So, what happens if you’re a Danish Muslim cartoonist?

I’m honestly quite surprised and confused at all the firebombs and protests in response the printing of cartoons of the prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper. What disturbs me most is not the cartoons themselves (I’ve heard some pretty good Jesus jokes—there’s nothing mutually exclusive between religious belief and a sense of humour), or even that they have sparked controversy, but the direction of the reaction.

It’s pretty clear that there are some countries, some of them located in the Middle East, that aren’t big on freedom of the press. State-controlled media and propaganda is nothing new in countries run by religious leaders (one might even put our southern neighbours in that category). So it is understandable that they might be shocked that a newspaper could be so controversial with its opinions. The irony is that the cartoons were drawn to accompany an article about free speech.

What confuses me is the demand by protesters from these countries that the Danish (and European) governments take responsibility for what has occurred. Can you imagine if Stephen Harper had to make a formal apology on behalf of the Toronto Star? It just seems unfathomable. Burning the embassies of European countries is a frightening response because it shows that those doing the burning can’t seem to understand that the opinions of one editorial cartoonist (with the approval of the paper’s editors and publishers) does not necessarily stand for those of an entire nation (or continent)!

Of course, one wouldn’t expect people who are extreme in their beliefs to be able to differentiate between the actions of one individual and the collective attitude of a nation. This is how wars start: when a group of people all get painted with the same brush. While it is important to respect the beliefs of others, and in this case the newspaper should be quite conciliatory towards its offended Muslim readers (a newspaper can only be responsible to its readers—the assumption is that all of a sudden the paper is being read by all those angry, fire-bombing protesters), the governments that have now been forced to be involved must be strong in their support for freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

I guess it is too much to ask for a calm, rational, sit-down conversation, but someone needs to say to whoever is in charge in the countries where these protests are taking place that in Europe, at least, it is not required that all people hold the same beliefs. Those Middle Eastern governments (Lebanon, Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Somalia, India, Indonesia, Israel and New Zealand—more on that in a minute) need to tell their people to calm the fuck down. Newspapers enjoy an autonomy necessary to preserve the freedom of the press, but governments must be responsible for the actions of their people, especially when it comes to destroying embassies on their soil.

I suppose the argument could be made that the cartoons constituted a similar tearing down of a symbol of a people, but have we not yet gone beyond all that “eye for an eye” stuff? I guess not.

And New Zealand? The Dominion Post and The Press of Christchurch published the offending cartoons in the name of freedom of the press. That sparked protests from NZ’s Muslim population. Muslim leaders are urging calm. Well, good, I guess. I'm a little surprised, though. Will Canada be next? The National Post, quick to be extreme, has printed a bunch of anti-Semetic cartoons originally published in Arabic papers, just to prove a point. Is it ok to disseminate that sort of thing, just to prove a point?

Is it Islamophobic of me to say that these people are being sensitive? I mean, just because I don’t believe so strongly in Jesus as to go burn buildings in his name (do I believe in anything strongly enough to burn a building?), doesn’t mean others might not be. But who blinks first? When does tolerance betray your own beliefs? Can someone’s beliefs be just plain wrong?

When these sorts of religious fracas occur, I can only think: what would Jesus do? Seriously. What I mean is, all this violence is in the name of gods or prophets who supposedly preach love and peace; the killing is in the name of belief systems that are supposed to bring us to a better place, later, where we all get along, where there is no sadness, fighting, war. How can so many people be missing the point?

Peace and Love, man, Peace and Love.