CAUSING OFFENCE

As Le Soir, Die Welt and other European newspapers raise the stakes in the cartoon controversy, Tom Gross offers a reminder of the kind of images that rarely cause a stir in the Arab world.

Comments

[jamal]

Although the Danish newspaper apologised, many European newspapers have reprinted the slanderous cartoons. Some have called it solidarity, I call it collective slander. Apparently much of Europe does not realise the difference between ‘freedom of speech’ and unacceptable slander. At least Great Britain did not jump on the bandwagon like the rest of these losers did.

While supposed ‘freedom of speech’ advocates chant on one side and Muslims argue for an apology on the other, I wonder whether this row would be so popular if it had not centered on Islam. The media has already proven to be islamophobic, and reading comments on this issue at this blog and others will evidence that many backing the newspapers are also against Islam.

As stated by Omar and Aquacool, the inconsistency is that when Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied the Holocaust there was an uproar and calls for him to retract his “anti-semitic” words. When a photograph that showed American coffins on their way back from Iraq was deemed offensive there was an uproar and the photographer lost her job. In each case action was taken against the so-called transgressor and the world did not come together to reprieve them, chanting freedom of speech and expression as a justification.

The first consistency so far in this issue is that Managing Editor of France Soir, the paper which has reprinted the cartoons, has been sacked. No doubt many will argue this is wrong, when the reality is that this should have been the standard from the outset.

[collounsbury]

What a sadly confused bunch of twaddle, Jamal.

[jamal]

what evidences "sadly confused" is that you fail to understand the key points here.

When it comes to free speech, in an ideal world, discretion should be excercised, particularly when the impact of publications can by such that it causes disunity within society.

[Jorge]

If there was a cartoon lampooning, say, Gandhi at an all-you-can-eat buffet--no no, not harsh enough. Martin Luther King, Jr., as little black sambo, some such, people would be angry, call for resignations, etc.

But they wouldn't burn down embassies. The reaction is overblown, no matter how you slice it.