Hard To Know Which Side to Take In DenmarkThe Islamists or the
anti-religion nuts:
Jyllands-Posten, Denmark's leading daily, defied Islam's ban on images of the Prophet by printing cartoons by 12 different artists.
In one he is depicted as a sabre-wielding terrorist accompanied by women in burqas, in another his turban appears to be a bomb and in a third he is portrayed as a schoolboy by a blackboard.Now, don't get me wrong, that would be no excuse for rioting. But that does not appear to be what's happening in Denmark, unlike in Paris.
Thousands of Muslims have taken to the streets in protest at the caricatures, the newspaper that published them has received death threats and two of its cartoonists have been forced into hiding.Taking to the streets is fine. Death threats are no good, but hardly unusual for people expressing provocative opinions.
Carsten Juste, the editor of Jyllands-Posten, spurned demands that he apologise, saying he "would not dream" of saying sorry.
"To demand that we take religious feelings into consideration is irreconcilable with western democracy and freedom of expression," he said. "This doesn't mean that we want to insult any Muslims."And here's a rather amusing quote from one of the cartoonists:
One artist, Franz Füchsel, said he intended no offence. "But I live in 2005, not 905 and I use my quill in the way that Danish law allows me."
