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What Took So Long?
By Micah Halpern

Monday Februaray 13, 2006

Column:

I have reached the outermost limits of my patience with the current, uncontrolled, rioting in the Muslim world.

Everyone following the story knows that political cartoons depicting not Allah, but his disciple Muhammed, originally published in Denmark sparked the recent upheaval. But did you know that the cartoons were originally published on September 30th? September 30th!

So what took so long? And why riot in the first place?

It took so long because the press in most Muslim countries is an arm, an extension, a mouthpiece of and for the government. It is newspapers that, at the behest of their governments, stoke the flames of hatred, creating an "Us versus Them" conflict. That's how and often why papers get sold in many Muslim countries. It took so long because it wasn't until now that Muslim governments needed to create a global conflict of cultures. It is the Muslim world against the West.

So why now? Because tensions are rising and rising and rising between the Muslim world and the West. The situation is escalating because of Iran and because of Iraq. And also because of Syria. The West is isolating the Muslim world and the Muslim world is beginning to feel the effects of this growing isolation. And even though they refuse to admit it publicly, Muslim leaders know, individually and collectively, that isolation will not help their economies grow or their people prosper. And they want to lash back.

That is why they are rioting. It is a way to involve "the people." Rhetoric doesn't do it the way rioting does.

And now, any individual Westerner, any Western agency or industry or visitor or humanitarian aid worker is in jeopardy on Muslim soil. And all Westerners will remain in jeopardy until the situation is resolved.

I don't see a resolution happening anytime soon. There is no reason for Muslim leadership to appease the West anytime soon. Maybe, not ever. Certainly, not as long as cartoonists and caricaturists have freedom of depiction in Western democracies.

The careful observer will see that all Muslim reaction to the cartoons and all resulting, responsive, rabble-rousing rioting is not equal.

Even in the liberal pro-Western countries of Egypt, Jordan and Turkey governments came out against the cartoons and subsequent protests were permitted.

The monarchy of Jordan demanded that Denmark deliver an apology for the offensive acts. Turkey, a democracy did the same. A democracy cannot reign in a free press, that can only happen with a free market. (Parenthetically, Turkey is now suffering democratic growth pains on this very issue. For the past six months the government of Turkey has been embroiled in a legal battle with a native Turkish writer that the government is prosecuting for defaming the country.) The violence due to rioting in these countries was kept in relative check. Secret police complimented by a more obvious police presence maintain the relative order in the fray.

The point is that only in a totalitarian state does the government control the press. Muslim critique of the Danish cartooning is totally out of line. Their reaction reflects a misunderstanding of the basic principles free thought.

Syria is the perfect example. In Syria one cannot protest in the streets without government sponsorship and that comes along with a support staff - police and security services including the secret police. The Syrian government most definitely sponsored the anti-Western riot in Damascus. Their motivation is clear. The United States is on their case and Syria needs to respond, to retaliate. The cartoons fell right into their lap. It was the right excuse at the right time to release pent up frustration and anger and hostility. What motivates Syria motivates, to a greater or lesser extent, almost every other Muslim country.

The crux of the issue is this: In democracies political cartoon and caricatures are part of freedom of the press. They cannot be censored. Any person and every idea can and probably will be lampooned. Sometimes it is in bad taste, sometimes it is inappropriate but sometimes it is on target and funny.

In this case, I thought some of the cartoons funnier than others. My personal favorite was the one about running out of virgins. The follow-up in France Soir lampooning the reaction was, to my way of thinking, on target and funny. It depicted Moses, Jesus and Buddha on one cloud, Muhammad on another. The three were consoling Muhammad, telling him that they had all been poorly lampooned and recovered. The managing editor of France Soir was fired by his Egyptian-French owner for allowing the cartoon.

The European Arab League website has posted a series of cartoons depicting Anne Frank in bed with Hitler. Tasteless and ridiculous? Offensive and inappropriate? Such is life. The cartoons were so popular that the website shut down from server overload.

Muslim countries and leaders will calm their citizens when they feel their ends have been achieved. Iran will keep their rioters roused longer than the other Muslim countries. It's not the people who need to learn to understand cartoons in the spirit of free debate. It's the leaders who need to learn that not every move by the West should be stored away only to be brought out when they are in need of an opportunity for conflict.

4 June 2017 12:14 PM in Columns


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