johncons
Date: 2008-02-24
Time: 23:53:41 I'm not sure if I'm supposed to post here, on
this message-board, since I'm not a muslim,
but I'm trying anyway.
I'm from Norway, so I've been able to follow
this on the Norwegian and Danish online
newspapers.
And, as I've understood it, it's not really
cartoons at all.
This is how I've understood it:
- A newspaper in Denmark, discovered that it
was difficult to get drawers to draw
illustration-drawings of Muhammed, when a
writer needed illustration-drawings for a
book he had written about Muhammed.
The reason that it was difficult to get
drawers to draw drawings of Muhammed, was
that the drawers feared for what the
consequenses would be, if someone would
retaliate.
- A newspaper, then wanted to make an article
about this problem. That the drawers didn't
dear to draw drawings of Muhammed, since they
feard for retaliation.
Since the newspaper thought that the drawings
were allowed to draw, according to the Danish
law, then they thought it was wrong that the
drawers should censor themselves, due to fear
of facing retaliation due to hurting someones
feelings.
So the newspaper, invited a lot of drawers to
draw a drawing of Muhammed, to illustrate the
article, and to show that the newspaper stood
up for western values, freedom of speech and
expression.
The newspaper thought that the drawers should
be able to express themselves, without having
to fear retaliation.
So, I suspect, that the media in the
English-speaking countries, may have been a
bit un-precise, when they have presented this
story.
At least, if I'm not mistaking, then the word
cartoon, in English, means cartoons, like in
eg. Popeye.
While it was really drawings to illustrate an
article that this was about.
An the article was written to show that the
newspaper was standing up for western and
democratic values.
I think what they meant, was that in a
democratic society, noone should need to fear
for their health of life, due to something
that they write or say.
That what one write, draw or say, is
protected by the freedom of
speach/expression.
And that, if someone think one have broken
the law, that restricts what one can write or
saw, then this should be dealt with through
the legal system.
And if the people in the country aren't happy
with the legal-system, then they work for
electing politicians who are going to change
the law, according to democratic principles.
And, that one should let the law decide about
things like this, and not feelings.
One shouldn't need to worry about hurting
peoples feelings.
If people can't control the feelings, and
this is caused by something that is within
the law, then it's the people who can't
control their feelings problem.
And then, if they can't adapt to western
values, then maybe they did a mistake, when
they moved to the west.
But, as I understand it, then most the
problems weren't in Denmark.
But some people living in Denmark, brought
the drawings with them, to their homeland
etc., and then the problems started.
And they started liting up the Danish Embassy
etc, and I think they also burned down a
Norwegian one.
And ex-president Clinton said that, 'Then it
was the Jews, now it's the Muslims'.
So he compared the paper standing up for
western, democratic values with the
Holocaust.
So I'm suspecting that the English-speaking
world, have got this with the Muhammed
drawings/cartoons, a bit wrong.
So I thought I could maybe try to write a
post about this.
So, then we'll see how smart this is.
We'll see.
http://www.ukchatterbox.co.uk/msg/1748395?ssn=dc6096d57a649f2725c6737f2b2572d0&ssn=9d9921b3e1030aa6118e75805ac09579
Ber nordmenn kjøpe dansk: (In Norwegian).
http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/norsk-politikk/artikkel.php?artid=501811