Editor fired after publication of Islam cartoons

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

In Beirut, the leader of Lebanon’s Shiite Hizbollah said the dispute would never had occurred if a 17-year-old death edict against British writer Salman Rushdie been carried out.

“Had a Muslim carried out Imam Khomeini’s fatwa against the apostate Salman Rushdie, then those low-lifers would not have dared discredit the Prophet, not in Denmark, Norway or France,” Hizbollah head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday night.

PARIS - The Paris newspaper France Soir has fired its managing editor after the daily printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad that have sparked rising protests and boycotts in the Muslim world.

The daily confirmed that owner Raymond Lakah had fired Jacques Lefranc on Wednesday evening after a tumultuous day on which German and Spanish dailies ran the controversial cartoons that first appeared in the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten.

Angered by the drawings, Palestinian gunmen jumped on the outer wall of a European Union office in Gaza City on Thursday and demanded an apology. Masked gunmen also briefly took over an EU office in Gaza on Monday.

Islamic tradition bars any depiction of the prophet to prevent idolatry. The drawings have prompted boycotts of Danish goods and bomb threats and demonstrations against Danish facilities, and have divided opinion within Europe and the Middle East.

The cartoons include an image of Muhammad wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse, and another portraying him holding a sword, his eyes covered by a black rectangle.

Syria has called for those behind publishing the cartoons to be punished. Danish goods were swept from shelves in many countries, and Saudi Arabia and Libya recalled their ambassadors to Denmark.

Tabloid defends publication

The front page of France Soir on Wednesday carried the headline “Yes, We Have the Right to Caricature God” and a cartoon of Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian gods floating on a cloud.

The tabloid staunchly defended its right to print the cartoons.

“The best way to fight censorship is not to let it happen,” it wrote in an editorial. “In these circumstances, that meant publishing these drawings.”

“Imagine a society that added up all the prohibitions of different religions. What would remain of the freedom to think, to speak and even to come and go?

“We know societies like that all too well. The Iran of the mullahs, for example. But yesterday, it was the France of the Inquisitions, the burning stakes and the Saint Bartholomew’s Day (massacre of Protestants).”

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the issue had gone beyond a row between Copenhagen and the Muslim world and now centered on Western free speech versus taboos in Islam, which is now the second religion in many European countries.

“We are talking about an issue with fundamental significance to how democracies work,” Rasmussen told the Copenhagen daily Politiken. “One can safely say it is now an even bigger issue.”

Other European papers publish cartoons

Switzerland’s Le Temps and La Tribune de Geneve ran some of the cartoon on Thursday, as did Magyar Hirlap in Budapest.

Germany’s Die Welt daily printed one of the drawings on its front page, arguing that a “right to blasphemy” was anchored in democratic freedoms. The Berliner Zeitung daily printed two of the caricatures as part of its coverage of the controversy.

Italy’s La Stampa printed a small version of the offending caricature, on page 13. Two Spanish papers, Barcelona’s El Periodico and Madrid’s El Mundo, also carried the photos.

The publication by French Soir drew a stern reaction from the French Foreign Ministry. While it said that freedom of expression is dear to France, the ministry “condemns all that hurts individuals in their beliefs or their religious convictions.”

The issue is sensitive in France, home to Western Europe’s largest Muslim community with an estimated 5 million people.

Mohammed Bechari, president of the National Federation of the Muslims of France, said his group would start legal proceedings against France Soir because of “these pictures that have disturbed us, and that are still hurting the feelings of 1.2 billion Muslims.”

Scathing Arab reaction

Reaction in Middle East countries has been scathing.

“In the West, one discovers there are different moral ceilings and all moral parameters and measures are not equal,” wrote the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

“If the Danish cartoon had been about a Jewish rabbi, it would never have been published.”

Saudi Interior Minister Prince Nayef said Riyadh considered the cartoons an insult to Mohammad and all Muslims. “We hope that religious centers like the Vatican will clarify their opinion in this respect,” he told the state news agency SPA.

In Beirut, the leader of Lebanon’s Shiite Hizbollah said the dispute would never had occurred if a 17-year-old death edict against British writer Salman Rushdie been carried out.

“Had a Muslim carried out Imam Khomeini’s fatwa against the apostate Salman Rushdie, then those low-lifers would not have dared discredit the Prophet, not in Denmark, Norway or France,” Hizbollah head Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said on Wednesday night.

The late Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini called on Muslims in 1989 to kill Rushdie for blasphemy against Islam in his book “The Satanic Verses.” Rushdie went into hiding and was never attacked.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11097877/

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

*rolling eyes* Attack Jesus or mock Hindu images or make up a song making light of Jewish holidays and Moses.... and you're A-ok. Mock Mohd. and OMFG the world comes to an end.

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

Yeah, I read that, too. Some people need to lighten up some and/or get a friggin' life. How dare they demand and apology for excercising our right to freedom of expression?

[incanada1234 0]

I'm still in shock that someone actually mocked mohammed instead of Jesus.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

I'm still in shock that someone actually mocked mohammed instead of Jesus.

Apparently, those Europeans are more cutting edge than I thought!

[PalestineMyHeart 1,897]

*rolling eyes* Attack Jesus or mock Hindu images or make up a song making light of Jewish holidays and Moses.... and you're A-ok. Mock Mohd. and OMFG the world comes to an end.

Well, I think it should be pointed out that in the case of the Jewish religion, it's the Holocaust that is considered "sacred," rather than its holidays or prominent figures. Any questioning of or attempt to do objective studies of the Holocaust is a jailable offense in most European countries. (What about that much-lauded "freedom of speech," ET ? )

It seems that Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are the only major world religions that can be mocked or insulted without much danger of reprisal.

[incanada1234 0]

And mormonism.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Interesting news on this topic:

A LEBANESE newspaper has now published those cartoons. Well 3 out of 12 of them. It is accompanied by an editorial asking Muslim readers to "be logical" about this and not overreact.

Here is a link: http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060202&hn=29328

[Fuzzness 2]

it's because people in those religions are supposed to have a sense of humour. i haven't seen much of it though.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Well, I think it should be pointed out that in the case of the Jewish religion, it's the Holocaust that is considered "sacred," rather than its holidays or prominent figures. Any questioning of or attempt to do objective studies of the Holocaust is a jailable offense in most European countries. (What about that much-lauded "freedom of speech," ET ? )

It seems that Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are the only major world religions that can be mocked or insulted without much danger of reprisal.

Haha. Just the Holocaust is sacred in Judaism? I guess all that stuff about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is just the acts of a bunch of irreligious heathens? Give me a break. Fact is, Jews and Jewish holidays and customs (South Park.. Cartman: Shut up, ya damn Jew!) are insulted in the media all the time. And you know what? Jews, in general, appear to have a sense of humor about it.

As for the Holocaust, European and US attitudes do diverge a little. But there are too many Holocaust survivors and too much testimony to really take it seriously when wackjobs like Ahmedinijad (sp?) say the Holocaust plain didn't happen.

[junglee069 0]

i've thought about this long and hard. here are some points i would like to make - the prohibition against drawing depictions of the prophet mohammed or god (allah) is one that is particular to the people of the muslim faith. we as muslims cannot project our views onto others and expect them to abide by our rules. this is similar to asking the local bar to stop selling liquor because as a muslim, i find it (alchohol) to be against my religious laws.

now, once we realize that the rest of the planet shouldn't have to abide by our laws - the rest of the planet should learn not to overstep its boundaries and be respectful of the sensitivities of other religions and cultures. as someone had mentioned earlier, the holocaust is sacred - any denial, mockery, or joking published in any newspaper would draw significant back lash from the jewish diaspora. is everyone jumping up and down shouting that this limits their freedom of speech? ever picked up a newspaper and read a headline that uses the 'N' (african-american, derrogatory term) word - or seen a comic that refers to African-Americans as such? is that infringing on one's freedom of speech/expression? no - this is all a part of being sensitive to others cultures and religions in this multicultural world we live in.

my 0.02.

Interesting news on this topic:

A LEBANESE newspaper has now published those cartoons. Well 3 out of 12 of them. It is accompanied by an editorial asking Muslim readers to "be logical" about this and not overreact.

Here is a link: http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20060202&hn=29328

[Mr. Big Dog 10,747]

*rolling eyes* Attack Jesus or mock Hindu images or make up a song making light of Jewish holidays and Moses.... and you're A-ok. Mock Mohd. and OMFG the world comes to an end.

Well, I think it should be pointed out that in the case of the Jewish religion, it's the Holocaust that is considered "sacred," rather than its holidays or prominent figures. Any questioning of or attempt to do objective studies of the Holocaust is a jailable offense in most European countries. (What about that much-lauded "freedom of speech," ET ? )

Sorry but that comparison simply doesn't work... And objective studies of the holocaust is not a jailable offense as far as I know. Ignorantly denying it's occurance is - and well should be. The millions that fell victim to that atrocity are owed no less.

[junglee069 0]

if a danish newspaper had mocked the holocaust in a comic strip - and then a series of other european nations followed - Israel would be throwing a temper tantrum.

there's a difference between cartman kidding around about someone being a 'damn jew' - muslims get lambasted through the media all the time - sh!t - just turn on fox news - we're their favorite subject.

however, there are certain lines you just don't cross.......ofcourse you can - but be prepared for the consequences - such as people demonstrating, complaining, etc.

Well, I think it should be pointed out that in the case of the Jewish religion, it's the Holocaust that is considered "sacred," rather than its holidays or prominent figures. Any questioning of or attempt to do objective studies of the Holocaust is a jailable offense in most European countries. (What about that much-lauded "freedom of speech," ET ? )

It seems that Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism are the only major world religions that can be mocked or insulted without much danger of reprisal.

Haha. Just the Holocaust is sacred in Judaism? I guess all that stuff about Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur is just the acts of a bunch of irreligious heathens? Give me a break. Fact is, Jews and Jewish holidays and customs (South Park.. Cartman: Shut up, ya damn Jew!) are insulted in the media all the time. And you know what? Jews, in general, appear to have a sense of humor about it.

As for the Holocaust, European and US attitudes do diverge a little. But there are too many Holocaust survivors and too much testimony to really take it seriously when wackjobs like Ahmedinijad (sp?) say the Holocaust plain didn't happen.

[cbd2cai 0]

“In the West, one discovers there are different moral ceilings and all moral parameters and measures are not equal,” wrote the pan-Arab daily Asharq al-Awsat.

“If the Danish cartoon had been about a Jewish rabbi, it would never have been published.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11097877/

I think I've seen plenty of cartoons that have a Jewish rabbi, a Catholic priest, etc . . . what about all the jokes that start "A rabbi, a priest and a . . . . "?

I think that we have a long way to go in pushing our Western ideas of democracy, freedom of religion and freedom of speech on societies that are not so tolerant of differences (i.e. die if you don't agree . . . I thought the comment about the gunmen jumping on the walls of the EU compound indicated lack of respect for human life too . . . which they claim we don't have).

Hey, we even have problems here with ppl that want us all to be white, fundamentalist Christians. I just think we have a better shot at making it work here ONLY because we are seeing and living with people from so many different countries . . . and I hope WE can make it work here without us getting too polarized one way or another.

[junglee069 0]

*rolling eyes* Attack Jesus or mock Hindu images or make up a song making light of Jewish holidays and Moses.... and you're A-ok. Mock Mohd. and OMFG the world comes to an end.

Well, I think it should be pointed out that in the case of the Jewish religion, it's the Holocaust that is considered "sacred," rather than its holidays or prominent figures. Any questioning of or attempt to do objective studies of the Holocaust is a jailable offense in most European countries. (What about that much-lauded "freedom of speech," ET ? )

Sorry but that comparison simply doesn't work... And objective studies of the holocaust is not a jailable offense as far as I know. Ignorantly denying it's occurance is - and well should be. The millions that fell victim to that atrocity are owed no less.

whoa? first off - to stay on topic - if someone MOCKED the holocaust - it wouldn't go down well.

secondly - the same principle that you are hiding behind when it comes to mocking mohammed, god - which is freedom of speech - should apply to someone who denies the holocaust - why should denial of the holocaust be a jailable offense? does that not infringe upon one's rights to free speech?

double standard there, no?