- I am delighted to publish here, in its entirety, a very informative and thoughtful comment recently submitted here by Christiane, who lives in a Francophone part of Switzerland. Christiane, thanks so much for adding so much to our knowledge-base here! Apologies to you and to other JWN readers that I haven’t yet had time to go through and tidy up the occasional mis-spelling in English, but I’ll do it when I can. Meantime it’s all very easily readable, and a great contribution to the global discourse (especially it’s English-speaking part.) ~HC
In complement to your recent comments on the cartoons issue, I find it interesting to report on the reactions they stirred in France. After all, France is the European country counting the most important minority of North African and black Africans Muslims. At the same time it is also the most anticlerical country of Europe. Further, at the end of last year, the suburban areas where the majority of North African and black African immigrants live were inflamed by the most serious riotting ever seen, burning for several weeks, although with a few casualties.
In France, probably due to a long anticlerical tradition, two important, nationally distributed newspapers have reproduced all the 12 Danish caricatures of the Jylland’s Posten. The first to do so was “France Soir”. Paradoxically, the owner of the journal is a Franco-Egyptian and he fired the chief editor right afterwards. This led to several calls for the defense of free speach in various French newspapers. Last Thursday, Charlie Hebdo, a satirical journal with a large readership, dedicated its whole weekly issue to the subject. They sold out in a moment and the owner had to reprint a lot more issues. Charlie Hebdo has a long tradition of anticlericalism, antimilitarism and harsh political satire. I’ve been unable to get an issue in Swizterland, it was out of stock the very day it came out. So I don’t know how they treated the subject. The media reports that one of their own caricatures represented a distressed Prophet Mohammed stating that “It is a pain to be loved by assholes”.
But apart of two or three provocative attitudes of this same kind, the reaction in France has been very measured, especially at the government level and the Muslim organizations level. Jacques Chirac immediately condemned these publications as provocation, especially the most recent issue of Charlie Hebdo. He called on everyone to stay calm and the press to act responsibly. The government also met with Muslim organisations who issued calls for peace as well. The Conseil français du culte musulman (CFCM) (an Association regrouping several Muslim Organisations) chose the legal path and will file multiple complaints (French text) against both France Soir and Charlie Hebdo. It’s not yet sure whether they will also file complaints against other newspapers like “Le Monde” and “Liberation” who reproduced only some of the caricatures. Brubaker, the president of the CFCM stated that they were only looking for a “symbolic condemnation” in order to discourage new provocations which could “reinforce a clash of civilizations”. Some protests of angry Mulims took place, mostly at the exit of the Friday prayers, but they didn’t run out of control. Secular Arabs interviewed in the streets say they felt insulted by the caricatures as well, especially by the stigmatizing of all Muslims as terrorists.
The secular “Mouvement contre le racisme et pour l’amitié entre les peuples” (MRAP, aka Movement against racism and for the friendship between all peoples) also decided to file a suit against France Soir, for provocation and incitement to racial hate (this was before the issuing of Charlie Hebdo; they will probably sue Charlie Hebdo as well).
Compared to the weeks-long riots that inflamed the suburbs at the end of last year, these protests look like a very restrained reaction. This proves what many French intellectuals and politicians of the left said then : that the French suburb-dwellers’ riots had nothing to do with religion, that they represented a social movement against discrimination, agaisnt economic and social exclusion, but that they were neither fomented by religious movements, nor indicatied a ‘clash of civilizations’, as US neocons would have liked to see them.
The issue of the complaint filed by the Muslim organizations and the secular MRAP isn’t yet certain…
However France has a good law ruling the right of free speech. The law of 1881 was modified many times especially in 1972 to include articles punishing anti-arab and xenophobic deeds, and in 2006 in order to include articles punishing sexism and homophobia as well. In its present version, the law on free press contains 11 articles (number 29th to 37th) that define the limits of free speech. They add up to this : the public media can’t incite to racial hate, nore can they defame or insult persons or groups of persons based on their racial or ethnic characters, or their faith or culture. Even the mere reproduction of insulting statements can be punished. The punishment can go up to six months of jail and the payment of a fee as high as 22,500 euros (approximately US$28,000). The whole text of the law can be read here (French text) and a clear explanation can be found here (French text).
Incitement to racial hate is also severely punished of course. I find this law to be exemplary, much better than the unlimited right to free speech seen in the US. The hate speech issued by nazis and fascists during between two World Wars left traces in European laws which were reinforced when the first xenophobic movements appeared in the seventies and eighties. IMO it’s a good thing : free speech shouldn’t cover the right to incite to racism/xenophobia, or to propagate racist or xenophobic ways of thinking. It’s a clear sign that these laws are only fought by the extreme right in a very hypocrital way.
French diplomacy also engaged with the issue, explaining to foreign Muslim governments that neither France Soir, nor Charlie Hebdo represented the position of the French government on these cartoons. Second, according to Juan Cole’s blog the French Embassy in Baghdad even woite a letter explaining the government’s position to Muktada Al’Sader. All this is in serious contrast with the first reactions of the Danish government which did nothing to calm the gaembassies weren’t a target of Muslim anger in ME or Asian countries, despite the fact that part of the French press also published these infamous caricatures.
-based association “Reporters sans frontières” (Reporters without borders) which is a long standing international organization defending the right to free speech in the world and fighting against the jailing and murder of journalists. They recently organized a conference in Paris along with the Arab Commission for Human Rights
“in an effort to restart a dialogue over publication of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed and find a way out of the violence this has caused”.(…)
“Fifteen speakers (including journalists, philosophers, writers, religious officials, a lawyer and a diplomat) called for talks and a calmer approach and urged an end to the violent reactions to the printing of the cartoons. Several spoke about what publishing the cartoons meant while others said freedom of expression must go hand-in-hand with respect for religious beliefs.”
You can find the cover cartoon of “Charlie-Hebdo”
here:
http://www.eurotrib.com/story/2006/2/8/173458/0836
Coupled with some other cartoons from “le Canard enchainé”.
A short description of what´s inside this “Charlie-Hebdo” edition is here:
http://tinyurl.com/amt6k
(Reuters article)
Thanks, Helena, for posting this interesting, well-informed comment.
One problem with the French “hate speech” law, however, is that it’s hard to enforce consistently and, in this case, consistency is of the essence. It’s easy to understand Muslims’ resentment if there’s a law to punish antisemitic or racist speech but none to prevent abuses against Islam. Either free speech is unrestricted and subject only to self-censorship, or consistency must be strictly enforced — and that’s very tough.
For another French perspective (on Muslim immigrants — not on the cartoons), here is a short essay that I thought you and JWN readers might find interesting. (Appeared in CounterPunch.)
I wrote it to help counter (in a tiny way) the abysmally ill-informed coverage of the French riots in the US MSM.
http://www.cs.princeton.edu/~chazelle/politics/france.html
(Please feel free not to post this comment if you feel it’s off topic.)
Well, to follow up reporting on European reactions.
Germany:
There were some (according to the media at least three) non-violent demonstrations against the cartoons in the last few days. Involving all in all some 3,500 demonstrators. And totally peaceful to say it again.
I don´t know if Islamic communities in Germany have sued any German newspaper reprinting one or more of the cartoons. Couldn´t find anything on that. After reading some articles on “Deutsche Welle”, it´s doubtful if they could win in a German court.
However, Germany does have a “Presserat” (media council?).
A short description to be found here:
http://www.presserat.de/english.html
AFAIK several complaints have already been made there.
I´m not sure about Denmark but I seem to remember that they have a similar institution? And several websites allege that a spokesman for the Danish Muslim group that went to look for support in the Middle East, didn´t even know about that institution in Denmark? Since they didn´t receive any complaints?
Yes.. Helena, please change all the speaches into speeches, when you get the time, plus the other errors if you can and I’ll stop blushing and be happy 🙂
Meanwhile, I’ve watched the evening news and there are already new elements. A group of Muslim organizations, who judged that the reaction of the CFCM was not sufficient, called for a street protest on Saturday afternoon in Paris. They were able to regroup about 10’000 protesters (second the Franco-German TV channel), about 7’200 (second the police and AFP); this isn’t much compared to the millions of Arab and Muslims living in France and Paris. They shouted slogans and agitated banners, condemning the cartoons and requesting more respect for their faith and culture. They were rather aggressive with the journalists, refusing to talk to them for instance. But there were no violence reported. The protesters walking in front of the cameras were clearly older than the young men responsible of the riots in the suburbs. They also had a clear revendication : they want to include islamophobia explicitly in the antiracist laws, like antisemitism. The main impression I got from looking at them walking was that these men and women were asserting their dignity, conscious of their number and not bending their heads anymore. I’ve never seen a protest of the Black Panthers, but I could imagine them showing the same kind of body language.
Another protest, of about 2000 persons, was reported in Strasbourg, the seat of the European Parliament.
All the majors interviewed in the main other French cities said the Muslim communities were angried by the cartoons, but rather calm and “the situation was in hand”.
There was even a small protest of a few hundreds participants in Switzerland, in Bern, but it was disawoved by the main Muslim organizations who took a very moderated stance, like the CFCM in France. Nothing was reported in Geneva.
I’ve read in Le Monde, that neither the UK nor the German medias published the cartoons. The biggest Muslim community in Germany is that of the Turks. The Turks are very concerned by their negotiations to enter in the EU and the German authorities support their candidature. This may explain why the situation was calm in Germany.
We in the West are accustomed to protesters asking for peace. When we see protesters asking to behead somebody we are outraged. Shocked. It makes sense to react negatively to the call to murder.
The governments who solomnly swore to protect the embassies of Norway and Denmark and failed to to so should apologize. Many intelligent commentators say that the burning in Syria must have been government-ordered, as Syria such a police state.
The government of Denmark did not publish the cartoons and cannot apologize for them. The Danish government can offer condolences to offended Muslims. And it could meet with ambassadors from Muslim countries!
An Iranian newspaper is competing hard for the nincompoop award by running a contest for the best (worst) holocaust-denier cartoon.
The Holocaust and religion are different in Europe. The Holocaust is a crime that the European governments participated in. In past centuries, European countries had hellacious religious wars and realized they could only survive by inventing a new level of religious tolerance. So religious satire is protected and holocaust-denial is not, or less so. Every place has it’s own history.
Interestingly, the Holocaust was not just an example of religious intolerance, but of racism. Hitler thought the Jews were biologically different.
Warren, my friend, when you say this: Many intelligent commentators say that the burning in Syria must have been government-ordered, can you provide links, evidence, sources for what you say?
I just wrote this, a couple of days ago: This is based on an assumption that “every single popular protest in Syria is totally controlled by the Syrian government.” This has most definitely NOT been the case in recent years… including back at the beginning of the present US-Iraq war, when there were street protests in Damascus against the US that truly terrified the regime.
So are you saying you are relying on people who are more intelligent, more knowledgeable, than me on this? If so, you have to say who they are, where they said it, and what their evidence is?
Otherwise, what you say there is pure hot air… worse than that, inflammatory and inciteful hate-speech.
Also, of course, as we know, the Lebanese government has apologized, publicly. And I expect the Syrian and Iranian governments have also most likely apologized…
Also, how many European governments participated in the Holocaust? And you claim they never participated in those religious wars?? Have you ever read any European history?
And your point in coming here with all your maundering and shaky arguments was– ?
who are more intelligent, more knowledgeable, than me on this?…..can you provide links, evidence, sources for what you say.
I believe Warren is referring to this opinion piece by [Beirut-based] Lee Smith:
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/006/690seird.asp?pg=2
Or perhaps the opinion of Olivier Roy & Antoine Basbous:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20060207/wl_mideast_afp/europeislammedia_060207014804
Also Italian foreign minister Fini:
http://www.agi.it/english/news.pl?doc=200602061946-1230-RT1-CRO-0-NF82&page=0&id=agionline-eng.italyonline
And Syrian dissident Ammar Abdulhamid:
http://amarji.blogspot.com/2006/02/curious-facts.html
In any case, however unproven it’s not an unusual opinion. I don’t think Warren intended it as a comment on your intelligence or knowledge.
Christiane wrote:
‘ve read in Le Monde, that neither the UK nor the German medias published the cartoons. The biggest Muslim community in Germany is that of the Turks. The Turks are very concerned by their negotiations to enter in the EU and the German authorities support their candidature. This may explain why the situation was calm in Germany.
You are wrong.
Several German newspapers published one or several of the cartoons. (You can also find links to the cartoons on some German public TV stations). However the reason why they published them is different.
“Die Welt”, a center-right wing newspaper was one of the first to publish them on February 1, 2006.
Stating that they were supporting the Danish newspaper “Jyllands-Posten”. I remain somewhat suspicious of their motive…
Most of the other German media however published one or several cartoons once the violence started. Saying that
1) they owned it to their readers to tell them what the problem was and
2) they didn´t like anyone to tell them what to publish or not.
I might add that there was and is a discussion about why the Danish “Jyllands-Posten” did publish them in the first place. That said, this isn´t a right-wing vs. left-wing fight in Germany.
Some or all of the cartoons were published by right-wing (“Die Welt”), centrist-liberal (“Die Zeit”, liberal in a European context) and left-wing (tageszeitung, “taz”) newspapers.
Not to mention the fact that “Der Spiegel” published some interviews in English with people “disagreeing” with the Muslim world.
And I shudder to think what our satirical monthly magazine “Titanic” will publish in their next edition.
They already “announced that they are planning the publication of some cartoons that were leaked to them. Like cartoons that were “published” in other small countries – like Denmark. Of course since the originals were in bad condition, their own cartoonists would have to rework them”.
You want some text examples from their online-site? (Only available in German)
“Protest-ticker 3
Damascus. A wave of outrage swept Damascus today:
SMS messages spread the rumour today that the Mufti of Damascus wanted to wear his trousers left-ways/(the wrong way?). In a fury the Mufti then burned his trousers and jumped onto a pile of other trousers. Upon hearing that in all of Syria the faithful burned their trousers. Some of them were jumping around because they were still wearing their trousers while burning them. The (German newspaper) “Frankfurter Rundschau” opinioned that while wearing trousers might be tasteless, it couldn´d be forbidden outright.” ”
“Protest-ticker 2
Kabul. Muslim protests started around noon in Kabul because an imam on his bycicle drove over a piece of glass and ended up with a torn tire. Which he had to change then. An outraged mob minutes later burned pictures of bycicles and stomped on piles of pictures of glass pieces. Several shops selling bycicles were burned. The (German newspaper) “taz” in a commentary: Sure, it still must be allowed to use a bycicle. But we shouldn´t do everything that is allowed to us.”
Bottom line, nobody in Germany likes someone from the Middle East, even with their envious position of human rights and freedom of expression, to tell us what we are allowed to do.
Helena, I would value your input on a piece that I came across yesterday. Nur al-Cubicle seems to be a gifted translator from the Continental Left with an eye for quality writing and thinking. She posted a translation of a Le Monde column by Henri Tincq that makes a lot of sense to me.
I am working at a disadvantage because I never heard of the writer and don’t speak French. But Nur’s remark suggesting that a good deal of the conflict derives from the Arab equivalent of televangelists rings true to me.
Helena
Among others “Anton Efendi” opines that Syrian protests are government-sponsored. Essentially the same opinion is here, in the Weekly Standard. Not lefty blogs, by any means. But not idiots, either. The idea that Syrian protests that egregiously violated the law are governmental in origin is a realistic view. Not proven, realistic.
In any case, my opinions are not hateful or inciteful. At worst, incorrect. Whoever burned the embassies was hateful and incited. And wrong.
Holocaust:
The governments (such as local police units, under occupation) of France, Holland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, and other parts of “Yugoslavia” and local volunteers from other countries participated willingly in the Holocaust. The Hungarian government participated at the national level. The Vatican was strangely silent. European governments largely acknowledge this and the anti-denial laws are an expression of that.
My point was that the European nations did participate in religious wars (hundreds of years ago). They can only apologize to each other. This was a motive for the ideology of religious tolerance. Something of a European invention.
My Point
Westerners are genuinely shocked at protests calling for beheadings. Given the terrorist beheadings and fatwas against Rushdie in recent times, I, for one, took them very seriously. Criticism of those protests is right on. Government apologies for the cartoons is not appropriate. Government apologies for embassy burning is appropriate, and the Lebanese government agrees with me.
The European history on the holocaust and on religious intolerance has given rise to different sets of laws — so the Iranian cartoon contest is not going make it’s point very well.
As an example, Hamas weighed in:
It’s all a contest of “Dumb and Dumber”. It was a bit dumb of the Danish newspaper to publish cartoons for the purpose of provoking a backlash, just to see if they could get away with it. It was dumber of certain Islamic radicals to threaten death.
It makes perfect sense that Muslims should protest the cartoons, by the way. Just not with threatening violence.
N.B.: The Wall Street Journal has useful chronology that we can all reference.
‘Antoun Efendi’?? You would take his word on the internal working of Syrian politics rather than mine? Man, you gotta be kidding! He couldn’t even find his way from the Souq al-Hamidiyeh to Al-Muhajjarin…
Btw, Hootsbuddy, Nur al-Cubicle is always worth reading. I’m not sure I agree totally w/ Henri Tincq but don’t have time to go into it more here.
What are the elements of a “beautiful woman”? It’s in the eye of the beholder.
What are the elements of “incitement against an ethnic group”? It’s in the eye of the beholder.
All this cartoon discussion is not about depicting Mohammed against the precepts of Islam. It’s about the politicized depicting of Mohammed as a “terrorist”.
The most controversial speech tends to be political speech when passions on issues are high. In this age of “identity politics” [Jews, Zionists, Muslims, Christians etc. injecting ethnicity and religion into secular politics] relevant politically combative speech becomes in part “verbal group identity combat”. Thus, to criminalize political speech under some anti-incitement law will inevitably censor relevant political speech in the identity-politics
arena.
An observor of constitutional litigation in the US on issues of “free speech” would instantly learn that US courts accord the HIGHEST PROTECTION AGAINST GOVERNMENT INTERFERENCE OR REPRESSION to “political speech”. A government, including one formed by the rules of democracy, that can by law silence people on political issues, including group identity politics, is a tyranny.
Helena,
While I do think Warren could have/should have done better than to cite someone’s blog (though Tony does review a lot of media opinion on the topic, including some of those mentioned by Vadim), your “who could know better than I” line can only take you so far. Have you provided citations, for example, in support of your claim that anti-war protests “truly terrified the regime”? Everyone gets sloppy on blogs, and it’s fair to ask them to support their claims. This is as true for you as it is for Warren.
Reading your blustery response to Warren, I couldn’t help but think of the following idiom: “The rabbi who praises himself has a congregation of one.”
Stacey, I am so happy for Tony if he “does review a lot of media opinion on the topic”. However, as WarrenW most likely knew, since he’s been hanging around JWN for quite a long time, my credentials on matters pertaining to internal Syrian politics are very much stronger than that.
Including that I was in Syria at the end of 2002 and again at the end of 2004, catching up with old Syrian friends and acquaintances there, some of whom I have known and worked with ever since I first started going to Damascus to do journalism in 1976. And I’ve written quite a lot about Syria here on JWN over the past 3 years, and linked here to my writings on the topic elsewhere…. including 2 of my books which deal centrally with Syria.
The blogosphere is a place where people of many different levels of experience and interest can interact, and I strongly value that interaction. However, it can and should also be a place that values experience and judgment… If those things are not valued, then the blogosphere just becomes a mud-wrestling shout-a-thon. (The puerile level of much of the invective that Tony has hurled on his blog toward Juan Cole and me, among others, is a fairly good example of that.)
When you say I should “provide a citation” for my comment that the anti-war protests in Syria terrified the regime I could cite my own reporting from that time. What I don’t intend to do, of course, is to reveal the names of the several individuals inside Damascus at the time– people whom I know well and whose judgment I trust– who described those episodes to me when I was there.
I think maybe my experience is just a little more relevant than that of someone who “does review a lot of media opinion on the topic”?
As for your little homily about the rabbi, the readership I have here and the support I have from editors in the print media is just fine by me.
Come on back and stick around in our discussions here.
What I don’t intend to do, of course, is to reveal the names of the several individuals inside Damascus at the time…
Credentials-wise I’d think native-born Syrian human rights activist Ammar Abdulhamid is in a good position to comment on Syrian affairs first hand and under his own name.
http://amarji.blogspot.com/2006/02/petulant-lot-their-not-so-petty.html
Well, Vadim, I went to that fairly intemperate and poorly organized post of Ammar’s and couldn’t find anything there that spoke to what Stacey and I were discussing, which was the demonstrations that took place in Syria around the time of the US invasion of Lebanon [oops, make that Iraq!]… So it proved nothing.
Ammar was not, I believe, in Damascus at that time and he is not there now. In that blog post, as far as I could make sense of his mad-looking use of colors, bolding, etc., there, his main aim was to discuss ways to further the US destabilization and domination agenda in the Middle East.
And now, let us return to the subject of the main post?
Absolutely correct. Ammar is guilty as hell of using bad typography and a bad mix of colors on his blog!
Helena,
I didn’t mean to suggest that you weren’t experienced – I’m actually NOT a new reader, and I know that you have published a great deal on the topic. Nor was I, as a fieldworker, suggesting that you reveal sources! Good God, no. I was, however, suggesting that you might triangulate/corroborate your account with something other than your own reporting – this is a good test for all of us. And in the odd case that no one else in the world has reported or written about your perspective, then it’s a scoop (or an innovative interpretation) and it shouldn’t be presented, as you did with your point about the Syrian protests, as a point of indiputable fact designed to undermine someone else’s argument.
Tony and I have had a good number of arguments about his invective, and I’ll say to you – albeit a more seasoned writer than he – what I’ve said to him: the respect of your credentials should speak for themselves, and screeds against your opponents do nothing to make you look secure in your positions.
Another way in which the blogosphere differs from the real world: I, who have cited you in my own academic writing, would never be able to cite this blog, for the lack of verifiable information and level of personal invective. I have been reading, and I’ll continue to do so, but let’s not fool ourselves and call blogging – yours, mine, or Tony’s – something it’s not.
Helena
You might be right that “at the beginning of the present US-Iraq war, when there were street protests in Damascus against the US that truly terrified the regime”. But you cannot know for certain that the burning of the Danish embassy was not government-inspired in Syria.
My point, however, is that the Syrian government should apologize for the burning, as they had sworn to protect the embassy, and at least failed to do so, or at most caused it to burn.
I did not and do not claim that I know for certain that the burning of the Danish embassy was per order of the Syrian government. Merely that there was reason to suspect this. And even if Helena is right about those other demonstrations “Terrifying” the regime, that reason for suspicion remains.
The Danish cartoons: Freedom of _____expression or licence to insult
Since a couple of weeks, a deep crisis has been developed regarding the publication dd september 2005 by the Danish paper The Jylands Posten of twelve cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, among else depicting him as a terrorist.
A number of Arabic governments and the Iran government not only asked the Danish ambassador for an explanation, also a great number of Arabic supermarkets decided to remove Danish products, for example in Saudi-Arabia, Algeria, Bahrein, Jordan, Kuwait, Morrocco, Qatar, Yemen and Tunesia
Recently, dd 6-2, the Iran government has decided to cut off all commercial relations with the Denmark.
Also the governments of Saudi Arabia and Libia has closed their embassies in Denmark.
Apart from those government-reactions, a great number of muslims protested against those cartoons, by which in many cases European embassies, in particular Danish embassies, were being violated.
Also the protests were expanded to the American military.
Recently four people were killed by the often trigger happy Afghan police, when a group of people marched on a U.S. military base in Southern-Afghanistan, out of protests against the Danish cartoons
To give a thourough analysis of this crisis and the controversy between the freedom of _____expression, which is the point of view of most European media, and the lack of respect, which is the point of view of most muslims in and outside Europe, it is of importance to give a short review of the events.
The first publication of the Danish cartoons:
Dd 30-9-2005, the first publication by the Danish paper The Jylands Posten took place.
This caused a strong reaction, not only under moslims and moslim-organisations in Denmark, but also in Arabic diplomatic circles.
They asked for a conversation with the Danish prime-minister Rasmussen, who refused.
Seeing the recent crisis, mr Rasmussen has tried to calm down this by means of diplomacy, which failed.
However, he refused to make further excuses about the cartoons, calling the publications of the cartoons ”freedom ofexpression”
The second publication of the Danish cartoons:
However, despite of the crisis, which was caused by the first publication and which has also led to serious threatments to the address of the cartoonists, the Jylands Posten decided to republish the cartoons after the Christmas-period
It needs no surprise at all, that this second publication again lead to a serious crisis, by which not only the Danish government was being asked for an explanation, but also Danish products were being boycotted, diplomatic and commercial relations were broken and a huge people’s protest in a great number of countries burst out.
The main protests took place in Saudi-Arabia, the occupied Gaza-area, the occupied West-Bank, Yemen, Somalia, Indonesia, the by India ruled disputed Kashmir area, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria and Libanon.
Probably under the pressure of the worldwide protests, the Jylands Posten offered her excuses to the moslims dd 30-1, which was being accepted by the islamic community in Denmark
The publication of the cartoons in the European media:
Soon after the first reactions from the Arabic world on the second publication of the referred cartoons, a number of European media-papers, following the line of the Jylands Posten, were publishing also the Danish cartoons, claiming that they did this under the pretext of ”freedom of _____expression”
The cartoons were among else published in several Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, French, Belgian, Italian and German papers
The editor of the French paper ”France Soir” not only was publishing them, but also added some own caricatural contributions to them.
Therefore he was fired soon after publising the cartoons
As reaction, out of socalled solidarity with his indeed unacceptable resignation and again, in the name of the ‘freedom of _____expression”, a number of Belgian papers were also publishing the cartoons.
Of course it is evident, that the European newspapers have the right on publishing the cartoons as an information-source for the judgment of the public opinion.
However, out of their point of view and regarding some editorial comments, they are of the opinion, that freedom of _____expression can be ventilated totally, without any consideration for the religious rights of certain groups of people
Freedom ofexpression versus licence to insult:
Of course I consider freedom of _____expression as one of the most fundamental rights of humanity, but that doesn’t imply, that there is no limitation to it.
Without any limitation namely, anywone would be free to utter racism and anti-semitism and other fundamental violations of human rights, as being condemned by as well European legislative law as International Law
In extremis it can lead to the opinion of a Dutch cartoonist J Collignon, who remarked in connection with the crisis round the cartoons, that it is no problem to publish Mein Kampf either
Also the socalled defenders of the freedom ofexpression forget, that their own legislative law has limited a total freedom of opinion, because the rights of different groups would be violated, as is being said above
In the first place, in European legislative Law, The ECHR [European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms], article 10 guarantees the freedom of _____expression, there is an addition, that states that it is limited ”by everyone’s responsibility of the law”
In the Netherlands, where a great number of papers have published the cartoons, also article 7 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of _____expression, there is an addition, that states that it is limited ”by each responsibility of the law”
Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution states, that racism and discrimination is not permitted.
Insult of the religion of certain groups:
More specifically yet, article 137c of the Dutch criminal law, forbids insults of the religion of the several groups in society
The insulting character of the cartoons:
It is obvious, that the Danish cartoons, from which some are depicting the for muslims holy Prophet Mohammed as a terrorist, is violating the muslims in their most sacred feelings and is therefore a violation of their religious rights.
Moreover the provocation lies in the fact, that it also implies a connection between the Islam and terrorism, which makes fundamentally no sense (being, like Christianity and Judaism, based on the principle of Love) and also a connection between muslims in general and terrorism, a serious European prejudice.
However I think, this is not only a question of legislative law, but responds also to the deeper principle of fundamental respect for other human beings.
By publishing those cartoons, the European papers not only has shown a fundamental lack of respect for the muslims outside Europe, but also for their moslims-co-citizens on their own country.
This sort of freedom of opinion bigotry is leading in extremis only to the further escalation of the growing tension between European autochtones and especially islamic allochtones, with the great risk of further radicalisation.
Reactions in the Arabic world:
Of course I am of the opinion, that the diplomatic reactions of the Arabic and Iranian government, not only regarding the boycot of the Danish poducts, but especially also against the Danish government, are extrapoportionnal, since the government of a country has no power over the edition-policy of a newspaper.
Also I condemn the reactions of violence in parts of the islamic world, which is directed against the foreign embassies.
However it is evident, that such an outburst of violence has more causes than the publication of the cartoons
Backgrounds of the violent outbursts:
Yet apart from the reaction on the publications of the Danish cartoons, it is obvious, that for such outbursts, more explanations must be seek
I am of the strong opinion, that those violent reactions, which take place in so many countries, are directly interconnected with the feelings of powerlessness and humiliations, which are being mainly caused by the European military support of the British-American occupation of Afghanistan and especially Iraq.
This is also combined with the decennia-long European political attitude to the Middle-East crisis, which is de jure condemning the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian areas and the Israeli war-crimes and human rights violations, but de facto is maintaining the status quo, by not taking any political or economical measures to pressure on Israel to implement the UN-Security Resolution 242 dd 1967, to withdraw our of the occupied territories and also to dismantle the settlements, which are illegal according to International Law and break down the Wall, which has been condemned by the International Court of Justice dd 9-7-2004, because of cutting through occupied Palestinian area.
This, in combination with the since 11 september 2001 amounted anti-Islam hysteria in Europe, from which the publication of those cartoons are one of the utterings, is leading to those violent protests, which is only being worsened by the provocative attitude of a number of European papers, from which for example the Dutch Volkskrant [literary translared: People’s Paper] is one of the most extreme, by publishing the cartoons two times in a short period.
Denigrated remarks of de Volkskrant:
Not only ”De Volkskrant” was very bigot in her defense of the freedom of _____expression by placing the cartoons twice, in an editionary comment ”Geen slappe knieeen” [”No weak knees”, by wich was meant no capitulation for ”religious fundamentalism”, which as so often in the European media is used in a wrong way] she also utttered very denigrating remarks considering the muslim protesters.
So every protest was being ”directed” from ”the authorities”, by which they forgot, that it is highly unlikely, that so many protests in so many countries would be ”put in scene”
Further they called the protests ”opgelopte lucht” [litery ”cooked air”, which means ”of no real meaning and irrational”], which shows a complete lack of respect for the intelligence and think-capacity of the protesters.
Further the Volkskrant also neglected a remark by a French muslimleader, who was comparing the cartoons with the anti-semite cartoons from the 30 years of the former century
Their comment was, that the comparison was not just, because the systematic nazi-propaganda of that time is not to be connected with those cartoons
Anti-Islamhysteria:
Yet the Volkskrant is missing a very important point here.
Although there the anti-Islamhysteria is happily not to be compared with the nazi-propaganda from the years 30 of the former century, yet there are comparisons.
For example the Jews were being considered as untrustworthy [the same qualification is given to moslims nowaday in Europe], they would plan an ”international plot to dominate the world” [compare with the generalisation of all moslims with the ”international terrorism”] and they were out to ”destroy the German cultural society” [compare with the muslims, who would ”destruct” ”the democratical European society”]
In my opinion I am also supported by no-one less than the very respected Dutch-Jewish rabbi Soetendorp, who stated that there are a number of comparisons between the anti-semite propaganda in the 30 years and the present European anti-Islamhysteria.
Political signature of the Jylands Posten:
Considering the Jylands Posten, it is perhaps interesting to commemorate, that this paper was in the 20, 30 and 40ths of the former century, a fervent political supporter of the racist-facistic regimes of as well Hitler as Mussolini
Although the past is not to be considered in this, it is being named by me, because nowadays this paper is a very right-wing paper also with ideological ties with the extreme right party in Denmark
Reaction of the AEL [Arab-European League]
The chairman of the Arab-European League, mr D Abou Jahjah, has recently decided, in reaction on the publication by the European media, also to publish a number of cartoons.
The deeper meaning is not only to explore the limits of real freedom ofexpression, by placing certain cartoons, which are a taboo in the European ideological train of thought, but also confont the European defenders of the freedom of _____expression, who don´t care about insulting the feelings of muslims, with cartoons, which are shocking to them.
Considering the fact, that the holocaust is such a taboo, he has placed already a cartoon, by which Hitler shares the bed with Anne Frank
Although I can understand the purpose of this and in reactions a possible double standard point of view can be read, I think it is unacceptable to make a cartoon, even for testing this principle, of a genocide like the holocaust.
In that respect also the comparison would have more meanful, when the AEL had published a rabbi, being a terrorist.
I know almost certainly, that that would not be considered als ´´´freedom ofexpression´´, but as anti-semitism.
My other objection however is, that it is better to protest against the publication of the cartoons, rather than to place possible shocking cartoons, but of course that is the responsibility of the AEL-Europe.
Conclusion
Overwiewing the insulting character of the publication of the cartoons and the fact, that the freedom ofexpression has its limits, when it comes to violating of the rights of groups of people, regardless whether they are cultural, national or religious, it would be wise, when the European media would not have pubish them, at least not out of the point of view of ´´defending of the freedom ofexpression´´
In the first place, there is a difference between freedom ofexpression and licence for insult
In the second place, papers have not only their responsibility to bring news as objectively as]they can, but also a responsibility to society in respecting all citizens, also people, who have a different religion and descent
Depicting intentionally cartoons, knowing it will hurt people in their deepest authentic feelings, whether religious or on another part of their identity, lacks the most elementar feeling of respect, which is also a part of the principles of democracy
By this arrogant attitude, only national and world-tensions will escalate, with as a consequence an amount of bitterness on the side of the powerless and already humiliated people in this world
It is time for Western media and a number of anti-religious or anti-Islam intellectualistic publicists, columnists, to show some respect.
Without that attitude, violent outbursts and more tensions will be the answer
I´´ll end to show my respect and appreciation for those European papers, which didn´t publish the cartoon in a senseless obsession with the ´´freedom ofexpression´´
In that respect many European newspapers could learn from the American papers, from which a very little part has published those cartoons
Astrid Essed
Florijn 444
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
P-S
See for the political signature of the Jylands Posten
http://dearkitty.modblog.com/core.mod?show=blogview&blog_id=807007
The Danish cartoons: Freedom of _____expression or licence to insult
Since a couple of weeks, a deep crisis has been developed regarding the publication dd september 2005 by the Danish paper The Jylands Posten of twelve cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, among else depicting him as a terrorist.
A number of Arabic governments and the Iran government not only asked the Danish ambassador for an explanation, also a great number of Arabic supermarkets decided to remove Danish products, for example in Saudi-Arabia, Algeria, Bahrein, Jordan, Kuwait, Morrocco, Qatar, Yemen and Tunesia
Recently, dd 6-2, the Iran government has decided to cut off all commercial relations with the Denmark.
Also the governments of Saudi Arabia and Libia has closed their embassies in Denmark.
Apart from those government-reactions, a great number of muslims protested against those cartoons, by which in many cases European embassies, in particular Danish embassies, were being violated.
Also the protests were expanded to the American military.
Recently four people were killed by the often trigger happy Afghan police, when a group of people marched on a U.S. military base in Southern-Afghanistan, out of protests against the Danish cartoons
To give a thourough analysis of this crisis and the controversy between the freedom of _____expression, which is the point of view of most European media, and the lack of respect, which is the point of view of most muslims in and outside Europe, it is of importance to give a short review of the events.
The first publication of the Danish cartoons:
Dd 30-9-2005, the first publication by the Danish paper The Jylands Posten took place.
This caused a strong reaction, not only under moslims and moslim-organisations in Denmark, but also in Arabic diplomatic circles.
They asked for a conversation with the Danish prime-minister Rasmussen, who refused.
Seeing the recent crisis, mr Rasmussen has tried to calm down this by means of diplomacy, which failed.
However, he refused to make further excuses about the cartoons, calling the publications of the cartoons ”freedom ofexpression”
The second publication of the Danish cartoons:
However, despite of the crisis, which was caused by the first publication and which has also led to serious threatments to the address of the cartoonists, the Jylands Posten decided to republish the cartoons after the Christmas-period
It needs no surprise at all, that this second publication again lead to a serious crisis, by which not only the Danish government was being asked for an explanation, but also Danish products were being boycotted, diplomatic and commercial relations were broken and a huge people’s protest in a great number of countries burst out.
The main protests took place in Saudi-Arabia, the occupied Gaza-area, the occupied West-Bank, Yemen, Somalia, Indonesia, the by India ruled disputed Kashmir area, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria and Libanon.
Probably under the pressure of the worldwide protests, the Jylands Posten offered her excuses to the moslims dd 30-1, which was being accepted by the islamic community in Denmark
The publication of the cartoons in the European media:
Soon after the first reactions from the Arabic world on the second publication of the referred cartoons, a number of European media-papers, following the line of the Jylands Posten, were publishing also the Danish cartoons, claiming that they did this under the pretext of ”freedom of _____expression”
The cartoons were among else published in several Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, French, Belgian, Italian and German papers
The editor of the French paper ”France Soir” not only was publishing them, but also added some own caricatural contributions to them.
Therefore he was fired soon after publising the cartoons
As reaction, out of socalled solidarity with his indeed unacceptable resignation and again, in the name of the ‘freedom of _____expression”, a number of Belgian papers were also publishing the cartoons.
Of course it is evident, that the European newspapers have the right on publishing the cartoons as an information-source for the judgment of the public opinion.
However, out of their point of view and regarding some editorial comments, they are of the opinion, that freedom of _____expression can be ventilated totally, without any consideration for the religious rights of certain groups of people
Freedom ofexpression versus licence to insult:
Of course I consider freedom of _____expression as one of the most fundamental rights of humanity, but that doesn’t imply, that there is no limitation to it.
Without any limitation namely, anywone would be free to utter racism and anti-semitism and other fundamental violations of human rights, as being condemned by as well European legislative law as International Law
In extremis it can lead to the opinion of a Dutch cartoonist J Collignon, who remarked in connection with the crisis round the cartoons, that it is no problem to publish Mein Kampf either
Also the socalled defenders of the freedom ofexpression forget, that their own legislative law has limited a total freedom of opinion, because the rights of different groups would be violated, as is being said above
In the first place, in European legislative Law, The ECHR [European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms], article 10 guarantees the freedom of _____expression, there is an addition, that states that it is limited ”by everyone’s responsibility of the law”
In the Netherlands, where a great number of papers have published the cartoons, also article 7 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of _____expression, there is an addition, that states that it is limited ”by each responsibility of the law”
Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution states, that racism and discrimination is not permitted.
Insult of the religion of certain groups:
More specifically yet, article 137c of the Dutch criminal law, forbids insults of the religion of the several groups in society
The insulting character of the cartoons:
It is obvious, that the Danish cartoons, from which some are depicting the for muslims holy Prophet Mohammed as a terrorist, is violating the muslims in their most sacred feelings and is therefore a violation of their religious rights.
Moreover the provocation lies in the fact, that it also implies a connection between the Islam and terrorism, which makes fundamentally no sense (being, like Christianity and Judaism, based on the principle of Love) and also a connection between muslims in general and terrorism, a serious European prejudice.
However I think, this is not only a question of legislative law, but responds also to the deeper principle of fundamental respect for other human beings.
By publishing those cartoons, the European papers not only has shown a fundamental lack of respect for the muslims outside Europe, but also for their moslims-co-citizens on their own country.
This sort of freedom of opinion bigotry is leading in extremis only to the further escalation of the growing tension between European autochtones and especially islamic allochtones, with the great risk of further radicalisation.
Reactions in the Arabic world:
Of course I am of the opinion, that the diplomatic reactions of the Arabic and Iranian government, not only regarding the boycot of the Danish poducts, but especially also against the Danish government, are extrapoportionnal, since the government of a country has no power over the edition-policy of a newspaper.
Also I condemn the reactions of violence in parts of the islamic world, which is directed against the foreign embassies.
However it is evident, that such an outburst of violence has more causes than the publication of the cartoons
Backgrounds of the violent outbursts:
Yet apart from the reaction on the publications of the Danish cartoons, it is obvious, that for such outbursts, more explanations must be seek
I am of the strong opinion, that those violent reactions, which take place in so many countries, are directly interconnected with the feelings of powerlessness and humiliations, which are being mainly caused by the European military support of the British-American occupation of Afghanistan and especially Iraq.
This is also combined with the decennia-long European political attitude to the Middle-East crisis, which is de jure condemning the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian areas and the Israeli war-crimes and human rights violations, but de facto is maintaining the status quo, by not taking any political or economical measures to pressure on Israel to implement the UN-Security Resolution 242 dd 1967, to withdraw our of the occupied territories and also to dismantle the settlements, which are illegal according to International Law and break down the Wall, which has been condemned by the International Court of Justice dd 9-7-2004, because of cutting through occupied Palestinian area.
This, in combination with the since 11 september 2001 amounted anti-Islam hysteria in Europe, from which the publication of those cartoons are one of the utterings, is leading to those violent protests, which is only being worsened by the provocative attitude of a number of European papers, from which for example the Dutch Volkskrant [literary translared: People’s Paper] is one of the most extreme, by publishing the cartoons two times in a short period.
Denigrated remarks of de Volkskrant:
Not only ”De Volkskrant” was very bigot in her defense of the freedom of _____expression by placing the cartoons twice, in an editionary comment ”Geen slappe knieeen” [”No weak knees”, by wich was meant no capitulation for ”religious fundamentalism”, which as so often in the European media is used in a wrong way] she also utttered very denigrating remarks considering the muslim protesters.
So every protest was being ”directed” from ”the authorities”, by which they forgot, that it is highly unlikely, that so many protests in so many countries would be ”put in scene”
Further they called the protests ”opgelopte lucht” [litery ”cooked air”, which means ”of no real meaning and irrational”], which shows a complete lack of respect for the intelligence and think-capacity of the protesters.
Further the Volkskrant also neglected a remark by a French muslimleader, who was comparing the cartoons with the anti-semite cartoons from the 30 years of the former century
Their comment was, that the comparison was not just, because the systematic nazi-propaganda of that time is not to be connected with those cartoons
Anti-Islamhysteria:
Yet the Volkskrant is missing a very important point here.
Although there the anti-Islamhysteria is happily not to be compared with the nazi-propaganda from the years 30 of the former century, yet there are comparisons.
For example the Jews were being considered as untrustworthy [the same qualification is given to moslims nowaday in Europe], they would plan an ”international plot to dominate the world” [compare with the generalisation of all moslims with the ”international terrorism”] and they were out to ”destroy the German cultural society” [compare with the muslims, who would ”destruct” ”the democratical European society”]
In my opinion I am also supported by no-one less than the very respected Dutch-Jewish rabbi Soetendorp, who stated that there are a number of comparisons between the anti-semite propaganda in the 30 years and the present European anti-Islamhysteria.
Political signature of the Jylands Posten:
Considering the Jylands Posten, it is perhaps interesting to commemorate, that this paper was in the 20, 30 and 40ths of the former century, a fervent political supporter of the racist-facistic regimes of as well Hitler as Mussolini
Although the past is not to be considered in this, it is being named by me, because nowadays this paper is a very right-wing paper also with ideological ties with the extreme right party in Denmark
Reaction of the AEL [Arab-European League]
The chairman of the Arab-European League, mr D Abou Jahjah, has recently decided, in reaction on the publication by the European media, also to publish a number of cartoons.
The deeper meaning is not only to explore the limits of real freedom ofexpression, by placing certain cartoons, which are a taboo in the European ideological train of thought, but also confont the European defenders of the freedom of _____expression, who don´t care about insulting the feelings of muslims, with cartoons, which are shocking to them.
Considering the fact, that the holocaust is such a taboo, he has placed already a cartoon, by which Hitler shares the bed with Anne Frank
Although I can understand the purpose of this and in reactions a possible double standard point of view can be read, I think it is unacceptable to make a cartoon, even for testing this principle, of a genocide like the holocaust.
In that respect also the comparison would have more meanful, when the AEL had published a rabbi, being a terrorist.
I know almost certainly, that that would not be considered als ´´´freedom ofexpression´´, but as anti-semitism.
My other objection however is, that it is better to protest against the publication of the cartoons, rather than to place possible shocking cartoons, but of course that is the responsibility of the AEL-Europe.
Conclusion
Overwiewing the insulting character of the publication of the cartoons and the fact, that the freedom ofexpression has its limits, when it comes to violating of the rights of groups of people, regardless whether they are cultural, national or religious, it would be wise, when the European media would not have pubish them, at least not out of the point of view of ´´defending of the freedom ofexpression´´
In the first place, there is a difference between freedom ofexpression and licence for insult
In the second place, papers have not only their responsibility to bring news as objectively as]they can, but also a responsibility to society in respecting all citizens, also people, who have a different religion and descent
Depicting intentionally cartoons, knowing it will hurt people in their deepest authentic feelings, whether religious or on another part of their identity, lacks the most elementar feeling of respect, which is also a part of the principles of democracy
By this arrogant attitude, only national and world-tensions will escalate, with as a consequence an amount of bitterness on the side of the powerless and already humiliated people in this world
It is time for Western media and a number of anti-religious or anti-Islam intellectualistic publicists, columnists, to show some respect.
Without that attitude, violent outbursts and more tensions will be the answer
I´´ll end to show my respect and appreciation for those European papers, which didn´t publish the cartoon in a senseless obsession with the ´´freedom ofexpression´´
In that respect many European newspapers could learn from the American papers, from which a very little part has published those cartoons
Astrid Essed
Florijn 444
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
P-S
See for the political signature of the Jylands Posten
http://dearkitty.modblog.com/core.mod?show=blogview&blog_id=807007
The Danish cartoons: Freedom of _____expression or licence to insult
Since a couple of weeks, a deep crisis has been developed regarding the publication dd september 2005 by the Danish paper The Jylands Posten of twelve cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, among else depicting him as a terrorist.
A number of Arabic governments and the Iran government not only asked the Danish ambassador for an explanation, also a great number of Arabic supermarkets decided to remove Danish products, for example in Saudi-Arabia, Algeria, Bahrein, Jordan, Kuwait, Morrocco, Qatar, Yemen and Tunesia
Recently, dd 6-2, the Iran government has decided to cut off all commercial relations with the Denmark.
Also the governments of Saudi Arabia and Libia has closed their embassies in Denmark.
Apart from those government-reactions, a great number of muslims protested against those cartoons, by which in many cases European embassies, in particular Danish embassies, were being violated.
Also the protests were expanded to the American military.
Recently four people were killed by the often trigger happy Afghan police, when a group of people marched on a U.S. military base in Southern-Afghanistan, out of protests against the Danish cartoons
To give a thourough analysis of this crisis and the controversy between the freedom of _____expression, which is the point of view of most European media, and the lack of respect, which is the point of view of most muslims in and outside Europe, it is of importance to give a short review of the events.
The first publication of the Danish cartoons:
Dd 30-9-2005, the first publication by the Danish paper The Jylands Posten took place.
This caused a strong reaction, not only under moslims and moslim-organisations in Denmark, but also in Arabic diplomatic circles.
They asked for a conversation with the Danish prime-minister Rasmussen, who refused.
Seeing the recent crisis, mr Rasmussen has tried to calm down this by means of diplomacy, which failed.
However, he refused to make further excuses about the cartoons, calling the publications of the cartoons ”freedom ofexpression”
The second publication of the Danish cartoons:
However, despite of the crisis, which was caused by the first publication and which has also led to serious threatments to the address of the cartoonists, the Jylands Posten decided to republish the cartoons after the Christmas-period
It needs no surprise at all, that this second publication again lead to a serious crisis, by which not only the Danish government was being asked for an explanation, but also Danish products were being boycotted, diplomatic and commercial relations were broken and a huge people’s protest in a great number of countries burst out.
The main protests took place in Saudi-Arabia, the occupied Gaza-area, the occupied West-Bank, Yemen, Somalia, Indonesia, the by India ruled disputed Kashmir area, Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria and Libanon.
Probably under the pressure of the worldwide protests, the Jylands Posten offered her excuses to the moslims dd 30-1, which was being accepted by the islamic community in Denmark
The publication of the cartoons in the European media:
Soon after the first reactions from the Arabic world on the second publication of the referred cartoons, a number of European media-papers, following the line of the Jylands Posten, were publishing also the Danish cartoons, claiming that they did this under the pretext of ”freedom of _____expression”
The cartoons were among else published in several Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, French, Belgian, Italian and German papers
The editor of the French paper ”France Soir” not only was publishing them, but also added some own caricatural contributions to them.
Therefore he was fired soon after publising the cartoons
As reaction, out of socalled solidarity with his indeed unacceptable resignation and again, in the name of the ‘freedom of _____expression”, a number of Belgian papers were also publishing the cartoons.
Of course it is evident, that the European newspapers have the right on publishing the cartoons as an information-source for the judgment of the public opinion.
However, out of their point of view and regarding some editorial comments, they are of the opinion, that freedom of _____expression can be ventilated totally, without any consideration for the religious rights of certain groups of people
Freedom ofexpression versus licence to insult:
Of course I consider freedom of _____expression as one of the most fundamental rights of humanity, but that doesn’t imply, that there is no limitation to it.
Without any limitation namely, anywone would be free to utter racism and anti-semitism and other fundamental violations of human rights, as being condemned by as well European legislative law as International Law
In extremis it can lead to the opinion of a Dutch cartoonist J Collignon, who remarked in connection with the crisis round the cartoons, that it is no problem to publish Mein Kampf either
Also the socalled defenders of the freedom ofexpression forget, that their own legislative law has limited a total freedom of opinion, because the rights of different groups would be violated, as is being said above
In the first place, in European legislative Law, The ECHR [European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms], article 10 guarantees the freedom of _____expression, there is an addition, that states that it is limited ”by everyone’s responsibility of the law”
In the Netherlands, where a great number of papers have published the cartoons, also article 7 of the Constitution guarantees the freedom of _____expression, there is an addition, that states that it is limited ”by each responsibility of the law”
Article 1 of the Dutch Constitution states, that racism and discrimination is not permitted.
Insult of the religion of certain groups:
More specifically yet, article 137c of the Dutch criminal law, forbids insults of the religion of the several groups in society
The insulting character of the cartoons:
It is obvious, that the Danish cartoons, from which some are depicting the for muslims holy Prophet Mohammed as a terrorist, is violating the muslims in their most sacred feelings and is therefore a violation of their religious rights.
Moreover the provocation lies in the fact, that it also implies a connection between the Islam and terrorism, which makes fundamentally no sense (being, like Christianity and Judaism, based on the principle of Love) and also a connection between muslims in general and terrorism, a serious European prejudice.
However I think, this is not only a question of legislative law, but responds also to the deeper principle of fundamental respect for other human beings.
By publishing those cartoons, the European papers not only has shown a fundamental lack of respect for the muslims outside Europe, but also for their moslims-co-citizens on their own country.
This sort of freedom of opinion bigotry is leading in extremis only to the further escalation of the growing tension between European autochtones and especially islamic allochtones, with the great risk of further radicalisation.
Reactions in the Arabic world:
Of course I am of the opinion, that the diplomatic reactions of the Arabic and Iranian government, not only regarding the boycot of the Danish poducts, but especially also against the Danish government, are extrapoportionnal, since the government of a country has no power over the edition-policy of a newspaper.
Also I condemn the reactions of violence in parts of the islamic world, which is directed against the foreign embassies.
However it is evident, that such an outburst of violence has more causes than the publication of the cartoons
Backgrounds of the violent outbursts:
Yet apart from the reaction on the publications of the Danish cartoons, it is obvious, that for such outbursts, more explanations must be seek
I am of the strong opinion, that those violent reactions, which take place in so many countries, are directly interconnected with the feelings of powerlessness and humiliations, which are being mainly caused by the European military support of the British-American occupation of Afghanistan and especially Iraq.
This is also combined with the decennia-long European political attitude to the Middle-East crisis, which is de jure condemning the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian areas and the Israeli war-crimes and human rights violations, but de facto is maintaining the status quo, by not taking any political or economical measures to pressure on Israel to implement the UN-Security Resolution 242 dd 1967, to withdraw our of the occupied territories and also to dismantle the settlements, which are illegal according to International Law and break down the Wall, which has been condemned by the International Court of Justice dd 9-7-2004, because of cutting through occupied Palestinian area.
This, in combination with the since 11 september 2001 amounted anti-Islam hysteria in Europe, from which the publication of those cartoons are one of the utterings, is leading to those violent protests, which is only being worsened by the provocative attitude of a number of European papers, from which for example the Dutch Volkskrant [literary translared: People’s Paper] is one of the most extreme, by publishing the cartoons two times in a short period.
Denigrated remarks of de Volkskrant:
Not only ”De Volkskrant” was very bigot in her defense of the freedom of _____expression by placing the cartoons twice, in an editionary comment ”Geen slappe knieeen” [”No weak knees”, by wich was meant no capitulation for ”religious fundamentalism”, which as so often in the European media is used in a wrong way] she also utttered very denigrating remarks considering the muslim protesters.
So every protest was being ”directed” from ”the authorities”, by which they forgot, that it is highly unlikely, that so many protests in so many countries would be ”put in scene”
Further they called the protests ”opgelopte lucht” [litery ”cooked air”, which means ”of no real meaning and irrational”], which shows a complete lack of respect for the intelligence and think-capacity of the protesters.
Further the Volkskrant also neglected a remark by a French muslimleader, who was comparing the cartoons with the anti-semite cartoons from the 30 years of the former century
Their comment was, that the comparison was not just, because the systematic nazi-propaganda of that time is not to be connected with those cartoons
Anti-Islamhysteria:
Yet the Volkskrant is missing a very important point here.
Although there the anti-Islamhysteria is happily not to be compared with the nazi-propaganda from the years 30 of the former century, yet there are comparisons.
For example the Jews were being considered as untrustworthy [the same qualification is given to moslims nowaday in Europe], they would plan an ”international plot to dominate the world” [compare with the generalisation of all moslims with the ”international terrorism”] and they were out to ”destroy the German cultural society” [compare with the muslims, who would ”destruct” ”the democratical European society”]
In my opinion I am also supported by no-one less than the very respected Dutch-Jewish rabbi Soetendorp, who stated that there are a number of comparisons between the anti-semite propaganda in the 30 years and the present European anti-Islamhysteria.
Political signature of the Jylands Posten:
Considering the Jylands Posten, it is perhaps interesting to commemorate, that this paper was in the 20, 30 and 40ths of the former century, a fervent political supporter of the racist-facistic regimes of as well Hitler as Mussolini
Although the past is not to be considered in this, it is being named by me, because nowadays this paper is a very right-wing paper also with ideological ties with the extreme right party in Denmark
Reaction of the AEL [Arab-European League]
The chairman of the Arab-European League, mr D Abou Jahjah, has recently decided, in reaction on the publication by the European media, also to publish a number of cartoons.
The deeper meaning is not only to explore the limits of real freedom ofexpression, by placing certain cartoons, which are a taboo in the European ideological train of thought, but also confont the European defenders of the freedom of _____expression, who don´t care about insulting the feelings of muslims, with cartoons, which are shocking to them.
Considering the fact, that the holocaust is such a taboo, he has placed already a cartoon, by which Hitler shares the bed with Anne Frank
Although I can understand the purpose of this and in reactions a possible double standard point of view can be read, I think it is unacceptable to make a cartoon, even for testing this principle, of a genocide like the holocaust.
In that respect also the comparison would have more meanful, when the AEL had published a rabbi, being a terrorist.
I know almost certainly, that that would not be considered als ´´´freedom ofexpression´´, but as anti-semitism.
My other objection however is, that it is better to protest against the publication of the cartoons, rather than to place possible shocking cartoons, but of course that is the responsibility of the AEL-Europe.
Conclusion
Overwiewing the insulting character of the publication of the cartoons and the fact, that the freedom ofexpression has its limits, when it comes to violating of the rights of groups of people, regardless whether they are cultural, national or religious, it would be wise, when the European media would not have pubish them, at least not out of the point of view of ´´defending of the freedom ofexpression´´
In the first place, there is a difference between freedom ofexpression and licence for insult
In the second place, papers have not only their responsibility to bring news as objectively as]they can, but also a responsibility to society in respecting all citizens, also people, who have a different religion and descent
Depicting intentionally cartoons, knowing it will hurt people in their deepest authentic feelings, whether religious or on another part of their identity, lacks the most elementar feeling of respect, which is also a part of the principles of democracy
By this arrogant attitude, only national and world-tensions will escalate, with as a consequence an amount of bitterness on the side of the powerless and already humiliated people in this world
It is time for Western media and a number of anti-religious or anti-Islam intellectualistic publicists, columnists, to show some respect.
Without that attitude, violent outbursts and more tensions will be the answer
I´´ll end to show my respect and appreciation for those European papers, which didn´t publish the cartoon in a senseless obsession with the ´´freedom ofexpression´´
In that respect many European newspapers could learn from the American papers, from which a very little part has published those cartoons
Astrid Essed
Florijn 444
Amsterdam
The Netherlands
P-S
See for the political signature of the Jylands Posten
http://dearkitty.modblog.com/core.mod?show=blogview&blog_id=807007
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