France and its overseas postings remain on watch after the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo published cartoons about the prophet Mohammed yesterday. With the Islamic world already on edge over a mysterious US-made YouTube video, the cartoons were expected to perhaps ignite more violence:
Many in the West worry that Charlie Hebdo’s publication of the cartoons of Muhammad will only serve to stir further anger in the Muslim world, which has already seen protests against “Innocence of Muslims.” The Monitor reported yesterday that the French government ordered enhanced security for its facilities abroad. France also announced that it will close its embassies, consulates, cultural centers, and schools in two dozen countries tomorrow. Friday is a day of prayer in most Muslim countries, and is when major protests tend to be held.
So far protests have been muted—a burning car here, a “Death to America” there in Afghanistan and Iran. However, the French press is greatly divided over Charlie Hebdo’s possibly inflammatory actions at a sensitive time. And you can’t say the magazine wasn’t warned: a year ago their offices were firebombed after a previous cartoon incident. And their website has been hacked already during this incident.
Say, is that free speech I see burning in the article picture?
BRINGS TO MIND: I wrote an essay about the Danish Muhammad cartoon controversy incident a couple of years back — http://www.wildriverreview.com/2/2-comics.html
There is so much I could say about this, but it’s been said before. It all comes down to what is becoming increasingly apparent: Our culture and theirs are not compatible.
It is long past time we hold the protestors responsible for their actions, not cartoonists or Youtube.
Remember, back in the 1990s, the French Government forged boldly ahead with their plan to conduct nuclear tests in the South Pacific? Remember the indignation of the world and how it accomplished absolutely nothing, as the tests went ahead as planned? (I may be mistaken but I believe they were actually expanded.) At the time, an Australian newspaper, reflecting the outrage of not only Australians but also the world at large ran a headline, in a screaming huge fuck-off font – “WHY ARE ALL FRENCHMEN STUPID BASTARDS?”
Ya ask me, it’s just the French acting particularly French. Now is not the time to run provocative cartoons such as this. I don’t know why all Frenchmen are stupid bastards but at a guess? They’re French? Your Freedom of Speech ends when it hits my ear-drum or my eyeball.
I don’t condone religious intolerance from any angle. Or branding any religion by the behavior of its worst. Or phony comments. Thread closed.
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