Depictions of Muhammed (pbuh)
There's been a lot of incendiary rhetoric about a series of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)* recently. See Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy)
Mahablog: Taking The Bait. (Via.)
This, IMO, gets to the heart of why the Right Blogosphere is obsessed with this story, the way they were obsessed with the recent French riots. They want a holy war against Islam. They are itching for it. Not that any of them would volunteer to fight, of course
Whatever: Prioritizing the Idiots
People with the right to free speech are not obliged to cave to people who demand that the world has to be their way and their way only, even as they are obliged to be respectful of those who are respectful of those freedoms.
Flogging The Simian: Muslim Cartoon Controversy What the Media Isn't Telling You.
So what triggered this? Well it takes a blog to explain it. What CNN and the other traditional media failed to tell you is that the thousand gallons of fuel added to the fire of outrage came from none other than our old pals Saudi Arabia.
The Religious Policeman: Prams, Toys, Rattles and Dummies. (Via above.)
....don't be under the illusion that two editors coincidentally thought this would be a Good Idea. Saudi newspapers may occasionally show little acts of independence, but when it comes to the big things, like sacking editors, or targetting other countries, the government is still very much in control. And the government ordered a diversion. So for "We are angry at Danish cartoons" read "Don't talk about the Hajj stampede".
To my mind, the last link explains what's really going on. Or was going on. I think the invented outrage the Saudis wanted to distract from their own shortcomings has raged out of their control:
- New protests erupt in cartoon row, restraint urged
- Hundreds in Iran Protest Muhammad Drawings
- Protesters killed as global furore over cartoons escalates
And, of course, it's playing right into the hands of those in the US who want to go to war with Iran. Visions of crowds of Muslim Fundamentalists burning flags and attacking embassies can easily sway the all-too suggestible American public. Hmmm, Saudi Muslims are Sunni, Iranians are Shi'ia, and the Sunnis hate the Shi'ia. Excuse me while I go get my tinfoil hat on...
But I'll leave the last word to UrsulaV: UrsulaV's Live JournalL
Since everybody else has to have an opinion about Muslims, cartoons, Danish newspapers, and depictions of the Prophet Mohammed, I'm going to tell you mine.
Everybody involved's a freakin' moron.
* - PBUH is an acronym of "Peace Be Unto Him"; see here for an explanation. That article says that it isn't strictly correct, but the Saudi newspapers used to use it all the time when I was there.
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