Some points I feel are worth mentioning in this debacle:
I remember when the images were first printed last year. That sparked protest from norwegian and danish muslims, but no violence. So why the outrage when a small christian magazine reprints them?
Part of the explanation may indeed be the tour of the Islamic Society of Denmark, which many right wing blogs have blamed. They did bring cartoons, including three that were not printed in Jyllandsposten, and which were a lot more offensive.
The ISD members say these pictures were sent anonymously to danish muslims. The right-wing blogs (which I won't link to, you know of whom I speak) try to cast doubt on this, by adding that the ISD refused to disclose the identity of the recievers. It was dishonest to give the impression that these were printed in the newspaper, and these clerics have a lot to answer for, but the idea that the danish muslims made these images themselves I find ridiculous. They may try to raise passions and incite violence and boycotts, but they would not deliberately blaspheme against themselves. Even if they wanted to, it would be hard for them to make that kind of caricatures.
No, most likely the clerics are telling the truth when they say danish muslims recieved these anonymously, and since they probably came from the sort of violent ultranationalist we have a couple of in scandinavia, it's understandable that they want to stay anonymous. Selbekk isn't the only one to recieve death threats, muslim leaders recieve them too, from right-wingers, neonazis and "clash of civilisation"-believers.
That one of the images was a photocopied version of an image from some sort of pig-snorting contest, does not change this. I think it more likely that some racist grabbed it from the net and sent it to a muslim, than that they took it themselves, which the right-wing blogs seem to think.
The muslims in Denmark probably feel that they are under attack, and they are not entirely unjustified in that belief either. Even here in Norway we have had many laws enacted to harass muslims - I know, because my wife is catholic, and most of these laws have the side effect of greatly inconveniencing other minority churches with lots of immigrants - and Denmark is a lot more anti-immigrant than us. (Sweden once again seems the land of sanity up here).
The response of american newspapers have been interesting. AFAIK none have reprinted the images. Some speculate that because religion has a bigger place in the USA, and that there is therefore more understanding that people can take offense at blasphemy.
It seems to me like many US commentators (and blogs) underestimate anti-islamism in Europe. Prominent muslims do recieve death threats, and laws are enacted to harass them, like anti-scarf laws, laws to hinder marriage with foreigners etc. Both Denmark and Norway have privileged state religions, as well as large anti-immigrant parties and small groups of neo-nazis and the like.
Oh, and those bloggers who think that I (or others on the left) justify embassy-burnings and so on, I refer you to this campaign by SOS Rasisme (If you can't read norwegian, too bad, drop me a mail at vintermann on gmail and I'll translate). This is interesting because the anti-racism organisation SOS Rasisme is run by people from the far, far left. If these people can make so sensible statements, just how far left do you have to go to find people who ACTUALLY justify embassy burnings?*
I'm just glad those danish clerics went on tour with cartoons and hate mail, and not with images from the Srebrenica massacre or something.
* Oh, an ironic apropos. A certain large US blogger wrote:"When it comes to speaking and writing on unpleasant matters, I learned a long time ago to stop apologizing. It is a waste of my breath, time, and energy to precede every political discussion with "I'm not saying all [X] are [Y]." Or: "Of course, I don't hate all [Z] and please don't misunderstand me, blah, blah, blah.". If she applied that standard to others as well, perhaps she would see that there aren't so many "leftists" who support embassy-burnings after all.
Posted by vintermann at February 9, 2006 09:50 AM