The War Room

CARTOONS, VIOLENCE AND TERROR

Sadly, more violence is erupting over those cartoons that so many are engaged and enraged about. As reported by apnews;

"Police killed four people Wednesday as Afghans enraged over drawings of the Prophet Muhammad marched on a U.S. military base in a volatile southern province, directing their anger not against Europe but America.

The U.S. base was targeted because the United States "is the leader of Europe and the leading infidel in the world," said Sher Mohammed, a 40-year-old farmer who suffered a gunshot wound while taking part in the demonstration in the city of Qalat."

A few things must be said.

First off, regardless of whether or not one is for or against the war in Iraq (and I do think it is acceptable to be opposed so long as the opposition comes from a rational place), I cannot see how many of those opposed can think that all of the issues concerning the fundamentalist elements in Isalm in the world at present are just about 'America's dependence on oil'. This is a serious topic, but there are issues with fundamentalist strains in Islam that Western society more and more seems to not want to deal with. I do not mean the governments. I mean the average people. The appeasers. It's not a topic one is supposed to bring up in polite conversation.

Obviously, this is not the behaviour of a majority of followers of Islam. But this is also not just a few. It is a genuine strain that has many followers. They are not all just poor and oppressed.

As for the cartoons themselves; I have seen them. Are they offensive? Yes. Do they justify the extreme violence of the reaction. No. They are no more offensive than pieces of celebrated liberal art such as 'Piss Christ' or the 'Virgin Mary covered in cow dung'. The DaVinci Code is easily as offensive to Christians. But alas, Christians are used to being mocked in mainstream culture and liberals are used to mocking them. That does not make the offending cartoons right; they are not. But the reaction has been astounding.

The hypocrisy of those that are making apologies for the reaction by extremists again baffles me.

One cannot equivocate a few 'nuts' threatening Martin Scorsese over The Last Temptation of Christ, with the attacking of an embassy and the mass violent protests around the world.

I have not written much yet at all on the war in Iraq because ultimately I do believe that the truth about it and the worth of The War on Terror will not be known for generations. I have studied the arguments and think it is a very complex issue that many on both sides are generalizing about. Certainly not all Muslims in the Arab world should be tarnished with racist labels and be suspected of being terrorists.

Nevertheless, the more I read, the more compelled I am to believe that this really is more complex than the recurring chants of "It's only about oil."

The reaction to these cartoons, and the fact that so many governments feel the need to go out of their way to seek approval from followers of Islam, does give one pause for thought.

I will address this issue in larger detail in the near future.

posted by Nicol DuMoulin @ 9:49 AM