SOME VIEWS ON THE DANISH CARTOON MUSLIM REACTION SNAFU
As some embassies have already burned, and thousands of muslims the
world over march, picket, and throw stones at western embassies
and symbols in their respective countries, there have been few
voices of reason in the middle of this latest debate. And it is
too easy to react emotionally because in doing so, one gets into
the same kind of finger pointing so many pundits and opinion shapers have
already begun.
I used to live in Denmark, and called Copenhagen home back in
the mid-1980's. The Danish people are, in the main, not racist.
In fact, most are open to new comers and new ideas. But, in
opening their borders, and allowing new people to move-in,
well, there is bound to be conflict, or, at least a bit of friction.
Such is the case now.
I do remember during the 1984 U.S
. Presidential election how
many of the Danish newspapers would often run cartoons, unflattering
ones at that, of members of the so-called New Right. From Ronald
Reagan, Newt Gingrich, John Poderhetz, William F. Buckley,
Rush Limbaugh, to religious right wingers such as Ralph Reid,
Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, and all other controversial pundits
were fair game.
So was the Pope. And so was a number of Christian figures targets
of satire, the recent sex scandals inside the Catholic Church
notwithstanding.
The explosion on the international scene over the cartoons slamming Islam in
one of the leading Danish newspapers is remarkable, if not for
its timing. It is not as if the cartoons ran last week. They ran
in the newspaper last Fall. September to be exact. This is going
to play out over time. The question is, where will we stand as
the human race once all of this blows over.
Below are two opinions on the whole snafu. The first is from
Fellow I-A-N Board Member, Jim Sutherland, whose comments
appeared this week in the Atlanta Constitution and Journal
Newspaper in the Letters-to-the-Editor section. The other is from
two Danish folks who went about obtaining the signatures of
thousands of Danes who offered an apology to the Muslim
world regarding the cartoons that appeared in
Jyllands-Posten last Fall.
Dear Editors,
You can say that Muslims are overreacting to the cartoons of Mohammed. You can say that they should get over it. They're not. Their outrage is real. It is a wake up call. Western non-Muslims do not understand the culture of Muslims and vice versa. Just as westerners attacking Muslim countries, as a reaction to Muslim terrorism makes no sense, equally, Muslims reacting violently to the exercise of western press freedoms is as much a sign of ignorance. What is needed in this world is greater understanding. Westerners need to better understand the sensitivities of the Muslim world and Muslims, particularly those who have chosen to live in the west, must learn more tolerance of the mores of the west. Understanding will save us all.