Western Resistance

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February 5, 2006

Open letter to the western civilization.

"Without deviation, without exception, without any ifs, buts, or whereases, freedom of speech means you shall not do something to people for views they have, express, speak, or write."

Hugo LaFayette Black

My dear fellow westerners and lovers of freedom every where, why do I feel I have to quote what is above quoted ?
Asked half a year ago, it would probably have appeared a meaningless questioning of a fact solid carved in stone.
But place the hand on your heart, and ask yourself if we can say the same this very day.

During the weekend several embassies belonging to various
Scandinavian countries were razed and burned.
The question now is when ? When will someone die due to this and how many ?
All this has happened due to the now infamous 12 drawings of Muhammad, which caused former US president Clinton to Say this - and I quote:

"These totally outrageous cartoons against Islam"

Similar, though not as strong condemnations have been issued from Jack Straw; who labelled it "disrespectful" that some European newspapers decided to print them. Even the US. State Department, apparently in discrete coordination with the White House, has been out bashing this abomination of apparent insult.
But before we continue there are certain facts and issues we need to consider, and consider deeply.

1. First of all, and this is very important to understand! So forgive me the CAPS;

THE DRAWINGS WERE NOT DRAWN, NOR PUBLISHED TO INSULT ANYBODY!

The drawings were made because when a Danish author, Kaare Bluitgen was looking for someone to illustrate a book about the life of Muhammad, he found that several Cartoonists refused, citing fear for their life.
Jyllands-Posten, then took up the story and contacted cartoonists, all over Denmark, and once having found 12 willing, decided to publish those.
As Culture editor Flemming Rose often has stressed, no one had imagined the response we now see, nor was it his impression that making images of Muhammad was totally against the teachings of Islam, since you would see drawings of him everywhere eg. in Teheran and the fact that Shias make drawings of Muhammad was not the top issue in disputes Shia vs Sunni. Equally Muhammad has been drawn many times in muslim history as the collection which can be seen here. shows us.

What the editorial staff at JP wanted was to raise the subject of freedom of expression and raise a debate over the fact that Cartoonists were fearing for their life over making drawings of Muhammad.
As you an see for yourself Here. One of the drawings are actually not about Muhammad, but more about a cartoonist sweating his drops of condensed fear while watching over his shoulder as he drawing the image the image of Muhammad.
And that picture tells more about why the images were ever made than does the words of Clinton, or the rage of muslims.
Finally let me Translate the words of Flemming Rose himself, who spend 14 years as a correspondent in Russia and what was back then the USSR.

"I will not say that I am afraid. During the last 4 months I have been pondering upon this matter and I stand in full serenity. After all, my worldview has been shaped by those dissidents I came to know in the former Soviet Union.
People like Andrei Sakharov, Boris Weil and Jelena Bonner insisted during the 70s and 80s upon behaving as free individuals in an unfree society.
They were proponents of values, which the freedom of expression and the dignity of the individual were the central among.
Those values have been integrated into the way I look upon the world
In my mind There is no doubt that it is important not to yield under the pressure, even under threat"

2. The drawings were actually sober and there hardly goes a day without objectively more offensive satire is being published in somewhere on the earth.
Bear in mind the rage took almost 4 months before this "feeling of insult" even began to take off to its current level, the drawings became known to the muslim world already in the first two weeks.

3. Given the fact these images were sober, and was a reaction towards a sneaking tendency to impose self-censorship out of fear of risking your life or physical well being, bending to the muslims demands equals bending to the black mailer or should we say hostage taker? This would constitute a move which effectively is likely to guarantee that the black mail goes on with ever inflated demands.
It would furthermore mean that Moslems will have been granted a special consideration that not even the native religion of this part of the world, Christianity, has.

Editor Flemming Rose, Jyllandsposten

"Some Muslims try to impose their religious taboos in the public domain," said Mr. Rose. "In my book, that's not asking for my respect,it's asking for my submission."

New York Times

4. The fact that Muhammad himself had a couple of poets killed, and ordered those who insulted him or Allah to be killed. And the fact that Muslims now are crying for exactly the same punishment to befell the cartoonists and editors, that actually illustrate to us that the drawings are not really an insult, nor are they exaggerations, they are nearer about the truth.
That these images sparked a international conflict was never the intention, nor should the factual images be sufficient. Given the incubation time of 4 months, the role of slander and hearsay rumours like the "Danish Government are going to ban the Quran", "Danes are going to burn the Quran". circulating in Arab media as well as on internet and through SMS, certainly played a role also. Studying the actions of "local" imans, which activated eg. These hardworking moslems one is left to wonder if 12 cartoons really are the full reason or if this have not gone well out of proportion.

"Asking me whether I regret publishing the cartoons is like asking a rape victim if she regrets wearing a short skirt Friday night at the discotheque."

Flemming Rose, Jyllands-Posten's culture editor

I have come to the end of this letter, but I hope that we have not come, to the beginning of the end, the end of our freedom of speech.

But when Clinton goes as far as he does, when other politicians do their best to condemn, not the threat upon lives, not the hysteria of the Arab world, but the paper that published cartoons that had they but been satiric on behalf on any other person than Muhammad, would have annoyed noone - absolutely noone.

When the whimsical sensation of "insult", ranks higher than the truth and freedom of expression.

When it falls first to sacrifice a cornerstone in democracy, to appease a religious absolutism, and it falls second to exert what historically is known to be the best.

When providing anger, that is already inflated beyond whats reasonable, with a figleaf, full sympathy, is more important than to examine and atleast make a balanced judgement.

Finally, but most tragically; when it is per factum expected that a free press shut up, rather than speak the truth, when it is under the very threat of death itself. When this is the fact, and what is the reality behind that fact, and both are on the verge of being totally ignored.

Then! It does not bode well, and it is beyond any doubt time to wake up and ask some tough and important questions.

Yours Sincerely

Charles Martel

Posted by Charles Martel at February 5, 2006 8:34 PM

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