February 1, 2006: Islam and Cartoon Physics
by Laura Mansfield <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Those who have appointed themselves as protectors of the "good name" of Islam have gone too far once again with the outcry over the cartoons published in the Danish newspaper. But all of the uproar is bringing even more attention to a series of cartoons that would have probably quickly been forgotten had they just been ignored. It appears that they are getting ready to once again learn one of the most critical laws of "Cartoon Physics": for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. In this case, the action is the widespread outcry over the cartoons that some claim defame Islam. The ensuing reaction on the part of the West will be interesting to watch. The protesters have managed to accomplish the same thing with this that they did when the Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the death of author Salman Rushdie or insulting Islam in his book Satanic Verses. Millions of people who would never have even thought about buying and reading the book were compelled to go out and buy it, catapulting it onto the best seller lists. The cartoons, published first in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, have sparked protests and boycotts of Danish products throughout the Islamic world. But honestly, what's the big deal here? We've seen cartoons throughout the Muslim world demeaning everyone from Jesus Christ to world leaders such as George W. Bush and Tony Blair, but the western world barely notices. We get insulted and then get over it. After all, freedom of the press is something we value highly in the west. But in most of the Arab world, where the masses are used to being spoon fed Pablum pre-approved by government censors, I suppose we shouldn't expect more. I would suggest that perhaps those who are interested in protecting the "good name" of Islam consider going to the source of the problem: the terrorists who are committing atrocities in the name of their religion. But it appears that today's Islamic leaders would rather call for a death sentence on cartoonists and writers, instead of calling for an end to the violence and terrorism by the likes of Bin Laden and company. I guess that would be too much to ask. By the way, if you're interested in seeing the cartoons, you can access them through the link on the front page at http://www.lauramansfield.com/j/default.asp . Please note that the cartoons are the property of the copyright holder, Jyllands-Posten, and if you wish to copy or reuse these cartoons, you must first request their permission. -------------------------------------- For more translations and news on terrorism, visit http://www.lauramansfield.com or visit our forum at http://www.lauramansfield.com/forum/ Strategic Translations is a service provided by Laura Mansfield through http://www.lauramansfield.com You may email Laura at [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
