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| Europe |
| Editor unrepentant over cartoons |
| 2006-02-15 |
| THE cultural editor of a Danish newspaper that started a global row over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed today stood by his decision to publish the controversial caricatures, saying they were aimed at promoting debate. Flemming Rose, editor of Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, told a panel discussion at the Brookings Institution in Washington that his decision to commission the drawings was legitimate, in light of the self-censorship that prevailed in his country and elsewhere when it came to dealing with Islam. "There was a legitimate news story we had to cover and we chose to cover it in a not very ordinary way," he said, referring to the letter he sent in September to 40 cartoonists asking them to draw the prophet as they saw him. My intention was to have them appear under their own name and go against this tendency to self-censorship," Flemming said. "I did not ask them to make (the prophet) a laughing stock or to mock him or to make fun of him. This is the big lie being pushed by Islamists who play the victim card "they deliberately set out to humiliate Muslims! burn the embassies! bring on the anti-blasphemy laws cos we're offended! - and it's worked. "But because we do have a tradition of satire in Denmark, some of the cartoonists, in fact, did make satirical cartoons, but that is what we do with Jesus Christ and that is what we do with the royal family and with politicians," he said. "So in fact the cartoonists were just treating Islam and Muslims in the same way they would treat everybody else." no, we're victims i tell ya, victims! Islamists don't want equal treatment they want you to live by their rules. He acknowledged that his newspaper two years ago had declined to publish satirical cartoons depicting Jesus Christ, but said the current situation was not comparable, and noted that over the years Jyllands-Posten had printed cartoons deemed offensive by Christians, Jews and other religions. When asked whether he regretted his decision to publish the Mohammed cartoons, in light of the firestorm they unleashed in the Islamic world and threats against him, Flemming said it was like asking a rape victim whether she regretted wearing a short skirt. Denmark has been raped and every lilly-livered publication that refused to print those cartoons in solidarity when the muslim world went nuts has been like the man who stood by and did nothing. I'm buying Danish cheese every day and I suggest you guys do too. Incidentally, Islamists believe that a woman who wears a short skirt is 50% to blame if she gets raped. I read that on Q&A section of the old Islamic Youth Movement website (Lakemba Leb group now disbanded - you know the Lakemba Lebs of the Cronulla race riots fame?). "What I did did not transcend normal practice," he said. It was reasonable, tasteful and not offensive. I fear we have lost the battle. Islam 1: West: 0. This wasn't about the West pushing Islam but about Islamists pushing the West to see if we would fight to defend our freedom of speech - a cherished right. Other Muslims read this as shame on us we are the weak horse, admire Islamists they are the strong horse. I fear our weak response will only encourage further attack. I used to think they were prepping the ground for a violent strike but they won't bother when this method works so much better. Qaida have evolved. They fight us using our own society against us. They don't need to fly planes into buildings now, when they can lobby congress/parliament, shut down media debate and wage law against us. |
| Posted by:Elmeth Hupereck9708 |