Cartoonland

"Sixty years of Western nations excusing and accommodating the lack of freedom in the Middle East did nothing to make us safe, because in the long run, stability cannot be purchased at the expense of liberty. As long as the Middle East remains a place where freedom does not flourish, it will remain a place for stagnation, resentment and violence for export." --George Bush Nov. 6, 2003

It seems 12 Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammed first published 4 months ago have caused quite a stir around the world. I can't help but feel a slight tinge of schadenfreude when I see that it's Europe in the crosshairs for offensive behavior toward the Islamic world rather than the Great Satan for once. The United States has endured endless lectures, finger wagging, and much looking-down-the-nose from our European betters concerning the way we've dealt with the Islamic world over the past 5 years. On the face of it, this current controversy may seem as though it were about free speech; the cornerstone of western civilization. But if one were to give it a little more thought, I think that one would see that these cartoons say more about the arrogance of a continent that sees religious faith as a mark of unsophistication rather than a brave statement about free speech. Although Amir Taheri argues differently here, it's widely accepted that the depiction of the Prophet Muhammed in any way is forbidden in Islam because it may lead to Idolatry.
Many people in this world take their faith quite seriously, and to intentionally offend any faith is callous and irresponsible. A lack of women's rights, the barbarism of Bin Laden and Zarqawi, the Iranian mullahs, or any aspect of perpetual dysfunction that is "Palestine" are all serious Islamic subjects that need to be discussed and could have been addressed. Instead, they rather naively went straight for the faith jugular. You want to court controversy? Here's a triple scoop!
None of this is to excuse the rabid reaction across the Islamic world. Many Christians surely find Serrano's "Piss Christ" depicting a crucifix suspended in a container of urine, and the exhibition a few years ago at the Brooklyn Museum of Art in which a portrait of the Virgin Mary was displayed festooned with pornography and elephant dung quite tasteless, but death threats against the artists and massive rioting in the streets did not follow. If I had to make a comparison, I would say the Islamic attitude toward the rest of the world is a lot like the schoolyard bully who starts by demanding your lunch money and doesn't stop demanding things until you are standing naked and defenseless--then he makes you carry his book bag home before he slaps you around one last time and locks you in the basement for good measure. In short, If it weren't some pretty mild cartoons that were the offense, it would be something else. Islam, it seems, stands ready to be offended at the slightest provocation.

"We want blood on the streets of England," said Muslim protestors in London, though no British newspaper has yet published the offending cartoons. (here's some nice pictures from London)
Saudi Arabia promoted the controversy to distract attention from the trampling deaths of 345 pilgrims in Mecca Jan. 12th, said "The Religious Policeman," a Saudi Web logger. The deaths attracted little attention in the West, but were big news in the Arab world.
Most of the anti-Western violence has taken place in Syria and Lebanon, where the Danish and Norwegian embassies were burned down.
Syria is a dictatorship. A mob could not have burned the building where the Danish and Norwegian embassies were located without the tacit permission, if not the encouragement, of the regime.
Syria also retains considerable influence in Beirut, where the rioting was not spontaneous. Syria would love to distract attention from the UN probe into the assassination of Lebanese politician Rafik Hariri, in which Syria is implicated.

Iran is going to sponsor a Holocast cartoon contest in retaliation--as if anti-semitic cartoons were not already the norm around the Middle East. It speaks of the Islamic world's deep pathological dysfunction that they have to resort to Jew-bashing in protest of secular Denmark.

I'm with Ralph Peters on this one:
For once, we Americans can sit back and watch the fight (pass the popcorn, please). The Europeans are going to get a few more teeth knocked out. As for the Islamist bigots intent on destroying what's left of their own decayed societies, they'll lose at least a few of their European apologists — the sort who make excuses for terrorists, as long as they only kill Americans (or Muslims).

Europe may be forced to give up on the touchy-feely multicultural delusion that has taken root since the end of the Cold War when they realize appeasement is really a symptom of powerlessness. If so, I fear a very sharp nationalistic backlash may be in the works. If that happens, European Muslims will come to rue the day they chose not to assimilate in their host countries; and realize that there are serious consequences for their entire community when they allow a few among them to spew hate-filled rhetoric.

P.S. Here's a fascinating piece about Shame and the Arab Psyche and Islam