Da Bomb

I'd like a dollar for every Guide visitor who came looking for this post. It's quickly superceded Barbie's Bad Influence as the blog favorite (?).

That, together with the rise in Saudi-originated readers here, the pathetic excuse for a dander at Vinnie's, and the more risible boycott by Kuwait and the Saudis, has me posting the controversial image at left.

The freedom of speech blogburst is on.

Why should you care? How about a case study:

Islam is no laughing matter. The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten is being protected by security guards and several cartoonists have gone into hiding after the newspaper published a series of twelve cartoons (see them all here, halfway the article) about the prophet Muhammad. According to the Islam it is blasphemous to make images of the prophet. Muslim fundamentalists have threatened to bomb the paper’s offices and kill the cartoonists.

The newspaper published the cartoons when a Danish author complained that he could find no-one to illustrate his book about Muhammad. Jyllands-Posten wondered whether there were more cases of self-censorship regarding Islam in Denmark and asked twelve illustrators to draw the prophet for them. Carsten Juste, the paper’s editor, said the cartoons were a test of whether the threat of Islamic terrorism had limited the freedom of expression in Denmark.

The publication led to outrage among the Muslim immigrants living in Denmark. 5,000 of them took to the streets to protest. Muslim organisations have demanded an apology, but Juste rejects this idea: “We live in a democracy. That’s why we can use all the journalistic methods we want to. Satire is accepted in this country, and you can make caricatures,” he said. The Danish imam Raed Hlayhel reacted with the statement: “This type of democracy is worthless for Muslims. Muslims will never accept this kind of humiliation. The article has insulted every Muslim in the world.”

I believe Mr. Juste has received a response to his test. Along with the rest of the world, he is also disabused of the notion that a free democracy is of interest to Islamics.

But that would never happen in America. Or England. Or France.

Never let it be said that we were afraid to fight the good fight. And don't forget, show your support and stock up on Danish goods today! Mmmm, red clogs and liver pate.

CP @ GMC.