I saw on Yahoo this morning that Chirac had condemned the publishers and creators of Mohammed cartoons. But, by the time I had a chance to grab it for this post, the story had been taken down.
Maybe it was a mistake.
Drudge has a story up that Islamic groups are calling for an end to violence. Should we believe them? Are these the long searched for moderate Muslims finally poking their head out above the fray?
God, I hope so.
Let me be clear, it isn't that I don't believe there are Muslims who are moderate. It's just that I don't believe we've ever seen evidence of a large Muslim political organization that is moderate.
Once again, the French people are showing balls. A French Magazine is the latest to publish the catoons. ON THE COVER.
And finally, here's the latest from George Bush on the cartoons:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President George W. Bush on Wednesday said governments around the world should protect the lives and property of diplomats against the violence that has erupted over published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
Bush said he and Jordan's King Abdullah discussed the Muslim reaction to the cartoons that he called "a topic that requires a lot of discussion and a lot of sensitive thought."
"We believe in a free press, and also recognize that with freedom comes responsibilities. With freedom comes the responsibility to be thoughtful about others," Bush said.
But, he added: "We reject violence as a way to express discontent with what may be printed in a free press."
He's right, Freedom does come with responsibility. And, right now, at this point in history, it is our responsibility to protect our Freedom by publishing more and more and more cartoons.
The world needs a lesson is Free Speech.
6 comments:
Thanks Uzman. Like I said, I believe there are moderate Muslim. It's just guys like you are not represented by large Muslim organizations. It's very unfortunate, because then idiots in the West find excuse to label all Muslims as bad. And then, of course, guys like you suffer for it.
It’s great to see the French press rising to the occasion. I know the French have much to do to catch up but so do people everywhere. Let’s encourage them rather.
I still say the President shouldn’t show respect for the sympathies of the rioters. He doesn’t have to show sympathy to the political cartoonists if he doesn’t believe it merits it but he has taken the side of the Islamic rioters. That’s sending a bad message. As I wrote elsewhere, once violent intimidation becomes the issue, the original issue (the content of the cartoons) becomes superseded as the ground rules for discussion have been violated. Showing any sympathy to the sensibility of the rioters only gives succor to the violent fascists marching in the streets. There is only one issue now: defending the rights of the press unequivocally without any sympathy for the rioters or those who may share their viewpoint.
With the officials making such comments, I suppose that leaves more work for us.
Intimidation leads to the loss of freedom of the press. Seems pretty simple to me.
And if the West gives in on this freedom, what's next? That I have to wear a hijab during Ramadan, even though I am not a Muslim? Many Western practices offend Muslims.
So far, it seems split. There are some brave and noble people in most Western countries. I've seen many good commentary (mostly conservative venues but that's where I travel) and a few disappointments. Round one: split decision.
However, the fight has barely begun.
Overall, while the West has not exactly steeled itself yet, I say round one goes to us. The Jihadis of the world, and there are many more than we ever thought there were, have taken off the mask.
That guy with the sign that says, "Freedom Go To Hell" probably woke up more liberals than 9/11 did.
That's a victory for us.
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