Cartoons debate...

I expect some hot discussions here...

SPIEGEL ONLINE - February 4, 2006, 09:30 PM
URL: www.spiegel.de

Opinion

European Arrogance Versus Muslim Fanaticism

By Jürgen Gottschlich in Istanbul

The cartoon battle touches on one of the most important questions of our time -- freedom of expression, Ibn Warraq wrote Friday on SPIEGEL ONLINE. Jürgen Gottschlich, a journalist living in Istanbul offers his rebuttal: Many Muslims are sick and tired of being unfairly labeled as bin Laden sympathizers.

In the beginning, everything seemed simple. An author had trouble finding artists willing to create a few humorous drawings to illustrate a book he was writing about the Prophet Muhammad. Taking its cue from Germany's tabloid Bild -- infamous for launching populist crusades of its own -- Denmark's largest-circulation newspaper Jyllands-Posten took on the challenge. It called on Danish cartoonists to find the cajones to finally take on the dim-witted mullahs, potential honor killers and "goat fuckers" and tell them what they really thought.

Graphically, of course, so that these illiterates could understand.

After all, this is beautiful Denmark, where, thankfully, for the past few years we've stopped letting these people sponge off our social system. The policy was a total success. The intended recipients of the message got it loud and clear. And they even responded with the expected howls of indignation. They ran to the government and to the courts -- just so they could be officially told: This is how things work around here in Denmark. Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen was thrilled and saw no reason whatsoever to rebuke the heroic free speech champions at Jyllands-Posten. For their part, the courts essentially ruled that Denmark should have the freedom of opinion necessary to finally show the Muslims who really has the upper hand.

Europe's most xenophobic government

Indeed, since taking office the motto of Denmark's right-leaning government has essentially been: If you don't fit into to our society, then go back where you came from. No other European government operates with such open xenophobia as the Danish. Voters like it, too. After all, they say to themselves, we're talking about immigrants who are really just freeloaders who don't share "our values."

Danish Muslims, who have had this message pounded into their heads for far too long, finally got it. And they went "home." They couldn't find anyone in Denmark who would listen to them, so they left and sought support at the powerful Al-Aqsa mosque in Cairo, a major doctrinal center in Islam. Since then, the heroes of free speech have been shaking in their boots. No longer is the issue merely that of belittling an immigrant group. Now it's time for feigned apologies.

A number of free speech heroes in Europe saw a chance to profit from the situation and quickly postured as lighthouses of freedom. Nevertheless, Jyllands-Posten and Rasmussen are in a pinch -- they have no idea how to defuse the situation and escape it unscathed. Who knew, they must be asking themselves, that Muslims around the world would suddenly grow irate, boycott Danish products and commit acts of violence against Danish and -- thanks to the other heroes of free speech -- other European institutions. No, there's no way we could have expected that -- it's totally surreal. Over a few caricatures? This can't be real! We have to be allowed to draw cartoons. Of course, anything is allowed if people are stupid enough to cross the line.

In a short interview on the German public broadcaster ZDF, Al-Jazeera's German correspondent got straight to the point. For many years, Europe's Muslim immigrants have had the feeling, that they are constantly being criticized and that they no longer enjoy any respect whatsoever. This powder keg of frustration and anger is overflowing and any action could set it off. And that's just how Muslim immigrants in Europe feel. And that's also how Muslims elsewhere feel. There's a general feeling among Muslims that they are regarded by the West as Osama bin Laden's secret sympathizers.

Poverty vs. arrogance?

Even in a secular Muslim country like Turkey, where only a few members of hardcore religious parties demonstrated at the Danish embassy in Istanbul, frustration with "the West" has grown in recent years. A lot of that has to do with the reaction of a large part of Europe to Turkey's desire to join the European Union. And it also has to do with the way in which the West's leading power has acted in Iraq. But while Turkey may have kept its composure, the Danes have sent sparks flying in many other Muslim countries. Just as there are heroes of free speech in Denmark, there are also heroes -- from the Arabian Peninsula to North Africa to Indonesia -- who are ready to take to the barricades to defend their prophet's dignity.

THE CARTOON JIHAD: THE ARAB WORLD PROTESTS Click on a picture to launch the image gallery (10 Photos).

So have we reached the long talked about clash of civilizations? If we keep working at it, we may soon enough. On the one side, you have religious fanaticism and poverty -- on the other you have arrogance and people who fear for their own prosperity. Taken together, it's a highly explosive mix. Instead of participating in a disingenuous battle for free speech, it is high time for some in Europe to return to the virtues of Enlightenment to help them find reason. The situation is difficult enough already and there are idiots on all sides. Indeed, neither is free of guilt.

One can only hope that people will listen to the voice of reason that came from the United Nations headquarters on Friday. Secretary General Kofi Annan urged Arabs to accept the apology given by the editors of Jyllands-Posten and said: "I share the distress of the Muslim friends who feel that the cartoon offends their religion. I also respect the right of freedom of speech. But of course freedom of speech is never absolute. It entails responsibility and judgment."

Both have been seriously lacking of late.