"It's quite interesting reading the comments and opinions. However, many people, myself included often fall victim to so called conventional wisdom (it's the truth since everyone says it is). "This is about free speech"
Despite what you have heard, this is not about free speech. This is not because Islam prohibits idolatry and we don't have pictures of The Prophet. This is not about free speech. An ultra right wing, ultra conservative, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant newspaper publishes cartoons that depict the Prophet Muhammad (peace be unto him) as a terrorist. Even the US govt's official statement is that the cartoons were grossly offensive. This is not about free speech. Note: previously this same newspaper turned down similar cartoons of Jesus because they thought it was too offensive. http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2006/02/09/1139379578740.html This is not about free speech. Arab governments try to meet and diffuse the issue but are snubbed by the Danish Government. This is not about free speech. Despite the fact that free speech and a free press are not problems in European nations, in an effort to defend free speech some nations republish the cartoons. This is not about free speech. Think about this in perspective, what do you think would have happened if during the late Martin Luther King's wife funeral some reps from the local KKK arm showed up distributing pamphlets? Is that not free speech too? Do you think much dialogue would have ensued? I think not. This is not about free speech. We often forget that the great bastion of free speech; the US; not too long ago had their own issues in Los Angeles; remember Rodney King anyone????? Riots erupted in Los Angeles because one section of the population felt that they were being victimized. Or maybe you see it from the other side, riots erupted because minority group refused to accept the judgment after due process. This is not about free speech. Many people are quick to talk about The July 1990 coup. Everyone remembers that the perpetrators were from the Jamaat al Muslimeen mosque. You ask any Muslim in Trinidad and they will condemn what they did. But I assure you, the subsequent looting of businesses was a truly cosmopolitan affair. Truly, that day every creed and race was tiefing all over the place. Mob mentality is not exclusive to one race/creed. This is not about free speech. In an *equally* offensive turn of events the graphics editor of the newspaper Hamshahri (Iran gov't) announced a competition for cartoons on the Holocaust with an ultimatum for the Danish newspaper to publish them. The paper's editor-in-chief said that Jyllands-posten under no circumstances would publish the Holocaust cartoons. This is not about free speech. Mob mentality eventually takes over. Embassies get torched, flags get burnt and people get killed. But some still sing the mantra. "This is about free speech". This is not about free speech. This is not about democracy. This is not about a free press. There is no such thing as a free press, there is no such thing as free speech and last time I checked, democracy was a form of government. This is about xenophobia. Go wiki that" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:196683 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
