Danish drawings

As a westerner, although non-christian, I am trying to understand the violent reaction of the Islamic world to the drawings of their prophet.  I have grown up understanding that FREEDOM OF SPEECH has just about no limits.  If we set a limit everytime someone was offended, we soon would have many thoughts and ideas that we could not express.

Are we to change our beliefs now that one offended group has become violent? 

I am worried that Islam and the West are on course for major conflict but do not believe we should change our values because of violence or threats of more violence.

Back from break.

Dear Shams Zaman, None of your questions where offending. I find them quite valid. They did explain your views and concerns to me in a very clear way. I'd wish I was able to formulate meself so well.

Please visit this site. They make a statement in Arabic, English and Danish. I happily signed this one.

http://www.anotherdenmark.org

As for violent demonstrations, or criminal activity I don't view these as representatives, of any people that I have any wish to pay attention to. I don't think we have any reason to discuss this here.

I read the other thread started by J�rgensen.

I don't want to post there because of Syedtoronto's highly offensive post on "filthy Danes". I hope moderator will be doing something about that utter nonsense.

J�rgensen's and my views differ. J�rgensen accurately describes Danish conditions. Where we differ is that J�rgensen fails to draw any conclusions on what has happened. When former foreign minister, and former leader of the party now in charge of goverment says. We Danes now have to learn how to behave ourself in a global world. I agree with that. We have to learn, we cannot pretend as nothing has happened. We have to take the critisism to our hearts, and make changes.

Reading Shams Zaman's response to one of J�rgensens statements. I feel I have to make a comment.

"By publishing these cartoon and degrading a holy personality which questions were you seeking for and which kind of understanding was being promoted except for hate, anger, fury, bloodshed, damage to property, lose of lives and emotional injuries?? Is this all what should be promoted by the use of freedom of speech."

I would like to present the papers explaination on why they posted the drawings. This is in no way any excuse or whatever on my behalf.

The drawings should not have been published.

Here is what they say, I don't have the full details.

In connection with publishing a chidren book in Denmark, on Islam, it case to the newspapers attention that the publisher had problems finding a drawer for some illustration. So based on this they figured they would create their own drawings, and published them.

Further statements for the newspaper shows they have a fundamentalistic view on their freedom of press. But they have also said, they would never have published them, if they knew what would happen.

I can't follow their reasoning, or how they made their decision. But when saying "for hate, anger, fury, bloodshed, damage to property, lose of lives and emotional injuries?"

That is something I cannot imagine being the reason. What makes you think Jyllandposten had this intention?

Dear Wrangel!

I had to say this: By publishing these cartoon and degrading a holy personality which questions were you seeking for and which kind of understanding was being promoted except for hate, anger, fury, bloodshed, damage to property, lose of lives and emotional injuries?? Is this all what should be promoted by the use of freedom of speech because the editor (Mr. Rose) of the newspaper is a great fan of Mr. Daniel Pipes who is a great and famous critic of Islam and his cinycal articles are very frequently published in the US and Jewish press. (Jewish World Review is one frequent place). So the re-publishing of these cartoons were by design (although some may not agree with my piont of view).

Daniel Pipes exactly knew that there would be a violent reaction after the publishing of these cartoons but he failed the first time. Most of the Muslim ambessadors tried to met the Danish Prime Minister to express their concernes over these cartoons but the Prime minister refused to meet them. This propbably happened in Sep or Oct 2005.

Once the cartoons didn't got much attention in the Muslim world as the news didn't make any headlines, they were again published and this time the lobby which is working on the Huntington Theory was over joyed. Because they got more than what they had expected.

Today in Pakistan as well the ignorant peple fell to the plot of these conspirators and damaged the property by burning it down and two people died due to these clashes.

I can just hope and pray that US and EU should use their brains to deal with Iran in a responsible way other wise we are straight leading to the CLASH OF CIVILIZATIONS which seems down the road.

Shams Zaman