The Depiction That Caused Bloodshed

The Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, suffered bomb scares a day after apologizing for cartoons of the Prophet Mohamed. The negative image of the Prophet prompted protests from Muslims and a boycott of Danish products in a dozen nations. The offices of Jyllands-Posten in Copenhagen and Arhus were evacuated as the storm continued over its publication last September of a series of 12 satirical cartoons regarded by many Muslims as blasphemous.
The Danish economy has numerous ties to the Middle-East and is expected to lose 1.5 million per day in revenue.

The depiction of the Prophet Mohamed, above, has caused destructive riots, and destruction of property throughout the Middle East. In Beirut, where religious tensions have fueled generations of political violence, the rioting dragged on for hours in the Christian neighborhood of Achrifiyeh. During the protest in 30 people were injured and one person killed.

The Danish Premier said that “the newspaper Jyllands-Posten had not intended to insult Muslims when it published the drawings.” The Danish government has broad public backing for it stance on the cartoons. An opinion poll showed that 79 percent of Danes think Fogh Rasmussen should not issue an apology and 62 percent say the newspaper should not apologize. So far, the Danish Premier has only apologized for the unrest that the cartoons have caused, and not for publishing the cartoons.

As a person who lives in an open society it's difficult to understand why so many Muslims are enraged over this cartoon. Admittedly the depiction is in poor taste. The Associated Press refused to distribute the images; there are 12 in all, because it did not meet their standards in taste. But a cartoon in poor taste should not provoke such arrant outrage. I can only conclude that the violence is emblematic of a deeper issue - intolerance.

The Europeans have expressed concerns that Islamic values are incompatible with their increasingly secular ones. The Europeans are going to have decided whether or not they can accept intolerance. Can their society remain free and open if freedom of expression is expected to be silenced by a steady intonation of antagonism and fear? They likely know the answer. This is presumably why the Danish government is not apologetic for its support of free speech. I just hope that the Europeans have the moral fortitude, courage and fearlessness required to win the war on culture. A the rate the Muslim population is growing in Western Europe, it's going to be a long conflict.