BLASPHEMOUS CARTOONS

In addition to Lafif Lakhdar in Tunis (see Sheikhs of Death ), there are folks in Denmark who also refuse to be intimidated by Moslem fanatics. The Copenhagen newspaper Jyllands-Posten, for example, which recently ran a story about a Danish author writing a book about Mohammed.

In response to the author’s complaint in the story that nobody dared to illustrate the book – for fear of angering Moslems as it’s supposedly sacrilegious to depict their prophet – 12 illustrators sent in cartoons which the newspaper promptly published.

Immigrant Moslems promptly declared they were outraged. “Imam” Raed Hlayhel thundered to his followers in a sermon at his mosque in Arhus, “This type of democracy is worthless for Moslems. Moslems will never accept this kind of humiliation. These blasphemous pictures have insulted every Moslem in the world. We demand an apology!”

Flemming Rose, Jyllands-Posten’s cultural editor, riposted with the Danish equivalent of thank-you-for-sharing. “It was not our intention to provoke Moslems (by publishing the cartoons). It was simply a reaction to the rising number of situations where artists and writers censured themselves out of fear of radical Islamists,” he said.

“In a democracy one must from time to time accept criticism or becoming a laughingstock,” added Mr. Rose. “One would think Imam Hlayhel understands this, ever since he became a laughingstock last year when he announced in a sermon that the behavior and dress of Danish women invited rape.”

Islam is the world’s most humorless religion. It takes an admirable courage to poke fun at it. Most of the 12 cartoons were pedestrian. There was one that was good. Here it is – it may be the first time you’ve seen a drawing of Mohammed, but hopefully it won’t be the last: