliament demanded that its Government follow suit. The Kuwaiti and Jordanian governments called for explanations from their Danish ambassadors. President Lahoud of Lebanon condemned the cartoons, saying his country "cannot accept any insult to any religion". The Justice Minister of the United Arab Emirates said: "This is cultural terrorism, not freedom of expression." In Gaza, gunmen briefly occupied the EU office in Gaza and warned Danes and Norwegians to stay away. Palestinians in the West Bank burnt Danish flags. The Islamic groups Hamas and Hezbollah and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood demanded an apology.

Supermarkets in Algeria, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates and Yemen all removed Danish produce from their shelves. Arla Foods, a Danish company with annual sales of about $430 million in the Middle East, said that the boycott was almost total and suspended production in Saudi Arabia.

Those up in arms don't seem to understand that the newspaper is not government owned or produced. It is an independent newspaper, and as such the guarantee of freedom of expression allows it to do what it did. It may be in bad taste and it may be insensitive, but the newspaper has a point: freedom of expression allows individuals to express themselves in ways that may upset or offend others. Yes, that freedom is to be balanced with freedom of religion, but even so, adherents of any faith cannot expect that they will never be offended. That is the price we pay for the freedoms we enjoy. Some may claim this is a good time to bring out those old blasphemy laws, but I disagree. In fact, I would argue there are no justifiable grounds for blasphemy laws in liberal democracies.

In any case, why these Arab countries would see fit to demand that Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen apologize is beyond me. If one wanted to protest the publication of those cartoons, one could always cancel one's subscription to the newspaper. But to boycott products from the country? Burn Danish flags? Remove ambassadors to express one's displeasure? Those sorts of responses are just nonsensical. The government is not to be blamed for the idiocy of a private newspaper.

Why are we so exciteable anyway? Why even care what a newspaper thinks? The cartoons, horrendous though they may be, need not affect a Muslim's impression of the Prophet, for our tradition clearly shows him to be a man imbued with dignity, morality and goodness. The Prophet was ridiculed from the moment he started receiving revelation in Mecca more than 1400 years ago. The mockery - even the threats on his life - are well documented in the Quran and hadith literature. A few cartoons will do little to harm him - or us.

Some might argue that Islam bars any depiction of the Prophet. Even so, we Muslims cannot force other people to appreciate the Prophet the way we do. We live, for the most part, in free societies, and there are countless opportunities to share with others our own vision of the Prophet and to convince others that he is a man to be honoured and dignified. We can do so by living like the Prophet did, by behaving and speaking in the noble manner of the Prophet himself, and by showing ourselves to be the rightful followers of this blessed man.

The over-the-top reaction just shows me how much excess energy and strength the ummah retains worldwide. Frankly I wonder if Muslims are not doing a greater disservice to the Prophet when we close our eyes to the suffering and oppression in the rest of the world. There are bigger problems to tackle than the publication of 12 silly cartoons. Now, if we could only put our efforts to better purposes...

Here an incomplete boycott list

http://www.mpacuk.org/content/view/4/1336/103/

Regardless of where you may be, spread the word out on the list. I think this is an excellent pro-active grassroots move against the EuroNazis. This vicious attack is the latest in a long line of salvos fueled by the Europe's descent into far right politics, and should be seen within the framework of European racism.
The bastards knew what they were doing, so their "apology" claiming otherwise is disengenous at best. The "usual suspects" are now calling for a boycott of Muslim goods. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, do so. But you can't can you? That oil is real "addicting" isnt it? Baba Ghanoush and Gulab Jamoons will have to take care of themselves.
Its really an act of common sense. We dont and shouldnt do business with those who dehumanize us and attack our faith. Enough talk, hit them where it hurts...in their pocketbooks. Somehow we will survive without Danish milk and cheese, and other products from European socialist hell holes.

>>Dont complain now because its too late, the boycott is in full swing.<<

Alhamdolilah my friend, Alhamdolilah. I just called my friend Naveed back in Pakistan and told him the good news that the boycott is in full swing and he is to join us. I am happy to report that he agreed. I told him not to use Danish lighters next time he is burning down a church. He told me that he will use local matches. Alhamdolilah the fuel comes from Saudi Arabia otherwise that would have been a real problem.

promoting hatred is threatening violence if there is no apology for the 'cartoons'. Taking hostage someone just because they are from a western country etc,.. etc,..Religion matters. Boycott away, I hope it helps.

>>I think many of you Europeans a bunch of racist bastards<<

You are absolutely right brother. They are racist bastards. On the other hand, there is not a racist bone in our Muslim bodies Masha'Allah. I mean there is no way that a Brit is treated better than an Indian in United Arab Emirates.

>>promoting hatred is threatening violence if there is no apology for the 'cartoons'.<<

Actually promoting Islamophobia is strongly correlated with acts of violence. The target of choice usually is a hijabi Muslim woman. Tool.

>>I told him not to use Danish lighters next time he is burning down a church. <<

I've got a better idea. Leave the church alone. Go to a secluded spot, pour gasoline over yourself( 92 octane preferably) and let the local match stick do the rest. Dont forget to watch nascar while doing it.

>>Leave the church alone.<<

???? Why didn't you tell me this before. My brothers in Islam burnt down four churches recently in Sangla Hill, Pakistan over an allegation that one of the churchgoers had insulted Quran. Although, the accusation was taken back later but did my brothers in Islam knew at the time of torching the churchs? Of course not. I am sure my Muslim bretheren on this website was equally upset at that episode as well but I missed it.

You know Ben "brotherMuslim," atleast have guts to post under your regular log in, the trick of reposting under different aliases is old and childish. I guess this is to be expected from someone who was forcibly conceived in the back of a pick up truck.
You would be out of your depth in a parking lot puddle. Generally, there is nothing wrong with having nothing worthwhile to say - unless you insist on saying it. You bring to mind a quote from Josh Billing: "Doesn't know much, but leads the league in nostril hair."

>>Actually promoting Islamophobia is strongly correlated with acts of violence<<

My brother, you are so right. These guys just love to see Islam behind every problem but they know not.

On the other hand, we have no such thing in our beloved Muslim world. People say that Muslims are unabashedly Anti-Semitic and see Jews behind every problem they face but that's definitely not the correct picture. We also see Hindus and Qadianis behind some problems too. I know some stupid person would say that its Judeophobia when he reads the following excerpt of an article printed in Al-Akhbar in Cairo, Egypt

"Thanks to Hitler, of blessed memory, who on behalf of Palestinians took revenge in advance against the most vile criminals on the face of the earth...Although we do have a complaint against him for his revenge was not enought"

Some stupid American might think that's Judeophobia but it isn't. Some other might think that Egyptian government should have apologized to all the Jews in the world for this article but they are wrong. After all, these were just mere words, not some cartoons, you know.

>>You know Ben "brotherMuslim," atleast have guts to post under your regular log in, the trick of reposting under different aliases is old and childish. I guess this is to be expected from someone who was forcibly conceived in the back of a pick up truck. <<

My brother, I'm slightly hurt that you are mistaking me for Ben but I forgive you. I am true Muslim Alhamdolilah. As for Ben being conceived forcibly in the back of pick up truck, I must say my brother, you are awesome. What a great way to present valid arguments. Good job! I'm sure I'm gonna learn from you a lot.

>>You would be out of your depth in a parking lot puddle. <<

So true! These idiots cannot face the knowledge of Muslims. After all, the entire Muslim world printed as many books in last ten years as Spain does in one.

Because of the perceived over-reaction, there is an anti-boycott ALSO going on.

http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/21097.html

Most likely it will be a lot of chest thumping and then American's will realize they don't care.

> Your "Freedumb of speech" ends where viciously attacking and defaming my religion starts.

That is a very slippery slope. Banning "hate speech"(the place where free speech should end, as you imply), is very vague to describe. While it is clear the cartoons were a mockery of Islam, where do you draw the line? What shouldn't be banned? From what I have read, it is contrary to the teachings of Islam to render ANY images of the Prophet. So should it be ILLEGAL for non-believers to create non-mocking images of Him? It is also clearly against Islam to question the motives of the Prophet. Should it be illegal then, to question the motives of a high ranking clergyman? Should it be illegal to promote beach resorts where women are clad in bikinis since that is against the teachings of Islam?

I hope that you don't quickly dismiss my posts as mocking you or your beliefs (unlike some of the other people that followed the link from tonguetied.us). I am merely attempting to point out that when you begin restricting speech based on feelings, there stands a great possibility that those restrictions can create an opressive environment that goes beyond the original intent to stop hate mongers.

Sidenote: It is interesting that your words are mocking freedom(Freedumb). I am curious where the world would be without "Freedumb" of religion?

I am currently trying to contact the editor myself to prove my innocence of aliasing but the site is acting screwy so that will have to wait until tomorrow, I guess.

But if you were to look at *MY* posts you will see that, although I have some contrary opinions(SOME), I have been nothing but respectful. Where I was shown to be wrong(by Migocup), I admitted it.

I merely thought that this was a comment board designed to discuss the ideas posed in this editorial (the reaction of the muslim community to the mocking cartoons of a danish newspaper).

Was I mistaken?

It's not a coincedence.

http://www.tonguetied.us/

3rd post down, second link. That site USED to be only about the problems with PC language but has of late degraded into right-wing, Christian-Taliban rants. If you look at the comments, you will see where people like BrotherMuslim come from. Scary stuff.

And in reviewing Ben's comments(both here and in other posts), HE has also been respectful(until he lost control and went off topic in his later post here).

How quickly you throw around 'Islamophobe'...but now this thread is drifting WAY off topic.

Peace

It may be a good idea for Muslims to react to this incident in the same manner Muhammad(PBUH) would have responded to an insult.

I believe that response is to return an evil act with an act of goodness. Goodness always conquers evil.

If we truly love and respect Prophet Muhammad(PBUH). Then we should try to follow his example of mercy and not the anger we may feel.

I wish for peace understanding and guidance to all.
I had to frown when I had to read the article posted by Saffiya Ally.
If the press can have FREEDOM in expressing can not the muslims have FREEDOM in expressing it too? Ofcourse we have BEEN reasonable and asked for an apology in PEACEFUL WAY but what did they do? they further published MORE caricatures in insulting ways. I will DEFEND my religion and MY prophet. Plus who has exactly seen Prophet Muhammed? Not even the muslims, so those caricatures are false. And freedom of expression does NOT mean you can express blasphemy. Someone needs to voice out. If there are actions there is going to be reactions and it is silly to say the reactions are stupid. We did not go and kill anyone nor did we defame other religions tit-for-tat. We just demand an apology and understanding.

Dear Muslims,

I am a Christian and I love Jesus Christ for what he did for me. One of my co-workers, who is an atheist, had e-mailed me a bunch of caricatures of Jesus, which I thought were offensive. I understand that if you believe that Muhammad was a prophet of Almighty God, you would be offended. I do not understand one thing, and I hope maybe somebody can help me. If Mohammed was a prophet of a living God, then he is in heaven with God. God al Almighty, He sees and hears everything, and He is also absolutely powerful. Why do weak humans, who are nothing but a dust, are left to defend the prophetsĖ good name? If He is with God, then why would not God defend him? We all know how powerful God is, we all remember the Tsunami, that killed more then 200,000 people (majority of whom were Muslims and it took place in Christmas Eve). We remember the earthquake in Iran in 2004 that killed more then 100,000 people (once again, majority of whom were Muslims and it took place in Christmas Eve also). We remember another earthquake that shook Pakistan just recently and left more then 3 million people homeless and killed many (again, majority were Muslims). Now, if making fun of prophet is a big sin, that God will rain his judgment on the Danes and the rest of the Europeans, and if this sin is so great, then the judgment should also be proportionate. Are we going to see a huge Tsunami coming from the ocean and covering the continent of Europe?

Sincerely,
Timothy

>>Its quite common pathology of trolls on the net.

Man, and you *should know*! You are one messed up dude in the head. We got a good laugh out of your hysterics in the office today. When someone gets upset, we all laugh a little when we call it "He DrM-ed this morning" Are you serious about what you write? I think someone is pulling our leg and trying to fool us with the outlandishness that is...DrM! Too much, man, too much, lol.

I think the cartoons are great. I think the Muslims reaction to them is great, also. This issue brings up the very important question of 'My freedoms' vs 'Your freedoms' into public debate. Of course, for Islam there is no 'my freedoms'. Muslims think their freedom to venerate Mohammed is more important than Non-Muslims freedom of speech and opinion.

If Muslims win this debate, they lose. If they succeed in supressing freedom of speech, we all lose. The 'cartoon war' is making a lot of people think about Islam and Muslims and the implications of living next to people who must impose their beliefs on others.

Perhaps the question should not be if Muslims are offended or not, but the character of the man in question.

Does Islam's prophet really deserve all this respect? Do Muslims ever really consider the full impact of what this man did and said - according to their own histories?

Which is more offensive, a silly cartoon, or deeds of murder, torture and slavery?

Think about it.

John aka kactuz

boycott boycott boycott!!! thanx dr. M for the info. No thanx to alt.muslim (i.e. wanna be muslim wake up) for publishing an apologia for the anti-muslimists. I expect Shahed Amanullah will find find fault with Muslims protesting about being put into concentration camps as well. No doubt he'll find some fool to write an article about how silly it is to protest about that as well. Wait and see. Oh... he might become all quiet - when they haul his a** to the camps... then he'll understand why it is so important to protest this kind of crap (maybe).

Peace

It may be a good idea for Muslims to react to this incident in the same manner Muhammad(PBUH) would have responded to an insult.

I believe that response is to return an evil act with an act of goodness. Goodness always conquers evil.

If we truly love and respect Prophet Muhammad(PBUH). Then we should try to follow his example of mercy and not the anger we may feel.

In echoing Dakota's comments, I'll remind everyone that if personal attacks continue on this thread, it will be closed.

publicdebate, we don't leave personal attacks on your site (nor do we have anything personal against you), but we have a right to disagree without the insults (even though we didn't write the article). In fact, I think you'll see that this is a microcosm of the problem. Anger exacerbates things.

I would like to add is that I understand that I have never been in the position where I am hated or resented for my religion so I cannot truly understand the feelings resulting from the cartoons. I think
I do understand that the cartoons were not so bad in themselves but in the cumilitive effect of constant prejudice but all peoples of the book have a similer trend running through of thinking what their examples be it Jesus or Muhammed

Oh and I think the reason 3 new members joined in one day is proabably (in my case) because of the high profile of an Islam related story!