By Andrew L. Jaffee

The Arab world has reacted with violence to a Danish newspaper’s publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed. This rampage most of all makes me sad for the current state of Arab society. Except for Lebanon and Iraq, many Arabs have never enjoyed, nor understood, the hallowed values of democracy — in this case, freedom of expression. Only until all Arab nations and all peoples living under tyranny embrace democracy will there be peace in our time.

According to the BBC:

Syrians have set fire to the Norwegian and Danish embassies in Damascus to protest at the publication of newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

Protesters stormed the Danish site amid chants of “God is great”, before moving on to attack the Norwegian mission.

Police fired tear gas to try to disperse crowds at the second site, but protesters broke in and set it ablaze.

The cartoons have sparked Muslim outrage across the world, following their publication in a Danish paper.

One depicts Muhammad as a terrorist. Any images of the Prophet are banned under Islamic tradition.

However, several European papers reprinted the cartoons, citing free speech.

The publications have prompted diplomatic sanctions, boycotts and death threats in some Arab nations.

Suppressing free speech is an atrocity. Burning an embassy of a country because the nation it represents has a free press is a ludicrous, double atrocity. But the apologists for the Arab/Muslim world — those who worry about “cultural sensitivities” above all else — are surely gearing up to excuse the “outrage” expressed because of newspaper cartoons. There has been no similar fury over Iraq’s Muslim terrorists killing approximately 30,000 other Muslims. And yet, we have seething masses because of a cartoon.

Am I missing something, or am I the only one who is disturbed by “culturally sensitive” rationalizations for Islamist terrorists, who always invoke the “God is great” mantra just before committing unspeakable atrocities? My concern is heightening because even the U.S. State Department has now sided with the angry hoards. As my co-author here at netWMD pointed out yesterday, quoting a State Department spokesperson:

“‘Anti-Muslim images are as unacceptable as anti-Semitic images, as anti-Christian images or any other religious belief,’” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.”

Yeah, but, when anti-war protestors on our own soil hold up placards that compare Israel to Nazi Germany, you don’t hear such qualms about the sensibilities of Jews.

As an expression of humility and even-handedness, my co-author has posted an image which would be considered sacrilegious by some (Andres Serrano’s Piss Christ). Would the apologists even notice what is happening here at little ol’ netWMD? It is called “free speech.”

When Kamau Kambon, visiting professor at North Carolina State University, called for the extermination of all white people on the planet, it didn’t even make the mainstream media’s headlines.

The bottom line is that the apologists are not really “culturally sensitive.” They are so afraid of Muslim terrorism that they would placate rather than face al-Qaeda et al head-on. Gone and already forgotten is Neville Chamberlain signing a worthless piece of paper (”peace treaty”) with Hitler, and publicly proclaiming “peace in our time.” A few years later, Brits were hiding in basements or subway tunnels from the German blitzkrieg.

Of course, there is some self-reproach mixed in with the fear. Since the apologists feel guilty about living their comfortable lives, and cannot stand to bear the sight of the poor, they lash out in all sorts of strange ways at the society in which they live so comfortably.

A truly evolved person would not make excuses for terrorism and the silencing of free expression. He or she would see the Arab world for the mess that it is: a group of peoples forcibly frozen (backwards) in time by a few petty thugs like Saddam or Syria’s Assad.

It is the better person/society that can sit at ease as symbols are burned or defamed. It is the primitive person/society that lashes out with anger in such situations.

Those who are burning embassies or killing civilians in terrorist acts have no true convictions. Their thinking is dominated by fear and anger, the basest of emotions. If they held firm beliefs, they wouldn’t give a hoot about what some newspaper published. If they truly believed in Mohammed’s teachings, with true faith, there wouldn’t have been a 9/11.

Only when Arabs/Muslims take responsibility for their own personal actions and learn to govern themselves through courts, a free press, and elected legislatures, will they know peace in their own nations. Then the whole world will be able to rest easier.

Special Report: Danish Cartoons

---

---

Related: War Against Islamo-fascism, Political Correctness

---