The Rants of Issachar

There's really nothing more to be said. It's still going on, but nothing useful is being added to the discussion.

Here's a summary as I see it. Please comment if I've left something out.

• Muslims have rioted over the cartoons killing many fellow Muslims in the process. Death threats have been issued.
• Muslim governments have asked why the Danish government didn't punish the publishers. (Demonstrating a lack of understanding of how western governments don't control the media).
• The Iranian government came up with the idea of countering with a holocaust cartoon. (Cartoon publishers point out that the cartoon weren't made Jews so the Iranians are making fun of the "wrong" people).
• Iran decided to emulate that ridiculous "Freedom Fries" idea that they came up with in the US. If you want a tasty pastry there, you can't ask for a Danish. You need to ask for a "Rose of the Prophet Mohammed". Oh please... Of all the things ideas the Americans have come up with you choose to copy that?
  
• Muslims and non-Muslims have pointed out that murdering people in the name of Allah brings Islam into greater disrepute than any drawings.
  
• It's been brought to light that the controversy is to a great extent a manufactured on as the riots didn't happen until a Danish Imam spent months trying to drum up outrage using a combination of the real cartoons and others including a photo that had nothing to do with Mohammed.
• Some newspapers in the Muslim world have published the cartoon. The one publishing before the Danish Muslims succeeded in whipping up outrage is fine. The one publishing afterwards has been punished.
  
• Muslims and non-Muslims have claimed that the only motivation for publishing the cartoons is racism and/or Islamophobia. Some counter with ad hominem accusations of racism against the non-publishers. Commentators repeat foolish accusations of "dhimmitude". I'm sorry Ms. Shaidle, but dhimmitude is not something you can accuse Mr. Harper of with any credibility.
  
• Cartoon publishers in the west have accused the non-publishing ones of a double standard because they cite sensitivity as their reason for not publishing the Danish cartoons but have published photos and art offensive to Christians and particularly to Roman Catholics.
• People like myself (and me specifically) have been accused of insensitivity. I maintain that that characterization is false.
  

Reasonable people can disagree about this issue and whether or not one should republish those cartoons. But that's what a free press is for. Some choose to publish, some choose not to. That's the beauty of freedom of speech. If you don't like what someone else is saying (or not saying), add your own voice.

What more is there to be said? Muslims needs to come to terms with the fact that the modern world will not provide special consideration or a special place for Islam. For their own sake, Muslim moderates, (for lack of a better word), need to establish their preeminence in Islam.

Until there's something new to comment about, I'm going to content myself with discussing this on other people's blogs. If you see me around, I always post as issachar, and I leave a link back to here whenever I can...

Posted by:  Katinka

(you're not insensitive)

Posted by:  salty cracker

I'm not sure I agree with the assumption that the Muslims who are stirring up this fervour want Islam to have a special place in the modern world.... if anything, extremist Muslim governments (Iran, the former Taliban regime, Hamas, Syria, etc.) have shown nothing but rejection for and called for the destruction of anyone who represents ideals of the modern world.

(The moderates have been much more reasonable, but they are not the ones who ignited this mess.....)

Posted by:  Katinka

"nothing useful being added to the discussion"....thanks?! I shall go away and comment on my own blog now...redundantly rephrasing my own good points instead. :P

Posted by:  issachar

:)

Posted by:  Major John

What do you think of those like the Boston Globe that come out and say "We didn't publish because we are scared"? Sensitivity is not the only motive for not publishing...those that do so out of fear do need to be called on the carpet when they courageously publish things offensive to Christians, Jews and whomever else they AREN'T afraid of.