Danish Cartoons

I understand why the Muslim world hates Denmark. When I look in the newspaper, I find that journalists around the world did NOT do a good job investigating reliable sources of information, or explaining the situation properly. It is very complex and at the same time so very simple. Please read this if you want to try to understand what is going on in Denmark. I am terribly sorry about the situation, and I wish we could learn to understand each other better. I do not expect Muslims to understand Danish culture, but I ask you to try. I know it is not easy. 

Please try to understand that freedom of speech, in this matter, is not used as an excuse to spread hatred. I am amazed to see newspaper expressing this point of view. The law about freedom of speech is made to prevent war and hatred, by allowing information to flow freely. Danes believe that all persons living in Denmark should be able to ask critical questions regarding all subjects, in order to improve understanding and adapt to changes in society. 

The Danish newspaper, Jyllandsposten, never intended to express hatred towards Muslims. It is true that many Danes are afraid of Muslims, because of some of the noticeable cultural differences, but that does not mean they feel hate. The article expresses concern about the fact that many Danish artists were too afraid of treating the subject of Islam, in the same manner as they treat any other subject in the Danish society. 

It is deeply rooted in the Danish mentality that it is healthy to talk, debate, laugh, listen and criticise everything we see, that we do not understand. We believe this is the best way to reach an understanding. We criticize our parents, our teachers, our prime minister, all of our politicians, the royal family, our friends, our husband, our wives, our children, the government, the school system. In short: Everyone and everything. Yet, we still respect them and they respect us back. Furthermore, there are no controversial questions, not even if it involves sensitive subjects, such as how much money our queen earns. It is a common belief in this society that it would not make sense to prevent people from having their own opinion, so please do not think we are trying to do that. When it comes to showing respect, an essential point is that those who have a traditional Danish upbringing do show their respect differently from other cultures. The respect is present, but it might not be visible for those who have a limited insight in the Danish culture. 

The article in Jyllandsposten said that Danes should not put self-censorship upon themselves because of fear of the unknown. I believe the point the journalist was trying to put forward, was that Danes should not be reluctant to address the problem of fear. In order to feel comfortable we need to understand each other. The intention of publishing the article was not, in any way, to express hatred. The article did not criticize Muslims, and, as I understand it, the article expressed the point of view that Danes were becoming a victim of their own fear. I believe the newspaper did not foresee that so many Muslims would feel so strongly about the drawings, before printing the paper. The reason is that most Danes have not read the Koran. Furthermore, most Muslims in Denmark consider their religion a private matter. They do not talk publicly about it, or the strong reactions that might follow from certain initiatives, such as the drawings. What I find important in this debate is that the text in the article did not show disrespect towards Muslims 

No one talks about the text in the article, and I do not understand this at all. The ridiculous cartoons which many of us find very childish and ignorant, are what has become representative for Denmark. The Muslims we meet at work, or at the university, are happy in our culture and they do not feel hate. They do not feel the need to tell us about the rules of the Koran and we do not feel the need to tell them about the Ten Commandments. Those who are not integrated in the society do not meet Danes on a regular basis. Many can not speak Danish and if they do not work or educate themselves, they might not meet responsible adults who can show them, that they are indeed respected in this society, regardless of their religion. Many young Muslims in Denmark draw attention to them selves by acts of crime, but if they are frowned upon it is not because of the colour of their skin or their religion. It is because they simple do not respect the law. Danes who do not respect the law are also frowned upon, and may also find it difficult to feel accepted. 

Danes read the article and do not find it disrespectful. Why? Because this is how Danes normally treat each other. It is possible that some Danes, at the time, found that some of the drawings were amusing, because the cartoonists were making jokes about themselves, and their own ignorance towards the rest of the world. Danes call it self irony when they make themselves look stupid with the purpose of creating a lighter atmosphere. We do this because it is supposed to make people laugh at you, and not get offended by the words you say. One of the drawings had a text which said something along the lines: "Do not pay attention to this. When it comes down to it, this is just a drawing made by a doubting farmer from Jutland." You cannot translate a text word by word and expect to get the same meaning out of it, because the same words have different meanings in different cultures. I have seen very bad translations due to this fact. You should know that Danes from Copenhagen always make Danes from Jutland look very stupid and ignorant. While those from Jutland say that Danes from Copenhagen are superficial and arrogant. We make jokes about ourselves as well as our friends. It is only jokes, and we tell them when we feel comfortable, or try to feel comfortable, in a given situation. It is a way of breaking the ice and often a reassurance of the fact that, the relationship or the bond is strong. It does take a while for foreigners to understand this, and evidently misunderstandings frequently occur due to this cultural trait. 

However, the commotion about Jyllandsposten is the worst misunderstanding I have ever seen in my life. I hope you realize that Danes are not racists or against any religion at all. Otherwise I would not be able to write this. Please do not listen solely to the bad things that lead to hatred and intolerance, but also try to listen to the good things Danes say about Muslims and other cultures. You should know that in Denmark the law gives you the right to have any religion you like, to speak of whatever you like (as long as your intention is not to encourage violent acts), to educate yourself, free of charge and to go to the hospital for free. This includes all nationalities living in Denmark. Faith is something that comes from inside, and we believe no one will be able to take it away from you. That is the reason why the Danish law accepts different religions in a society build upon Christian values. To us, belief is personal matter, and that is why the law assures you the right to keep your faith. Thank you very much for your time. 

J�rgensen
Denmark

Hi visitor, wellcome to the forum

you said Danes read the article and do not find it disrespectful,and then you ask why? let me tell you why, because majority of Danes are not muslim OK.    Now answer this question,if you really bellieve in free press, why do you  think the same newspaper refused to publish catoons about jesus(paece be upon him) few years ago?

By the way, in islam, it is not permisable to drow eny of the other prophets including jesus(pbh)

They say your average news paper readers memory of articles is aprox 13 weeks.  If there hadent been any protests is it at all possible that these pictures would have been forgotton about or atleast shugged at then filed away?  It looks like they were only reprinted because of all the noise that they generated... people like to know whats going on.   Say the whole point of the news article and pictures was to open up the "fear" debate and gain an understanding?  Lets assume knowledge can be gained by discussion.   The very actions of the protesting muslims has only increased the fear against them in my opinion.. and possible hatred.   Basically they have done themselves no favours what so ever.