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Last updated on August 9th, 2017 at 12:46 pm
Those cartoons must be published, writes the SMH’s Andrew West. Meanwhile, more cartoon-related chaos:
Protests against the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed have led to two people being killed near Afghanistan’s capital Kabul, taking the death toll from a day of countrywide demonstrations to three.
The two were killed and five wounded in gunfire from among the protesters at the main gates of the US-led coalition’s Bagram Airbase headquarters, 60 kilometres north of the capital Kabul, while another protester died after being shot during a demonstration in eastern Laghman province.
These protesters don’t seem very bright. Great line from Philadelphia Inquirer editor Amanda Bennett:
The Philadelphia Inquirer, one of the few U.S. newspapers to publish a caricature of the Prophet Mohammad from a series that sparked a wave of protests by Muslims, defended the action on Sunday by saying it was just doing its job.
“This is the kind of work that newspapers are in business to do,” said Amanda Bennett, the newspaper’s editor.
UPDATE. Kim Beazley bounds into the fray:
Mr Beazley said he believed publishing the caricatures was “extremely unwise”.
“It’s an offensive cartoon and it shouldn’t be printed,” he said.
“You allow freedom of speech, but nevertheless part of that freedom of speech when you see something being done which you think is silly, which is foolish, you speak out and say so.”
What cartoon is Kim talking about? There are twelve of them. Beazley’s anti-publishing stance (Alexander Downer doesn’t seem too happy, either) puts him at odds with Labor foreign affairs spokes elf Kevin Rudd:
Mr Rudd said Australia was a free country and should not be stood over by any group, including militant Islamists.
“These decisions should be made on their journalistic merit by Australia’s news media,” he said.
“We should not be kowtowing to anybody when it comes to freedom in this country.”
Well said. And reader Joe S. emails: “The death toll from the reactions to the cartoons now numbers six. They firebombed then tried breaking into the Danish embassy. What was their intention? Kill Danes in the embassy because completely unrelated Danes drew/published cartoons? That makes sense.”
UPDATE II. An anxious nation holds its breath:
Australia is waiting for Muslim reaction to the decision of a well-known political commentator to publish cartoons lampooning the prophet Muhammad on his website.
Judging by how long it took Islamic extremists to realise they were offended by Jyllands-Posten’s initial publication of the cartoons, this could take a while.
- so now these followers of the religion of peace are killing people over cartoons. time for the ROP to find itself another label. the religion of hotheaded, irrational, fanatical cartoon revenge murderers perhaps?Posted by KK on 2006 02 06 at 10:40 PM • permalink
- The things I don’t get are:
1. What’s so offensive about most of these cartoons? In my judgement 8 are completely innocuous, 2 are very slightly insulting and 2 are somewhat insulting but hardly worth the current hysteria. For a more detailed analysis of each cartoon see http://tinyurl.com/8clwu.
2. Why, when some local Muslim ‘leader’ or academic makes a passing reference to ‘these obscene cartoons’, is this allowed by editors and journalists to pass? Why isn’t the immediate response, ‘Excuse me, but can you please explain exactly where the obscenity/offense lies?’ Failure to so explain would expose the disproportionality, indeed the hysteria, of the current reaction, not least, perhaps, to overreacting Muslims themselves.
- Congratulations, Tim, your actions have been condemned by Kim Beazley himself!Posted by Evil Pundit on 2006 02 06 at 10:44 PM • permalink
- Since it has been posted it is impossible to record a comment on West’s article.
What are Fairfax afraid of?
Posted by Jay Santos on 2006 02 06 at 10:44 PM • permalink
The two were killed and five wounded in gunfire from among the protesters at the main gates of the US-led coalition’s Bagram Airbase headquarters, 60 kilometres north of the capital Kabul,
What the hell? What, was some goon firing an AK into the air and forgot to take his finger off the trigger when he brought it down? Or did two Islamist gangs have a “dissagreement”, like the various Crips gangs at Tookie Williams’ funeral in LA?
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 02 06 at 10:44 PM • permalink
- Dan,
The things I don’t get are:
1. What’s so offensive about most of these cartoons?
2. Why, when some local Muslim ‘leader’ or academic makes a passing reference to ‘these obscene cartoons’, is this allowed by editors and journalists to pass?My guess is that they are almost certainly NOT talking about the 12 cartoon published in the Jutland Post, but rather, the 3 bogus cartoons that were added to the collection by an Islamist group in Denmark and claimed by Arab leaders to be part of it.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 02 06 at 10:51 PM • permalink
- The whole “no depictions of Allah” thing is genius when you think about it. They get to be all offended and tear shit up, and then all these newspapers and news shows are scared to show what they’re offended about so as not to further offend them. A lot of the audience will just assume the worst about what’s in those cartoons, and it’s only the people who care enough to go online and look for them who see how contrived this whole thing is. When it comes to propaganda wars, these people have a few centuries’ headstart on us.Posted by Jim Treacher on 2006 02 06 at 10:51 PM • permalink
- Er, no depictions of Mohammed. Or is it both?Posted by Jim Treacher on 2006 02 06 at 10:53 PM • permalink
- Agreement with Andrew West has occurred more than once now, suggesting we may all need to have long, hard look at ourselves or else Andrew’s mushroom dealer is losing his magic.
He links to this site, which is dandy, but why can’t he put the toons up on his own site?
Posted by Margos Maid on 2006 02 06 at 10:54 PM • permalink
- rinardman,
And, does Islam not forbid images of the prophet for all Muslims, not just “many”? Which group of Muslims can produce, or view, images?
Since icons with the image of Mohammed (and Imam Ali and other notables) are sold in open-air makets in Iran, I don’t think it is something that is vigorously enforced. Only when political and/or religious leaders need to distract the peasants from their own (the leaders’) troubles.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 02 06 at 11:05 PM • permalink
- Since Iran is inposing sanctions against all counties where the cartoons have been published, could all countries with nuclear tecnology, products, uranium etc. do the world a favour and please publish these cartoons?Posted by Infidel Tiger on 2006 02 06 at 11:06 PM • permalink
- Ross,
Has anyone seen the additional cartoons that the shit stirring danish islamists added whem they whipped this up?
Yeah, but the links I had earlier aren’t up any more (too much traffic?).
I’m still looking. I’ll post a link when I find one that works.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 02 06 at 11:08 PM • permalink
- Among the many interesting facets to this “crisis” are 1. How does an Afghani or Pakistani get to know about cartoons in a Danish newspaper? 2. If someone or some agency drew attention to them for these people how did they do it and what were their motivations.
It is a really long stretch from Denmark to an Islamic fundamentalist in the middle east let alone Indonesia. The clear implication is that there is deliberate mischief making going on. Even newspapers that won’t show that cartoons must see it as a legitimate area of enquiry to seek these people or organisations out.
Of course that would be real journalism and not one bit as glamorous as the wheat board scandal and “did Howard know?”
- Protests against the cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed have led to two people being killed near Afghanistan’s capital Kabul
Imagine the death toll if the cartoons had been drawn on a Koran which was then flushed down a toilet?
Posted by Art Vandelay on 2006 02 06 at 11:10 PM • permalink
- Apparently these cartoons were published September. Why has it taken so long for the s**t to hit the fan?
Is trouble being stirred up by one side or the other as a cover up of misdeeds?
Whatever, the ugly pictures of reaction are proof of the stupid thuggery we have come to expect [think Sydney] from these people.
The cartoons are no worse that some of the rantings of Islamic clerics in this country.
- A great rant appropriately titled Welcome to the Asylum. Population: Way Too Many
- Ross,
Michelle Malkin has the fake cartoons added (or more likely created) by the Danish Islamist group.
Sheesh, I remember seeing them on her blog; I should’ve gone there first.
(Next someone will tell me Tim linked to them earlier…)
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 02 06 at 11:21 PM • permalink
- Honestly, I couldn’t give a rat’s bum whether someone published the cartoons, but think maybe that it might not have been such a good idea, given tendency of ragheads to wrap nitroglycerine into their turbans. The cartoons are not particularly exciting or funny anyway, and yes, the response was kneejerk, stupid and irrational, but Wahibbist lunatics aren’t exactly known for their intelligence.Posted by widowtwanky on 2006 02 06 at 11:21 PM • permalink
- The soldiers I send letters and gifts to are stationed at Bagram. Their safety is always on my mind, more so now.
The cartoons were just a convenient excuse for the Islamonazis to stir up a frenzy of rage and hate. It’s part of their strategy against the West, but true to the law of unintended consequences, more and more of the people they counted on for help are beginning to realize that we really are in a war for our lives. It’s damn about time.
- Doesn’t that fool woman Bennett realize that the proper role of the press is to avoid giving offense?!Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 02 06 at 11:24 PM • permalink
- allan,
This whole affair has become a confrontation but what are the motivations of the “mullahs” who started it? I suspect strongly that they are using it as a way to increase their control of the Islamic population.
In a way, yes. Saudi Arabia was starting to feel the heat from the rising anger directed at them over the annual hajj stampede fatalities, and Iran and Syria have some pretty obvious reasons to gin up trouble. In Lebanon, Hizballah is still pissed about their Syrian patrons getting the boot. Outside the ME, Islamists may be trying to see if they can cow their host countries into concessions… although they may not like the backlash they’re stirring up.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 02 06 at 11:29 PM • permalink
- In late-breaking news, dog owners in the U.S. torched the offices of several major daily newspapers in violent protests against the stereotyping of dogs as drooling idiots in the Garfield comic strip. Banners reading “Justice for Odie” and “Garfield=Hitler” were much in evidence. Over a hundred rioters were taken into custody, as well as several dogs who were not current on their distemper and rabies shots.
- I have a theory that post Sep 11 there is a lot of “signalling” going on in the Islamic world
it seems that the’re all pushing here and there – be it beaches in Cronulla, the streets of Paris, the rantings in Indonesia, these cartoons are nothing – they know it – its all just international muscle flexing
Christian
Multicultural Sensitivity spokesperson
Christian Council of Associated Assoiciate Council
Mechanised Infantry DivisionPosted by knuckleheadwatch on 2006 02 06 at 11:43 PM • permalink
- Am I mistaken or are all the people who’ve died so far over this, er, Muslims?
“Filthy pig-eating infidels! You have made us so angry that we will… will… shoot each other to show you how very angry we are!”
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 02 06 at 11:47 PM • permalink
- And yet Belsan merely raised a shoulder shrug from the Muslim World
what a joke
Posted by knuckleheadwatch on 2006 02 06 at 11:48 PM • permalink
- richard,
Am I mistaken or are all the people who’ve died so far over this, er, Muslims?
Unfortunately, no. A Catholic priest was murdered in Ankara, Turkey, by a Muslim teenager shouting “allah ackbar!”.
Posted by Spiny Norman on 2006 02 06 at 11:53 PM • permalink
- Having seen the cartoons with French captions, I cannot understand what the fuss is about. Reasonably good cartoons, topical references, no malice or abuse. Why worry? The fake cartoons are clearly unrrelated to the real series, if they are being circulated in Muslim countries, it’s only to stir up unfounded trouble.
- Allah Fubar! You infidels all deserve to be beheaded – none of you have any inkling of the basic tenets of Islam.
It is not images of the Prophet (pbuh) which offends Islam!
Images of the beloved stoning embassies and burning flags are haram. It’s not that the images are of the Prophet (pbuh), but the fact that you publish images!
Get it right, kaffir!
Allah Fubar!
- and all this time I thought Ask an Imam was a satire site
apparently not
Posted by knuckleheadwatch on 2006 02 07 at 12:00 AM • permalink
- Remember when the new Pope was elected and all those photoshops of him dressed like the Emperor from Star Wars were circulating? My God, did we Catholics blow that opportunity or what? Apparently all you have to do to have your religion command the respect of the press worldwide is threaten people with death over the most pissant stuff imaginable.
There isn’t enough alcohol in the world to make sense of this situation.
- What a bloody right kerfuffle over some really average doodles. It’s the equivalent of rioting due to a crap episode of The Vicar of Dibley. The anti-democratic impulse about extremists or Islamists as Rudd calls them is horrendous.Posted by Major Anya on 2006 02 07 at 12:31 AM • permalink
- I think I meant to say, the anti-democratic impulse of extremists…blah blah blah.
All this leaves me wondering, “who put the fun in fundamentalism?”
Posted by Major Anya on 2006 02 07 at 12:33 AM • permalink
- Agreed, we are racist, in as much our actions and cultural responses are different to Islamic Nations.
The divide and differences is too great for for most Australians, hence the riots where the life saver was attacked by Middle Eastern men who said no to the volunteers.
Must say, the Jordanian Editor made a great stand along with our Kiwi neighbours.Don’t forget they murdered a Dutch film maker Van Gogh, and he was murdered for making a film about oppressive religion that abuses women.
Or recently in England, a bank modified and took off the shelves their piggy banks so not to offend the Islamics. Take away and it makes way for the next ideology to step in. The offence is to keep them happy so we can have oil and make money.
- Prophet (pbuh)——-> this is what I mean why should we (England or Europe) be subjected to printing for the Islamics additional (pbuh in Our Western English language)as an additional to the word prophet to make them feel OK in a Western country?
This introduction is subtle and is forced upon the community like the many hypens used to describe themselves as well. Once again we become used to it, and soon it will pass and start to be normal this is not normal for a secular society for our rules.
Just a little thought.
“We should not be kowtowing to anybody when it comes to freedom in this country.”
Nope. According to the Sheik, you should be salaaming…
Posted by richard mcenroe on 2006 02 07 at 01:56 AM • permalink
- It gets better and better… believe it or not, people are dying over a pig imitation contest.Posted by Quentin George on 2006 02 07 at 02:17 AM • permalink
- Murph, I would’ve thought you’d be pretty safe outside Brackistan anyway. I was under the impression that Victoria’s anti-thought laws were so ridiculous that even Queensland didn’t adopt them ?Posted by Rachel Corrie’s Flatmate on 2006 02 07 at 02:30 AM • permalink
- Hi
re comments that the cartoon are not very good etc etc and therefore are not worthy of publication are crap.
The one with the suicide bombers arriving at the pearly gates I thought was brilliant.
The muslim reaction has become such an issue that the western press must publicize them widely so that everyone in the west knows what the issues are. That is the function of the press.
In addition, we must as a culture, express solidarity with Sweden so that they cannot be singled out by Muslim countries. All Western countires that enjoy freedom of speech should publish as a matter of principle.
- Sweden?Posted by Quentin George on 2006 02 07 at 02:39 AM • permalink
- Newspaper editors are telling us that they used their ‘discretion’ and decided not to publish these cartoons out of sensitivity to Muslim feelings and for the sake of social harmony. But when ferocious attacks on Christian faith are widely published, this ‘discretion’, somehow, does not apply.
So the offence given to one community somehow outweighs the offence to another. What criterion is used to make such judgements?
I guess we are not likely to hear an honest admission that because Christians groups do not take to the streets, vandalise property and threaten others with murder, their ‘offence’ must somehow count for less.
‘Responsibilty to the community’ and the discretion which should be exercised when dealing with matters of free speech are really a calculation, then, of the likelihood of reprisals from the offended group.
The more bellicose and intolerant the group, the more we should respect their ‘sensitivities’. Those who are merely insulted to the core and refuse to resort to violence and the threat of it need not be heeded so scrupulously.
Behind such sententiousness one smells the thick cowardly odour of thug-inspired fear.
- Australia is waiting for Muslim reaction to the decision of a well-known political commentator to publish cartoons lampooning the prophet Muhammad on his website. Judging by how long it took Islamic extremists to realise they were offended by Jyllands-Posten’s initial publication of the cartoons, this could take a while.
Tim you could be right. It just depends on how long it takes for Abu Laban and his mob to get organised.
- ‘Newspaper at centre of cartoon kerfuffle refused publication of cartoons offensive to Christians’.
In other news Pizza hut has withdrawn sale of it’s newest menu item ‘Cheezus Crust’ Pizza after Christians threatened to dine at ‘Dominos’ instead.Posted by Lucky Nutsacks on 2006 02 07 at 03:05 AM • permalink
- Hi
sorry #53 – Denmark.
re #58 – always remember wonderful book (if you are a high church Anglican or just an eccentric) “The Towers of Trebezon” by Rose Macauley.
If individual journalists or editors are threatened, the threat is reduced by everyone publishing. This “responsibility” thing, in not publishing, in the circumstances of death threats against editors who do publish seems like a cop out. Every editor in every democracy should publish – and the “threat” would disappear.
Again, if economic sanctions on on the table, let them have to make them against every democracy.
I reall the story about the Nazi, ” they came for the Jews and we said nothing, they came for the Catholics and we said nothing, they came for the protestants and we said nothing and then they came for us – and there no-one left to say anything.” – excuse the bad paraphrase.
- I was just thinking Tim, maybe you should put a “poison pill” clause at the end of your will, something like:
“If I have suffered a violent death at the hands of a Muslim, please discard the previous paragraphs and donate all of my assets to the Israeli Defense Forces”
Not only will it provide a reason not to kill you, if the worst comes to worst you’ll be able to take revenge from beyond the grave!
- #16 The muslims know what they are told, I’m willing to bet that they are told not to view the cartoons because they are haram. An interesting link is this Danish blog.
- Isn’t it amazing… taking a sentence out of one of the posts to that Andrew West article on the SMH site (and its not the first time i have heard the M.E. types express this view) that we somehow owe these mental cases who have come to enjoy (leech off)Australia something, rather than the other way around that THEY have a responsibility to fit in and contribute and not cause trouble here!!!!
If Australia has openned its doors and invited different religions and cultures then it should accept the fact that this is offensive material to Muslims.
- slightly OT, #68, did you see Rudd’s performance in Parliament today? The Swat Womble was going on about the AWB scandal but unfortunately the usual faux ALP outrage just came across as a really camp pantomine performance.
Any respect he’d gained from his comments on freedom of speech evaporated in that instant.
Posted by Art Vandelay on 2006 02 07 at 06:45 AM • permalink
- ” …there is a case that publishing the cartoons would not add to the debate over Islam’s relations with the wider world. It would make no point and address no issue that has not been made much more forcefully, certainly in the pages of this newspaper, many times before.”
It is sad to see that ‘The Australian’ has ducked for cover on this issue.
It seems that because the paper has spoken out against Islamist extremism before, nothing more need be said about the outrageous behaviour of the religious fascists in this case or that it always must be made clear – by joining other publications and publishing these cartoons – that in free societies, no religion or ideology is exempt from criticism and satire.
I guess we can make a stand when they are in a better mood.
- I don’t get it. What is wrong with showing a picture of the dead “prophet”. Was he really ugly or something? Actually – he probably was ugly – after drinking all of that camel’s urine and stuff …Posted by LuvDaKartoons on 2006 02 07 at 03:57 PM • permalink
- This is why I hate newspapers.
Paragraph one:
CANBERRA – Australia is waiting for Muslim reaction to the decision of a well-known political commentator to publish cartoons lampooning the prophet Muhammad on his website.Who is this “well-known political commentator”?
After seven paragraphs of filler, paragraph nine:
Yesterday, ex-chief of staff at the Daily Telegraph Tim Blair published on his website all 12 of the cartoons, alongside examples of Islamist attacks on other religions. These included “vicious anti-Semitic” and anti-Christian tracts found at an Islamic bookstore in Lakemba, Sydney.And why is Australia not waiting for the Christian and Jewish raction to the publication of these attacks on their religions?
The article doesn’t provide an answer.
Posted by chauvelin01 on 2006 02 07 at 05:14 PM • permalink
- #60, drbob:
Another excellent argument for publishing the pics. Would be hard for the Mad Mozzies to gang up on everyone.
Tim Blair did absolutely the right thing and it’s a shame most of the media is too chicken-shit to follow (note that Blair is not The Bulletin Chief Editor, but he has obviously taken a personal stand on this).
What’s the point of even reporting the story without the pictures? If the story is newsworthy then so are the accompanying pictures. It’s not like they show beheadings or stonings. They should have been more honest and simply blacked out the story entirely.
And what about this “waiting for a reaction”??? What? Are these (media) pricks hoping for some action?
- Kevin Rudd an example for us all:
“Kevin Rudd took a harder line yesterday, saying editors should not kowtow to anyone over the publication of the cartoons.
Mr Rudd said Australia was a free country and should not be stood over by any group, including militant Islamists.”
http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story/0,20281,18066738-5001028,00.html
- #80 – yes! kevin rudd should post them on the ALP website immediately!Posted by Lucky Nutsacks on 2006 02 07 at 10:35 PM • permalink
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