The American rightwing blogosphere has found solidarity in a strange place: Denmark. Not only are winger bloggers urging their readers to "buy Danish" (won't that make us fat??? Oh, sorry, I get it ... so what the hell do the Danes make, anyway...?) in response to the one reasonable response in the Muslim world to the whole flap -- an economic boycott (something the American right knows a thing or two about...) they're also calling on one another to school the Muslims by publishing the cartoons just for the sake of publishing them and to show some sort of blog solidarity with the "secular humanist" Europeans. How ironic... I suppose it's pretty easy to say "bring it on" to the jihadis when the jihad is presently taking place in Europe...
So does this mean that we all now are in agreement that Western society is, and for many reasons should be, fundamentally secular? Of course the difference is that while most of us believe this across the board, the right only believes it in relation to Islam, but not when it comes to things like intelligent design, abortion, school prayer, school vouchers for religious education and public displays of religous icons like the Ten Commandments... In those cases and others, the right wants secular society for Muslims and Christian society for us. (They also have this odd habit of calling for boycotts because Christmas isn't "Christy" enough, freaking out about magazine covers, asking God to smite members of the Supreme Court, getting all bent out of shape over opera and meaningless TV shows, and demanding that public schools teach all our kids that the earth is 6,000 years old and created with anonymous magic (we didn't say God, so it's science!)
...when you look at it that way, you'd kind of have to say all religious zealoutry is kind of crazy... the only thing missing from the American Christians is the jihad part of the crazy...
That said, I think just about everyone agrees that the Muslim world is overreacting to the cartoons (except, apparently for the Condi Rice State Department, which has apparently decided to useg the Muhammad cartoon flap to try and burnish its credentials with the world's Muslims (they've sent out three different spokespeople to reiterate the same statement...). Good luck with that... By the way, I wonder if State or any other entity in the Bush fed contacted American newspaper publishers to urge them not to run the cartoons, because none of them have... It would be interesting to find that out...
Anyway, here is an important piece explaining the context of the Danish cartoons, something I haven't actually heard up to now... and explanations of each of the cartoons in the controversial series...
The cartoon series appearing on this page that sparked a global controversy was commissioned and published by a Danish newspaper as a deliberate challenge to Muslim insistence that their religious feelings must be given special consideration.
The drawings were commissioned by the Jyllands-Posten (Jutland's Post) to accompany an article on self-censorship and freedom of speech after Danish writer Kare Bluitgen was unable failed to find artists willing to illustrate his children's book about Mohammed for fear of violent attacks by extremist Muslims.
Islamic teachings forbid pictorial depictions of Mohammed.
The cartoons were published on September 30 with an explanatory article by the newspaper's culture editor, Flemming Rose.
The following is a translated summary of the article and explanation of the cartoons published in the Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia.
"The modern, secular society is rejected by some Muslims. They demand a special position, insisting on special consideration of their own religious feelings.
"It is incompatible with contemporary democracy and freedom of speech, where you must be ready to put up with insults, mockery and ridicule.
"It is certainly not always equally attractive and nice to look at, and it does not mean that religious feelings should be made fun of at any price, but that is less important in this context. [...] we are on our way to a slippery slope where no one can tell how the self-censorship will end.
"That is why the Jyllands-Posten has invited members of the Danish editorial cartoonists union to draw Mohammed as they see him."
And then there's this, from the paper that started all the hubbub:
Some of these cartoons had previously been published in the newspaper without drawing major significant criticism.
In the wake of strong protests throughout the Muslim world, the paper's editor-in-chief, Carsten Juste, apologised for causing offence.
The paper's website carried the apology and explanation for its actions in an item headed Honourable Fellow Citizens of the Muslim World.
Mr Juste said the Jutland's Post was a strong proponent of democracy and freedom of religion.
It also respected the right of any human being to practise his or her religion.
The cartoons were published as part of a public debate on freedom of expressions.
"In our opinion, the 12 drawings were sober. They were not intended to be offensive, nor were they at variance with Danish law, but they have indisputably offended many Muslims for which we apologise."
He dismissed suggestions that the drawings were part of a campaign against Muslims, "adding that offending anybody on the grounds of their religious beliefs is unthinkable to us."
More: Public Figures Beware gives a thorough rundown of international reaction to the cartoons, and he even hands out grades...
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"[T]he practice of arbitrary imprisonments, have been, in all ages, the favorite and most formidable instruments of tyranny.' Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 84, August, 1788
