Thursday, 9 February 2006
The Cartoon Backlash: Redefining Alignments
By George FriedmanThere is something rotten in the state of Denmark. We just couldn't help but open with that -- with apologies to Shakespeare. Nonetheless, there is something exceedingly odd in the notion that Denmark -- which has made a national religion of not being offensive to anyone -- could become the focal point of Muslim rage. The sight of the Danish and Norwegian embassies being burned in Damascus -- and Scandinavians in general being warned to leave Islamic countries -- has an aura of the surreal: Nobody gets mad at Denmark or Norway. Yet, death threats are now being hurled against the Danes and Norwegians as though they were mad-dog friends of Dick Cheney. History has its interesting moments.
At the same time, the matter is not to be dismissed lightly. The explosion in the Muslim world over the publication of 12 cartoons by a minor Danish newspaper -- cartoons that first appeared back in September -- has, remarkably, redefined the geopolitical matrix of the U.S.-jihadist war. Or, to be more precise, it has set in motion something that appears to be redefining that matrix. We do not mean here simply a clash of civilizations, although that is undoubtedly part of it. Rather, we mean that alignments within the Islamic world and within the West appear to be in flux in some very important ways.
Let's begin with the obvious: the debate over the cartoons. There is a prohibition in Islam against making images of the Prophet Mohammed. There also is a prohibition against ridiculing the Prophet. Thus, a cartoon that ridicules the Prophet violates two fundamental rules simultaneously. Muslims around the world were deeply offended by these cartoons.
It must be emphatically pointed out that the Muslim rejection of the cartoons does not derive from a universalistic view that one should respect religions. The criticism does not derive from a secularist view that holds all religions in equal indifference and requires "sensitivity" not on account of theologies, but in order to avoid hurting anyone's feelings. The Muslim view is theological: The Prophet Mohammed is not to be ridiculed or portrayed. But violating the sensibilities of other religions is not taboo. Therefore, Muslims frequently, in action, print and speech, do and say things about other religions -- Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism -- that followers of these religions would find defamatory. The Taliban, for example, were not concerned about the views among other religions when they destroyed the famous Buddhas in Bamiyan. The Muslim demand is honest and authentic: It is for respect for Islam, not a general secular respect for all beliefs as if they were all equal.
The response from the West, and from Europe in particular, has been to frame the question as a matter of free speech. European newspapers, wishing to show solidarity with the Danes, have reprinted the cartoons, further infuriating the Muslims. European liberalism has a more complex profile than Islamic rage over insults. In many countries, it is illegal to incite racial hatred. It is difficult to imagine that the defenders of these cartoons would sit by quietly if a racially defamatory cartoon were published. Or, imagine the reception among liberal Europeans -- or on any American campus -- if a professor published a book purporting to prove that women were intellectually inferior to men. (The mere suggestion of such a thing, by the president of Harvard in a recent speech, led to calls for his resignation.)
In terms of the dialogue over the cartoons, there is enough to amuse even the most jaded observers. The sight of Muslims arguing the need for greater sensitivity among others, and of advocates of laws against racial hatred demanding absolute free speech, is truly marvelous to behold. There is, of course, one minor difference between the two sides: The Muslims are threatening to kill people who offend them and are burning embassies -- in essence, holding entire nations responsible for the actions of a few of their citizens. The European liberals are merely making speeches. They are not threatening to kill critics of the modern secular state. That also distinguishes the Muslims from, say, Christians in the United States who have been affronted by National Endowment for the Arts grants.
These are not trivial distinctions. But what is important is this: The controversy over the cartoons involves issues so fundamental to the two sides that neither can give in. The Muslims cannot accept visual satire involving the Prophet. Nor can the Europeans accept that Muslims can, using the threat of force, dictate what can be published. Core values are at stake, and that translates into geopolitics.
In one sense, there is nothing new or interesting in intellectual inconsistency or dishonesty. Nor is there very much new about Muslims -- or at least radical ones -- threatening to kill people who offend them. What is new is the breadth of the Muslim response and the fact that it is directed obsessively not against the United States, but against European states.
One of the primary features of the U.S.-jihadist war has been that each side has tried to divide the other along a pre-existing fault line. For the United States, in both Afghanistan and Iraq, the manipulation of Sunni-Shiite tensions has been evident. For the jihadists, and even more for non-jihadist Muslims caught up in the war, the tension between the United States and Europe has been a critical fault line to manipulate. It is significant, then, that the cartoon affair threatens to overwhelm both the Euro-American split and the Sunni-Shiite split. It is, paradoxically, an affair that unifies as well as divides.
The Fissures in the WestIt is dangerous and difficult to speak of the "European position" -- there really isn't one. But there is a Franco-German position that generally has been taken to be the European position. More precisely, there is the elite Franco-German position that The New York Times refers to whenever it mentions "Europe." That is the Europe that we mean now.
In the European view, then, the United States massively overreacted to 9/11. Apart from the criticism of Iraq, the Europeans believe that the United States failed to appreciate al Qaeda's relative isolation within the Islamic world and, by reshaping its relations with the Islamic world over 9/11, caused more damage. Indeed, this view goes, the United States increased the power of al Qaeda and added unnecessarily to the threat it presents. Implicit in the European criticisms -- particularly from the French -- was the view that American cowboy insensitivity to the Muslim world not only increased the danger after 9/11, but effectively precipitated 9/11. From excessive support for Israel to support for Egypt and Jordan, the United States alienated the Muslims. In other words, 9/11 was the result of a lack of sophistication and poor policy decisions by the United States -- and the response to the 9/11 attacks was simply over the top.
Now an affair has blown up that not only did not involve the United States, but also did not involve a state decision. The decision to publish the offending cartoons was that of a Danish private citizen. The Islamic response has been to hold the entire state responsible. As the cartoons were republished, it was not the publications printing them that were viewed as responsible, but the states in which they were published. There were attacks on embassies, gunmen in EU offices at Gaza, threats of another 9/11 in Europe.
From a psychological standpoint, this drives home to the Europeans an argument that the Bush administration has been making from the beginning -- that the threat from Muslim extremists is not really a response to anything, but a constantly present danger that can be triggered by anything or nothing. European states cannot control what private publications publish. That means that, like it or not, they are hostage to Islamic perceptions. The threat, therefore, is not under their control. And thus, even if the actions or policies of the United States did precipitate 9/11, the Europeans are no more immune to the threat than the Americans are.
This combines with the
Paris riots last November and the generally deteriorating relationships between Muslims in Europe and the dominant populations. The pictures of demonstrators in London, threatening the city with another 9/11, touch extremely sensitive nerves. It becomes increasingly difficult for Europeans to distinguish between their own relationship with the Islamic world and the American relationship with the Islamic world. A sense of shared fate emerges, driving the Americans and Europeans closer together. At a time when pressing issues like Iranian nuclear weapons are on the table, this increases Washington's freedom of action. Put another way, the Muslim strategy of splitting the United States and Europe -- and using Europe to constrain the United States -- was heavily damaged by the Muslim response to the cartoons.
The Intra-Ummah DivideBut so too was the split between Sunni and Shia. Tensions between these two communities have always been substantial. Theological differences aside, both international friction and internal friction have been severe. The Iran-Iraq war, current near-civil war in Iraq, tensions between Sunnis and Shia in the Gulf states, all point to the obvious: These two communities are, while both Muslim, mistrustful of one another. Shiite Iran has long viewed Sunni Saudi Arabia as the corrupt tool of the United States, while radical Sunnis saw Iran as collaborating with the United States in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The cartoons are the one thing that both communities -- not only in the Middle East but also in the wider Muslim world -- must agree about. Neither side can afford to allow any give in this affair and still hope to maintain any credibility in the Islamic world. Each community -- and each state that is dominated by one community or another -- must work to establish (or maintain) its Islamic credentials. A case in point is the violence against Danish and Norwegian diplomatic offices in Syria (and later, in Lebanon and Iran) -- which undoubtedly occurred with Syrian government involvement. Syria is ruled by Alawites, a Shiite sect. Syria -- aligned with Iran -- is home to a major Sunni community; there is another in Lebanon. The cartoons provided what was essentially a secular regime the opportunity to take the lead in a religious matter, by permitting the attacks on the embassies. This helped consolidate the regime's position, however temporarily.
Indeed, the Sunni and Shiite communities appear to be competing with each other as to which is more offended. The Shiite Iranian-Syrian bloc has taken the lead in violence, but the Sunni community has been quite vigorous as well. The cartoons are being turned into a test of authenticity for Muslims. To the degree that Muslims are prepared to tolerate or even move past this issue, they are being attacked as being willing to tolerate the Prophet's defamation. The cartoons are forcing a radicalization of parts of the Muslim community that are uneasy with the passions of the moment.
Beneficiaries on Both SidesThe processes under way in the West and within the Islamic world are naturally interacting. The attacks on embassies, and threats against lives, that are based on nationality alone are radicalizing the Western perspective of Islam. The unwillingness of Western governments to punish or curtail the distribution of the cartoons is taken as a sign of the real feelings of the West. The situation is constantly compressing each community, even as they are divided.
One might say that all this is inevitable. After all, what other response would there be, on either side? But this is where the odd part begins: The cartoons actually were published in September, and -- though they drew some complaints, even at the diplomatic level -- didn't come close to sparking riots. Events unfolded slowly: The objections of a Muslim cleric in Denmark upon the initial publication by Jyllands-Posten eventually prompted leaders of the Islamic Faith Community to travel to Egypt, Syria and Lebanon in December, purposely "to stir up attitudes against Denmark and the Danes" in response to the cartoons. As is now obvious, attitudes have certainly been stirred.
There are beneficiaries. It is important to note here that the fact that someone benefits from something does not mean that he was responsible for it. (We say this because in the past, when we have noted the beneficiaries of an event or situation, the not-so-bright bulbs in some quarters took to assuming that we meant the beneficiaries deliberately engineered the event.)
Still, there are two clear beneficiaries. One is the United States: The cartoon affair is serving to further narrow the rift between the Bush administration's view of the Islamic world and that of many Europeans. Between the Paris riots last year, the religiously motivated murder of a Dutch filmmaker and the "blame Denmark" campaign, European patience is wearing thin. The other beneficiary is Iran. As Iran moves toward a confrontation with the United States over nuclear weapons, this helps to rally the Muslim world to its side: Iran wants to be viewed as the defender of Islam, and Sunnis who have raised questions about its flirtations with the United States in Iraq are now seeing Iran as the leader in outrage against Europe.
The cartoons have changed the dynamics both within Europe and the Islamic world, and between them. That is not to say the furor will not die down in due course, but it will take a long time for the bad feelings to dissipate. This has created a serious barrier between moderate Muslims and Europeans who were opposed to the United States. They were the ones most likely to be willing to collaborate, and the current uproar makes that collaboration much more difficult.
It's hard to believe that a few cartoons could be that significant, but these are.
Send questions or comments on this article to
analysis@stratfor.com.
Distribution and ReprintsThis report may be distributed or republished with attribution to Strategic Forecasting, Inc. at
www.stratfor.com.
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Wednesday, 8 February 2006
Don't be intimidated!
![](intolerance_468.jpg)
By way of Free Thoughts
Iranian feminist: Don't be intimidated! - On the row over “offensive” cartoons
"The charade by Islamists over the publication ofthe cartoons depicting the Mohammed (prophet) as a suicide bomber is being taken too seriously by many. Apologies after apologies are being delivered to Islamic governments and thugs. Any apology makes them more vicious and more daring. The only weapon they have is hostage taking, bullying, intimidating, killing, maiming, and offending any human values and any libertarian rights.
We should not apologize to these reactionary forces who have organized the most sophisticated machinery of oppression and intimidation, who have organized and mobilized an army of terrorists world wide, who have been terrorizing the citizens of the Islamic ridden countries as well as citizens of the world, who have the worst criminal record.
This is their weapon: resorting to terror while appearing as victims. They kill, maim, stone to death people for wanting their rights, for wanting freedom, for wanting a better life. They humiliate women daily, deprive them of their rights, torture them for not observing the rule of Islam, and when someone dares to tell the truth about their atrocities, they become offended, they cry for their “violated dignities”, they become “sacred”. This is nothing but blackmail. Just the same way as they take innocent people hostage daily, by crying for their “sacred” beliefs, they take our conscious hostage. This is their method of survival.
The world without unconditional freedom of expression and criticism will be a very doll and scary world to live. These values are result of long and hard fought battles. We have to preserve the right to unconditional expression and criticism. Nothing is sacred for everyone. Thus everyone must have the right to criticize or ridicule any “sacred” concept, object or belief. The only way we can build a better and more humane world is to safeguard with all our power these sacred values. Unconditional freedom of expression and criticism is the sacred value, we should maintain.
Islamists become offended and hysterical too often. They should learn to be more tolerant, more respectful of libertarian rights that have been won through long struggles by humanity and progressive forces. We should teach them to respect freedom and civil rights. We should teach them to respect women’s rights. We should teach them not too readily resort to terror and intimidation. How? By standing firm to their face, and say no apologies are due. If any, it is your turn to apologize for all your crimes against humanity.
About
Azar Majedi is Chairperson of the Organisation of Women's Liberation. and producer-presenter of "No to Political Islam" an NCTV programme.
AB"
Seldom heard voices from behind the Quran Curtain.
Certainly not heard much via the Mainstream Media.
AUDIO INTRODUCTION IN PERSIAN
The Glorious Frontiers Party) was founded on July 8th, 1998 in Tehran. It was established by a group of Nationalist secular writers and journalists.
Marze Por-Gohar was one of the most active groups present at the pro-Democracy uprising of the University students in July of 1999. On the fifth day of the uprising, on July 13th, MPG leaders and members were arrested and sent to the notorious Towhid, one of Islamic Republic’s secret prisons. Due to constant harassment of the Islamic elements, some members of this organization were forced to flee the country.
We gladly announce the continuation of Hezbe Marze Por-Gohar in exile. May our efforts never cease until Freedom, Democracy and Secularism prevail in our country
Azar Majedi
Collection of Essays
On the row over “offensive” cartoons 2006/02/062 years jail sentence for criticizing Islam Azar Majedi 5/10/25Ban all religious schools! 2005/05/17Is Canada next? 2005/01/10They are asking for tolerance! We say this is hypocrisy! 2004/12/16 A Threat To Humankind Political Islam VS. Secularism 2004/11/06 Azar Majedi is the head of the
Organisation for Women's Liberation.l
Tuesday, 7 February 2006
What Massive Demonstrations?
That is the phrase I keep hearing about the Anti-Cartoon reactions, that phrase and "The reaction to the caricatures in the Danish Newspaper which has swept the world like wildfire.
Excuse me? They were printed last September? That's a little slower than normal wildfire.
Of course it might have taken the Danish Imams a while to get their pamphlet ready.
Fabricated cartoons worsened Danish controversy
"However, the Danish Muslim delegation showed much more than the 12 cartoons published by Jyllands Posten. In the booklet it presented during its tour of the Middle East, the delegation included other cartoons of Mohammed that were highly offensive, including one where the Prophet has a pig face. But these additional pictures were NOT published by the newspaper, but were completely fabricated by the delegation and inserted in the booklet (which has been obtained and made available to me by Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet)."You know the one. The one that had 3 extra images that are very offensive, but never appeared in any Western Publication.
What I find curious is the strange nature of the Massive Demonstrations the Legacy Media keeps reporting.
Consider.
Feb 7, 6:37 AM EST
Hundreds in Iran Protest Muhammad Drawings"TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Hundreds of angry protesters hurled stones and fire bombs at the Danish Embassy in the Iranian capital Monday to protest publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Police used tear gas and surrounded the walled villa to hold back the crowd"
In the Iranian capital, police encircled the Danish Embassy but were unable to hold back 400 demonstrators as they tossed stones and Molotov cocktails at the walled brick villa. At least nine protesters were hurt, police said.
About an hour into the protest, police fired tear gas, driving the demonstrators into a nearby park. Later, about 20 people returned and tried to break through police lines to enter the embassy compound but were blocked by security forces.
As the tear gas dissipated, most of the crowd filtered back to the embassy, where they burned Danish flags and chanted anti-Danish slogans and "God is greatI find it bizarre that in a City of 12 million the Iranian Security Forces could not control a mob of 400?
Why there have been Pro-Democracy demonstrations much larger, that they not only controlled, but they arrested demonstrators and summarily executed them on the spot.
But 400 in front of a Western Embassy? Just too much for them I guess.
Just like all those years ago the Ayatollah Khomeini had NO control over the Revolutionary Guards holding the US Embassy hostage. And everyone pretended to believe him, didn't they. Just like they may pretend to believe this time that the Iranian Security Forces were totally unable to control that Massive Demonstration.
Of Four Hundred?
Lebanon was weird too.
February 06, 2006
Well-Planned SpontaneityIt was one of those unpredictable Lebanese Sunday mornings. The ski slopes in the mountains overlooking Beirut would have been crowded with skiers enjoying the brilliant winter sunshine. Walkers were out along the Corniche, strolling in designer tracksuits. Downtown, the chic restaurants were preparing for lunchtime. And there were a few men on scooters riding around town broadcasting an imminent protest.
It wasn't long before the heavily-laden coaches and minivans began to arrive from Beirut and the rest of Lebanon. They were all full of young, often bearded men who wore headbands and carried identical flags with calligraphic inscriptions in Arabic such as: "There is no god but God and Mohammad is his Prophet" and "O Nation of Muhammad, Wake Up." ...
The police seemed to know the demonstrators were coming and had turned out in force with barriers, barbed wire fences and several large fire trucks. ... By 11am, the Lebanese police and army were firing tear gas at the crowd. The protesters threw volleys of stones. Some stuffed cotton wool into their nostrils to stifle the effect of the gas.
One group overturned a car and set it alight. Sunni clerics in robes tried to calm the young men down. They were ignored. One cleric, Ibrahim Ibrahim, said his pleas were met with stones and insults. "They are hooligans," he said.
Suddenly, the protest stopped. The police and Islamic clerics couldn't stop it -- but one of the leaders announced that the demonstration was over and that the crowd needed to go home. And it did; the streets were cleared within minutes, leaving the area back in police control and the residents of the area to clean up after the violence. The protesters went back to the buses that brought them into the area, similar to tourists trying to attend a cultural event."Tell me? Does that sound like a spontaneous outburst of rage? Or anything close to the size of the demonstrations during the
Cedar Revolution?Last we come to Syria. Could not protect foreign embassies?
They were not so hesitant with Islamic Fundamentalists at Hama were they?
Hama RulesBy THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
Join a Discussion on Thomas L. Friedman's Columns
n February 1982 the secular Syrian government of President Hafez al-Assad faced a mortal threat from Islamic extremists, who sought to topple the Assad regime. How did it respond? President Assad identified the rebellion as emanating from Syria's fourth-largest city ? Hama ? and he literally leveled it, pounding the fundamentalist neighborhoods with artillery for days. Once the guns fell silent, he plowed up the rubble and bulldozed it flat, into vast parking lots. Amnesty International estimated that 10,000 to 25,000 Syrians, mostly civilians, were killed in the merciless crackdown. Syria has not had a Muslim extremist problem since.
Maybe Syria has gone soft in the last 20 years.
Yah think?
But this violence may INDEED spread like wildfire.
Not because of the Danish Newspaper
Not because of the fabricated images supplied by the Danish Imams
Not because of the manipulations by Syria and Iran.
(isn't it an odd coincidence all this flared up just as the EU and the UN were starting to agree with the US about the threat posed by Iran???)
But it may spread like wildfire because the flames are being whipped up by the MEDIA!
When you stop reporting news and create Massive Demonstrations out of a pitiful hundred or so obvious agent provocateurs.
You can create some REAL News!
I am afraid that is what is happening now.
Like I said in the beginning,
What Massive Demonstrations?
And CNN, Reuters etc reply just wait they are coming
UPDATE: Michele Malkin in
ORIGINS OF A FAKE MUHAMMED CARTOON via Neander News with
Danish Imams Busted! identify ne of the most inflamatory image's origin and it is a flat out fake.
Medienkritik also brings to us
Danish Cartoons: UpdateDo NOT miss Dean's World's
Carnival of the Liberated"Welcome to the Carnival of the Liberated, a sampler of some of the best posts of the week from Iraqi and Afghani bloggers. This week we've got being a cat, avian flu, wall-to-wall Danish cartoons, and much, much more."
UPDATE II:Odd isn't it that all this occurs just as Syria and Iran may be hauled before the UN Security Council?
For 10 extra points what National will be Chairing this summer?
Denmark.
Linked to
Wednesday OTA Linkfest at third world countyYipee-ki-yi-yay! at third world countyFriday Open Post & Airplane Joke Week at Bloggin' Outloud OTA Friday at MacBros' Place l
Monday, 6 February 2006
The Open Trackback Alliance XIII
For your listening pleasure while you browse
"Der er et yndigt land" (There Is A Lovely Land)
Words by: Adam Gottlob Oehlenschlager
Music by: Hans Ernst Kr?yer
Adopted: 1844
"Derer et yndigt land" was first performed for a large gathering of Danes in 1844, and became popular quickly with the Danish people. It was adopted later that year by the Danish government as a national anthem, but not the sole national anthem. This anthem is on equal status with "Kong Christian",which is both the national and royal anthem.
When the Danish anthem is usually performed or sung, the first verse is played in its entirety, then it is followed by the last four lines of the last verse. (This is true whether the lyrics are sung or not
Recentlty I have been posting music to Illustrate the Diversity of America, this week I have a different motive to express Solidarity with DENMARK When I first started upon my journey through the blogverse I created a
Statement of PurposeNow upon reading it, one can realize that I did not hold to every detail of that original statement, but from it's basic premise, I have never swayed, in my belief that the Blogs are in fact the Committees of Correspondence of the Second American Revolution.
And that it is a Revolution of Information, no longer can we afford and allow elite gateways to control what we can see, hear and discuss.
For I believe that those bloggers who find their way, here and in particular from the Blogs associated with Sam.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
Some of us are more Serious, some of us are more lighthearted and some post the common ordinary things that make one smile and recall that Life without the simple things to treasure is meaningless.
And it is important that all have a platform from which to speak.
As I understand this process you can link to this post and trackback to this post on ANY subject or post you think important. It is open. I will repeat this every Monday.
The Committees of Correspondence welcomes your intelligent comments. And also welcomes you to join the
OPEN TRACKBACK ALLIANCEThis week I also have shortened my usual introduction for a more inportant message.
![](SupportDenmarkSmall2EN.png)
In it's struggle for Freedom of Speech.
Sign the Petition NOW!
Blogs that Trackback to this Post:
On Monday
Will they throw cartoon bombs? JIHAD!!! voices of from Mark My Words
Reverse the flow (GTB/0pen Post) from third world county
Oh, please from The Elecktronick Tyger Roares
Crash! Boom! Bang! at MacBros' Place
The Right Way to Look at the Cartoon Intifada from Conservative Cat
Y'al come back now, Y'heah? ;-)
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Saturday, 4 February 2006
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
Hamlet | Act 1, Scene 4
And I do not really believe it is cartoons.
In this world there are patterns which can be overlooked if one's focus is too narrow.
Let us step back, look for patterns in this event and other events recently and see if there is something they can tell us.
The surface narrow view of the present events in Denmark and elsewhere is that the caricatures of the Prophet have inflamed and incensed Muslim sensibilities.
To some extent this is true, but it is too simplistic to stop at that level.
Consider these factors.
The cartoons were published in September"Why have the protests erupted from Muslims worldwide only now? The person who knows the answer to this question is Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, a man that the Washington Post has recently profiled as “one of Denmark's most prominent imams.”
Last November, Abu Laban, a 60-year-old Palestinian who had served as translator and assistant to top Gamaa Islamiya leader Talaal Fouad Qassimy during the mid-1990s and has been connected by Danish intelligence to other Islamists operating in the country, put together a delegation that traveled to the Middle East to discuss the issue of the cartoons with senior officials and prominent Islamic scholars. The delegation met with Arab League Secretary Amr Moussa, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Mohammad Sayyed Tantawi, and Sunni Islam’s most influential scholar, Yusuf al Qaradawi. "We want to internationalize this issue so that the Danish government will realize that the cartoons were insulting, not only to Muslims in Denmark, but also to Muslims worldwide," said Abu Laban.
On its face, it would appear as if nothing were wrong. However, the Danish Muslim delegation showed much more than the 12 cartoons published by Jyllands Posten. In the booklet it presented during its tour of the Middle East, the delegation included other cartoons of Mohammed that were highly offensive, including one where the Prophet has a pig face. But these additional pictures were NOT published by the newspaper, but were completely fabricated by the delegation and inserted in the booklet (which has been obtained and made available to me by Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet). The delegation has claimed that the differentiation was made to their interlocutors, even though the claim has not been independently verified. In any case, the action was a deliberate malicious and irresponsible deed carried out by a notorious Islamist who in another situation had said that “mockery against Mohamed deserves death penalty.” And in a quintessential exercise in taqiya, Abu Laban has praised the boycott of Danish goods on al Jazeera, while condemning it on Danish TV."A period of some SEVEN months from the time of the articles in Jyllands Posten and this outburst of outrage? Am I the only one who finds this curious?
Would not one normally expect a more rapid response?
I mean it does seem that the Arab Street can be inflamed by incidents such as this in an explosive manner but what could prompt
one of Denmark's most prominent imams.” to delay publicity of something like this so long?
This is not the only curious event in recent times.
We all recall the French Riots. Over 300 Cities in flames, hundreds, nay thousands of cars torched.
The explanation for this outbreak of violence, the deaths of two young boys fleeing from the Police.
I find it odd that one of the first vehicles attacked and torched was the Emergency Vehicles and it's crew that rushed to the scene to try to save their lives. Can anyone believe that the Rioters could not tell the difference between that type of vehicle and crew and the Police?
Can anyone believe that such actions showed some concern for those boys?
I spoke of patterns. Take a very close look at this pattern,
it is a graph of the numbers of cars torched during the Riots. ![](CarBQ.jpg)
"Commentary
Two inflection points immediately jump out. The first occurs on Day 6 when the car burnings really took off after trending flat for the previous 5 days. I think this represents the missed opportunity to deal with the riots at an early stage, either with large concessions or large crackdowns. I don't think it mattered which as long as the authorities acted decisively, which they didn't, because this was the period when the French government stood paralyzed like a deer in headlights.
The second inflection point is Day 11, when the graph appears to be flattening out. Appears because Day 11 is also the day in which the modality of the disturbances began to change from Car-B-Qs to arson against churches, schools and buildings combined with shooting attacks against police officers. But clearly it may be the case that the French riots may be running out of steam and therefore susceptible to the countermeasures the government is now putting in place. Let's wait and see.'
I find the pattern extremely odd. A flat line for car torchings for almost a week and then an explosion of activity which seemed to be divided into two distinct attack patterns.
Attacks with almost military precision. Supplied by manufacturing sites for incendiaries, with command and communication via cell phones and the Internet and at the end cars modified with steel beams to aid penetration of business walls for entry,
Do these factors sound like a "spontaneous" riot, or do they sound like a manipulated event?
Does the present outburst of outrage sound like a spontaneous reaction to the newspaper articles or a staged event?
I do not mean to imply that the Rioters, or those incensed at this moment are disingenuous, but I do wonder if all this was, shall we say, "arranged"?
Recall the Piglet controversy? As I wrote in an earlier post. I myself found it odd that a Muslim complained about Pig images, but no mention was ever made about Dog images, which to a Devout Muslim are FAR more unclean.
If a Muslim touches a pig, they must wash their hands, once. After touching a dog? They must wash their hands about 7 times I believe, one of them with an earth/water mixture, for a scrubbing action maybe.
Does touching a dog make one's hand naajis (impure)?
"The impurity of dogs is the greatest of animal impurities. The impurity of a dog can only be removed by washing seven times, one of which should be with earth. Even pigs, which the Qur?aan states are haraam and describes as an abomination (rijs) are not naajis (impure) to such an extent
When one steps back and looks at the patterns, these do not appear to be isolated events but are connected in a pattern.
To me this pattern is, probing attacks to see how much reaction and advantage can be gained from the Useful Idiots who leap to appease, placate and excuse.
These are but crafted examples of Asymmetric Warfare on the Publicity and Propaganda Front.
Folks we are being set up and the Transnational Progressive Useful Idiots are leaping at the bait.
I am not alone in this conclusion.
"It is important to note that the Danish Islamofascists had to gin up three more poor quality and insulting cartoons in order to incite the desired outrage and violence that is going on now. Without these three false cartoons added to the mix, this whole uproar might never have happened."
From What really started the Muslim anti-cartoon rampage at Mark in Mexico
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Linked to
Open Thread/Open Trackbacks at The Crazy Rants of Samantha |
Thursday, 2 February 2006
I Support Denmark
![](SupportDenmarkSmall2EN.png)
In it's struggle for Freedom of Speech.
Sign the Petition NOW!"On the 30th of September 2005 the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed. Mohammedans raised a storm of protest and two artists went into hiding after receiving death threats. Islamic organisations demanded an apology from the Danish government and the incident turned into a world-wide diplomatic issue. The OIC (the Organisation of the Islamic Conference), the Council of Europe and the UN all criticised the government of Denmark for not taking measures against the newspaper Jyllands-Posten. The Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen defended the freedom of the press and free speech and stated that any measures, if appropriate, could not be taken by the government but only by a court of law. Meanwhile in Islamic countries Danish flags are burned and Danish products are taken off the shelves. Several countries have withdrawn their ambassadors from Denmark and armed men attacked the office of the EU in the Gaza strip.
Denmark needs our support. Show that you care and put one of these banners on your website.For information about this issue go to
Danske ?jne p? svenske forhold
"English islamists target Denmark
Famous english sense of humor seems to have gone down the drain. Also it has become evident, that europeans are no longer master in their own house.
Radical groups call on supporters to wage holy war against Israel and Denmark, slam Muhammad cartoons.
UK-based jihadist groups have issued calls for their followers to mobilize and wage "holy war" against Israel and Denmark in recent days through internet messages on their websites"As usual
No Pasarn! is on top of things with
Support for the Underdog and
America's Most Blasphemous CartoonistsCould some of the Blasphemous Cartoonists be our good friends at
Cox and Forkum read
Image ProblemDon't wait for the Movie!
An always read on European matters of media and it's coverage of issues
Medienkritik!with
Danish Cartoons: German Journalist Association Says "No"...Make That "Yes
How could one fail to mention the lovely Michelle Malkin and her extensive recital of sources and information at
FIRST, THEY CAME FOR THE CARTOONISTSAnd one last time let me urge you to
Sign the Petition NOW!I am #425
Captain's Quarters weighs in with
"These cartoons have been privately drawn and published by privately-owned enterprises. That is the essential nature of free speech. The Danes understand that, and I find the European impulse in supporting them the most hopeful sign from the Continent in a long time, Soir's surrender notwithstanding."As one thinks about what is at stake the words of
Gates of Vienna come to mind.
"At the siege of Vienna in 1683 Islam seemed poised to overrun Christian Europe. We are in a new phase of a very old war." Prophet Cartoons Hit the MSM in the USA"The controversy over the Jyllands-Posten cartoons of Mohammed has reach the MSM here at last; the story is on CNN.
But no images -- yet.
There?s a photo of someone reading a newspaper with the offending cartoons thoughtfully cropped out.
UPDATE 6:18pm EST: Fox has the story now, too, but still no pics'Like Gates of Vienna says, this is nothing new, I guess every 322 years the dust needs to be settled?
![](sobieski.jpg)
Linked to
Thursday Already? Open Trackbacks at MacStansbury.orgThursday Open Trackbacks at Right Wing NationBest Of The Blogs: Thursday at Don Surber It's Thursday which means.....at Liberal Common Sense|
Tuesday, 31 January 2006
Don't Break the Heart of a Poetic Genius
It's a BAD Idea!
I know this is a little off track for me, but sometimes you write the story and sometimes the story jumps up, hits you in the head and delivers an ultimatum.
This is the latter.
I have been putting some different types of music to my weekly Open Track Alliance Posts to show some of the diversity in America and it's musical tastes.
This week I chose Sukiyaki. I have always liked that song. Don't understand it, but I like it. It came out when I was about 12 years old.
I never gave the meaning of the words much thought until a Russian friend asked a question and that got me in my investigative mood. ;-)
Now you talk about a
STORY? This one has it all.
![](sakamoto2.jpg)
Sakamoto, Kyu "Kyu-chan" - b. November 10, 1941. d. August 12, 1985.
Internationally acclaimed singer. Sakamoto made his show business debut in 1960. His biggest hit, Ue o Muite Aruko (I Look Up When I Walk; "Sukiyaki" in the West), was released in Japan in 1961. After its release in the U.S. in 1963, the song's earnestness and melodic beauty proved irresistible despite its incomprehensible lyrics. Against all odds, on June 15, 1963, the song ousted Leslie Gore's "It's My Party" to become the No. 1 popular song in the U.S. "Sukiyaki" remains the biggest international hit by a Japanese popular singer. Credit for the song's popularity also is due to the music by Hachidai Nakamura and the lyrics by Rokusuke Ei, who is said to have written this touching evocation of loneliness after his heart was broken by the actress Meiko Nakamura. Sakamoto also recorded such popular songs as "Shiawase Nara Te o Tatako" and "Miagete Goran Sora no Hoshi o." Tragically, he was killed when JAL Flight 123, a 747 bound from Haneda Airport in Tokyo to Osaka, lost pieces of its tail sections and spiraled downward nightmarishly for 30 minutes (long enough for some passengers to scribble shaky farewells to their families). The plane crashed and burned on a thickly wooded mountain about 60 miles northwest of Tokyo, killing 520 and injuring four, in the worst single airplane disaster in aviation history. Sakamoto's songs remain popular in Japan and overseas. "A Taste of Honey" and "4PM" are among the performers who have subsequently released their own renditions of "Sukiyaki."
Boys and Girls have been breaking up and getting their hearts broken ever since Eve figured out the "Forbidden Fruit" wasn't really the apple.
Most times in the words of Maxims of Hafiz
Blister we not for bursati? So when the heart is vexed, (is not)
The pain of one maiden’s refusal is drowned in the pain of the next.
But in this case the young man did not pick himself up, dust himself off and go get his heart broken by yet one more pretty face.
Oh no, THIS boy wrote a song that was to become the Number One International Hit by a Japanese Singing Artist of ALL Time.
I mean can you just picture the pathos for the poor girl?
She was a actress, possibly with some fame and notoriety of her own.
Now will she be remembered for any professional accomplishments she might have?
Not a chance!
Posterity will remember her as the Woman who BROKE THE HEART of Rokusuke Ei.
I mean just go the the website with the link above!
The click on the MP3s Link to see what I mean.
This song has been recorded by everyone from Bob Dylan to Chet ATKINS!
Selena, the Ventures, Taste of Honey.
You cannot get a broader spread of musical tastes than that friends.
No the poor girl is doomed whether she deserved or not.
Now there is----
"La Belle Dame Sans Merci", by John Keats
The Vampire by Rudyard Kipling
and Meiko Nakamura in Sukiyaki (Ue o Muite Aruko) the woman who broke the heart of Rokusuke Ei.
In the Pantheon of Hard Hearted Cruel Women.
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Monday, 30 January 2006
The Open Trackback Alliance XII
For Monday
For your listening pleasure while you browse
Sakamoto Kyu Sukiyaki
Sukiyaki in English
the world thinks they know all about Americans, I intend to present music each week in this post illustrating our extreme diversity When I first started upon my journey through the blogverse I created a
Statement of PurposeNow upon reading it, one can realize that I did not hold to every detail of that original statement, but from it's basic premise, I have never swayed, in my belief that the Blogs are in fact the Committees of Correspondence of the Second American Revolution.
And that it is a Revolution of Information, no longer can we afford and allow elite gateways to control what we can see, hear and discuss.
One of the most important discoveries I make in those early days was the website of Samantha Burns, which included a unique informal community of bloggers, who not only linked to each other but actually browsed and read the blogs they linked to.
Later I was honored to be allowed to join another more formal blog community. At that time I decided that while I welcomed blogs that wanted to link to me, I was not that interested in simply joining blogrolls to add links. After that I made no more attempts to join any blog alliances. I have been kept busy supporting the linkages I have and at times I feel guilty that I cannot get around to all the websites on my blogroll as I could when it was smaller.
So why do I welcome this recent invitation to join the Open Trackback Alliance? Have I reconsidered my former decision?
No I am posting and joining this Alliance because it is RIGHT for me to do so.
Because it FULFILLS my original Statement of Purpose that the Blogs are indeed the 21st Century Committees of Correspondence, whose duty and honor it is to SHARE information, thoughts, ideas, news and to discuss the same. To diligently search for the truths that lie behind the distortions and half-truths of the Legacy Media.
What the blogs associated with the Samantha Burns site did informally, and without structure, this Alliance only aids and structures. There is in fact no conflict between what I do now, and what I decided to do sometime ago.
For I believe that those bloggers who find their way, here and in particular from the Blogs associated with Sam.
HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY.
Some of us are more Serious, some of us are more lighthearted and some post the common ordinary things that make one smile and recall that Life without the simple things to treasure is meaningless.
And it is important that all have a platform from which to speak.
As I understand this process you can link to this post and trackback to this post on ANY subject or post you think important. It is open. I will repeat this every Monday.
The Committees of Correspondence welcomes your intelligent comments. And also welcomes you to join the
OPEN TRACKBACK ALLIANCE
Blogs that Trackback to this Post:
On Monday
My Very Own Study of Brain Function from Conservative Cat
Call the Whitehouse Hotline TODAY! from third world county
8 The Other War from Freedom Folks
Y'al come back now, Y'heah? ;-)
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Sunday, 29 January 2006
Egyptian Copts:
Are Oppressed
.. Oppressed
.. Oppressed.
By
Tarek Heggy
Tarek Heggy brings a unique and important voice to MidEastern Issues"Please find attached Tarek Heggy’s recent article on the Copts of Egypt that was written on the occasion of the recent Coptic conference in DC.
On the occasion of Hamas victory in the recent Palestinian elections, Tarek Heggy spoke yesterday to Al-Arabiya satellite TV repeating his opinion that the current American administration mixes (wrongly) democracy and elections – that are totally different phenomena. As a result, elections will only bring about undemocratic parties to power, which will be disastrous to the free world and to the non-Muslim minorities. USA should have focused (in Tarek Heggy’s views) on building a complete atmosphere of democracy as he described in his article “Institutions of Democracy are more Important than Democracy” (http://www.heggy.org/democracy.htm). "Last month, members of the Coptic community (Orthodox Christian Egyptians) and other individuals convened in Washington, D.C. to discuss the problems facing Copts in Egypt. Despite the complete personal disagreement between myself and the individual who initiated this conference, I will put aside the personal angle in dealing with this topic… since I feel that my way of thinking and writing is above getting dragged into the kind of style known from the security services' investigations department, which [tends to] abandon the heart of the matter and pursue marginal issues related to personalities, suspicions and conspiratorial thinking.
"This security-service mentality is one of the factors that contributed to the collapse of objectivity and rationality in our thinking, and which [cause this kind of thinking] to be so far removed from objective and civilized modes of analysis which are one of the achievements of human civilization.
"The basic issue is: 'Do the Copts in Egypt suffer from serious problems in their own country?' The only possible answer is: 'Yes'.
"Yes, Copts fear for themselves, their families, their property and their safety much more than Muslims do, though the latter, too, are not completely safe."
"Yes, Copts Suffer From a Public Atmosphere of Fanaticism".
"Yes, Copts suffer from a public atmosphere of fanaticism, which is not characterized by friendliness towards them.
"Yes, Copts encounter exceptional obstacles in various stages [of their lives] - in [acquiring] education, obtaining a job and getting promotions - merely because they are Copts.
"Yes, Copts feel that, even though their qualifications exceed the average level of the Muslims (a fact that most Muslims admit), they do not hold important public offices such as district governor, deputy governor, mayor, university president, college dean, or [even] most of the secondary-level positions in the Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, Ministry of the Interior, etc. Copts feel that, as soon as a Copt utters his name, which reveals his Coptic identity, he often feels a sharp decline in the degree of friendliness shown towards him."
Even Though Copts Make Up 15% of the Population, They Make Up Only 1% of the Parliament.
"Yes, Copts feel that it makes no sense that, even though they constitute about one sixth (15%) of the population, Coptic MPs constitute less than one percent of the parliament. One does not need to be exceptionally bright in order to realize that this cannot be a mere coincidence, but can only be the result of motivations that are nefarious, irrational, unjust, inhuman and contrary to the basic concept of citizenship.
"Yes, Copts feel that it is an insult to the intelligence of all Copts and all Egyptians to claim that 'everything is all right' now that Sheikh Al-Azhar has been seen embracing the [Coptic] Pope.
"Yes, Copts feel that it is strange that the taxes they pay are spent on building mosques and on the Al-Azhar [Islamic] University, while [at the same time] they must invest huge efforts to build churches at their own expense.
"Yes, Copts, and especially those above the age of 60, feel that the attitude displayed today towards themselves, their wives, their daughters, and their sons is totally different from what they experienced over 40 years ago in the very same Egypt."
"To Accuse Anyone Who Speaks of These Matters of Being an Agent of Parties Hostile to Egypt is Simply a Joke".
"These are the essential aspects of the subject. To accuse anyone who speaks of these matters of being an agent of parties hostile to Egypt, or of being involved in a plot against Egypt, is simply a joke, an insult to the truth and an affront to reason.
"Among the Copts who are concerned with the general Coptic issue, none fail to realize the extent of the disagreement between myself and the engineer 'Adli Abadir, who sponsored the Zurich conference and the upcoming conference in Washington.
"However, I am the kind of person who can say, and I do say, that [despite the fact that] I cannot stand 'Adli Abadir, nor the way in which he presents his thoughts and his style of writing and speaking. I shall continue so long as I live to reiterate what I have said in this article, and even more. Likewise, I will never say that 'Adli Abadir is an agent acting in someone else's [interest], or that he is conspiring with anyone to harm Egypt. [To make such accusations] is the style of riffraff and a reflection of the style of the security services' investigations department, whose time has passed.
"[As] someone who respects his own thought and intellect - and in my case, his writing - I do not allow myself to join the pack of barking dogs or to abandon the essence of the issue and to look to impugn 'Adli Abadir and Mike Munir's character, because an intellectual must have a totally different nature than that of a police detective."
Egypt Will Never Get On the Road to Recovery so Long as Copts and Women Do Not Enjoy Full and Unimpaired Citizenship.
"A few years ago, a person came to my office whose high-level position and job had direct bearing on the Coptic issue, and he asked me why I was so enthusiastically involved in what I call in my writings 'the Coptic issue.' I told him at the time that as an Egyptian it is my obligation to do so, and this is also what makes me support women's issues in Egypt - because Egypt, which today is sick, will never get on the road to recovery so long as Copts and women do not take part in treating Egypt's problems from a position of full and unimpaired citizenship.
"A person who is oppressed and whose rights are denied cannot participate in pushing forward the broken-down wagon. I was sure that this visitor did not understand what I told him, because he was trained to treat the Copts as a threat to Egypt, despite the fact that they are the original Egypt."
If We Don't Recognize the Problem, it Will Turn Into an International Human Rights Issue.
"At the time, I also told him: 'If the Coptic issue is not discussed here, in Egypt, it will eventually be discussed abroad, and if we don't recognize all the aspects of the problem, then the Copts abroad will take [their cause] from the stage of merely crying out that they are being oppressed to the stage of [calling it] a human rights issue, and then many will pay attention to them on an international level, including important decision-makers.'
"When I was young, I heard the Arab adage: 'Most fires start from small sparks that people overlooked.' Today [we realize that] most troubles result from their having been ignored when they were small. We demand of the world that they believe our claim that we are above reproach in our treatment of non-Muslims and women, and we relish repeating this, while the world looks at our deeds and finds them to be totally contrary to what we say.
"To come back to the issue of the Copts in Egypt, I contend that the fact that most senior officials continue to ignore the Coptic issue will bring Egypt to crises which I can almost make out on the horizon. They are similar to the crises of others in the region - others who fell prey to the temptation to ignore some problems, and especially to ignore the realities of today's world, that is, the post-Cold War world.
"This is a world in which the idea of sovereignty in its old sense, which had been stable for the many decades preceding the fall of the Berlin Wall, is no longer of any use to anyone. There are those who understand this new world, and there are those who are unable to understand and take in all dimensions of this change…".
http://www.heggy.org|
Friday, 27 January 2006
Do The Math
President Bush Job Approval
Saturday January 21, 2006--Forty-five percent (45%) of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President.
Bill Clinton
On November 3,(1992) won election as the 42nd President of the United States by a wide margin in the U.S. Electoral College, despite receiving only 43 percent of the popular vote. It was the first time since 1968 (Nixon) that a candidate won the White House with under 50 percent of the popular vote.
Hillary Meter
January 11, 2006--The first Hillary Meter of 2006 shows a more positive perception of New York's Junior Senator than any survey conducted in 2005.
For the first time ever, fewer than 40% of Americans view Clinton as politically liberal. Thirty-nine percent (39%) now see her as liberal while 38% say moderate. Last January, 51% of Americans viewed the former First Lady as liberal. (see trends).
The perceived shift to the right has made her more appealing to voters--
34% now say they would definitely vote for Clinton while 35% say they would definitely vote against her.
In mid-December, those numbers were 30% for and 37% against.
Thirty-seven percent (37%) would definitely vote against Senator Clinton. Demographic crosstabs are available for Premium Members.
I leave it to the reader to draw their own conclusions. ;-)
While not one of my readers, but instead one of my daily reads, Big Lizards seems to agree
with the drift of this post in Hillary Will Never Be the Presidential Nominee
Now I will admit it is a dream of mine that Hillary be the Democratic Nominee mainly because I think that would be a lemming move for them. ;-)
Update: note this post will be bumped to the top from time to time as the figures vary
President Bush Job Approval Friday January 27, 2006
-Forty-six percent (46%) of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President.
Hillary Meter: 46% Liberal
January 25, 2006--
Thirty-two percent (32%) of Americans say they will definitely vote for Senator Hillary Clinton if she runs for President in 2008. Thirty-nine percent (39%) will definitely vote against her.
The former First Lady is viewed as politically liberal by 46% of voters (up from 39% two weeks ago). Thirty-three percent (33%) see her as politically moderate (see trends).
Demographic crosstabs are available for Premium Members.
Collectively, today?s Hillary Meter places Senator Clinton a net 53 points to the left of the nation's political center. That's the closest to the political center she has been since we began bi-weekly polling last year. As with all tracking polls, it remains to be seen whether this is a lasting improvement or merely statistical noise.
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