Real Politik

The 1st Amendment has been on my mind a lot lately, especially after those Danish cartoons of Mohamed appeared to cause riots world wide. I was proud of the European countries who stood up with the Danes and disappointed with those who didn't. The American response confused me because I can understand the thought process of the heads of the papers but not really stomach the actions. No major paper ran the cartoons; this was done in order not to offend any Muslims and inflame the situation.
While this may seem like a good decision as it respects the value of human life - it appears to me to instead strike a major blow to the 1st Amendment and bow into the pressures of a increasingly unstable religious group.

We take our freedoms for granted, but what will the cost be to defend them?

I am not a Muslim. I am not a follower of Allah nor have I read the Koran. I do not adhere to the tenets of whabism and furthermore I never intend to.

Why then do the commandments of one religion have to adhere to me? If that applies to me then it applies to the world.

The cartoons drew heat because one of them depicted a picture of Mohamed with a bomb in his turban. According to the Muslim faith, replication of the likeness of Mohamed is strictly forbidden.

Muslims were then incensed by the stereotypical portrayal of their prophet. Then, in true stereotypical fashion - they rioted. Almost right on cue.

They burned flags, they kidnapped people, stormed embassies and basically proved every stereotype true.

So whats the problem with the cartoon? In the US and abroad editorials abounded about how insensitive those cartoons were, how offensive they were to Muslims all over the world. Yet, no one mentioned how the Danes were "offended" by the destruction of their embassies or how "insensitive" it was for rioters to destroy Danish business.

In response to this violence the editors of the major European papers that printed them were fired, including the editors of the paper in Denmark. In fact, two Saudi newspaper editors who ran the cartoons were jailed and given death sentences by their government.

So then, this raises the question - what next?

Will our women have to wear veils in public?

This isn't a far fetched question. If we can fail so miserably on this first international battle of principles then what follows can only be bigger and more incredulous.

What happens next?

---------------The Cartoons In Question--------------

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/Loganbrouse/Mohammed-drawings-newspaper1.jpg