Sensibility and hooliganism

The row is raging on relentlessly. It started on 30 September 2005 with the publishing of cartoons of amongst others, the prophet Mohammed in Jyllands-Posten. In the editor's own words, "The reporter's original concept was to investigate to what extent self-censorship exists in Denmark. Starting out with Kaare Bluitgen's children's book about Mohammed, to which apparently no illustrator dared openly contribute. There were other, similar, examples. That was how we started out. The idea was to write to 40 illustrators and ask if they would draw Mohammed for publication in Jyllands-Posten."

So the sense if not the sensibility of this project appears to be quite a valid one from a journalistic-academic point of view. However, that is not how Muslims across the world perceived the publishing and consequent republishing of these cartoons. In fact, a good deal - or is that a bad deal - of hell has since broken loose and the end is not in sight yet.

On Thursday, according to USA Today, more European newspapers, including Switzerland's Le Temps and Tribune de Geneve, published cartoons. Given the current outrage and row one stands aghast at such persistent schoolboy tactics from supposedly mature individuals and institutions. One would have thought that Europe has seen enough hatred and suffering over the ages to know when enough is enough. To continue taunting Muslims just because the press has the freedom, is tantamount to precipitating violence and then standing back with a smirk, pointing fingers. Such actions remind strongly and repugnantly of schoolyard tactics by some immature schoolboys, on a testosterone rush, taunting and teasing until havoc erupts.

The reaction from Muslims ranges from indignation through economic boycotts to naked violence. Raymond Lakah, an Egyptian magnate and owner of France Soir, fired managing editor Jacques Lefranc for republishing the cartoons. To which France Soir replied: "The best way to fight censorship is not to let it happen." French daily Liberation said: "Liberation defends the freedom of expression."

Right. At what price?

France has 5 million Muslims. These Muslims have different sensitivities from Christians. It is the apostle Paul who wrote that even though no food is regarded unclean to a Christian, it is out of respect for a guest that one shall refrain from exercising that freedom if, in doing so, one would offend the guest. If someone in one's community is not of one's own culture that person is a guest. In the modern world, with information technology at our finger tips, we have many guests around the world every minute of the day. We should know when to show respect at the price of some freedom. Self-censorship could be a wise decision, if not a macho one.

De Standaard Peter Vandermeersch, the Editor-in-Chief, put it this way: "Two values are in conflict here. One is respect for religion and the other is freedom of speech."

David Dadge of the International Press Institute in Vienna: "Newspapers have a right to express opinions. People also have a right to be offended."

It is for the individual to make a choice for sensibility against literary hooliganism, which brings us to the next point - naked, reactionary hooliganism.

According to MS NBC "Denmark has temporarily withdrawn its ambassadors from Syria, Iran and Indonesia because their safety was at risk. The Muslim leaders deny responsibility for fueling the flames and repeatedly have denounced the violence. "

Aljazeera reports that "up to 300 Indonesian Muslims went on a rampage in the lobby of a building housing the Danish embassy in Jakarta on Friday. Shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest), they smashed lamps with bamboo sticks, threw chairs, lobbed rotten eggs and tomatoes and tore up a Danish flag. No one was hurt."

Aljazeera continues: "Yuri Thamrin, the Indonesian foreign ministry spokesman: 'It involves the whole Islamic world vis-a-vis Denmark and vis-a-vis the trend of Islamophobia'. European newspapers and officials defended the publication of the cartoons as an expression of media freedom.

[...] The editor of a Norwegian magazine that reprinted the Danish cartoons said he had received 25 death threats and thousands of hate messages. "

According to BBC News, 10 died in unrest over the cartoons in Libya.

The above examples of violent or threats smack of hooliganism. No matter how insulted one feels, to react with such primitive clan mentality is again tantamount to schoolyard tactics. The whole affair smacks of schoolboy gang mentality on both sides. Even though indignation from Muslims is completely understandable, violent reaction is not acceptable in a civilised world.

BBC News sampled opinions from the Arab world that can be summarised as follows: Nobody has the right to insult religious sensitivities in the name of freedom of speech. The publishing of the cartoons was a premeditated action against Islam. The publishing of the cartoons is no different from prevailing attitudes towards Islam in Western streets elsewhere. There are double standards when it comes to anti-semitism and anti-islamatism.

How do we climb out of this one? By putting our rights and pride in our pocket, our anger in the fridge and reach a hand of peace and apology to our brother on the other side of the river.