Religious satire and Islam

Poor old Denmark.

Well known for its pacifism and incredibly good looking chicks, this small and peaceful European nation is now even more vilified than that most evil of nations, the Great Satan, the USA.

But I can’t help but wonder why the radicals reacted as they did.

After all, if they had just shut up, most people would never have been aware of the Prophet Muhammad cartoons in the first place.

But they couldn’t keep their mouths shut. And by generating a media frenzy over the whole thing, they only served to fan the flames of a well lit fire.

The fact that the self-censoring politically correct mainstream media bottled the issue – the CNN, BBC, and supposedly free British press all chose not to show the cartoons – didn’t matter a jot. Because bloggers of all political persuasions and from across the entire globe soon posted the cartoons on their blogs, or at least provided a link. The pictures also spread rapidly by email of course as people - including many Muslims - forwarded them onto their mates to see.

So what the heck was Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono doing on Saturday when he gave a speech attacking the cartoons? Wasn’t he merely encouraging curious Indonesians to seek out the pictures for themselves?

As for the Danish cartoonists, they must have mixed feelings at the moment I guess. On the one hand they stand to become incredibly rich having drawn some of the most criticized and talked about cartoons ever, but on the other hand, they must obviously fear for their lives.

Oh hum…

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