Both a French and a German newspaper have reprinted the series of 12 Danish newspaper cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad PBUH, that have sparked huge protests in the Muslim world.
The France Soir daily said it had published the cartoons in the name of freedom of expression and to fight religious intolerance.
Under a headline “Yes, we have the right to caricature God”, the paper ran a front page cartoon with Buddha, the Christian and Jewish Gods and Prophet Muhammad sitting on a cloud above Earth, with the Christian God saying: “Don’t complain Muhammad, we’ve all been caricatured here.”
The German Welt daily put one of the drawings on its front page on Wednesday, saying the picture was “harmless” and regretting that the Danish Jyllands-Posten daily had apologised for causing offense.
“There is no right to protection from satire in the West; there is a right to blasphemy”, says Serge Faubert, France Soir editor.
Well it seems everyone is jumping on this bandwagon, and then saying that they did it in the name of “Freedom of Expression”!!
In fact this French daily says it’s also doing it to fight religious intolerance. So, just to get this straight, they’re fighting religious intolerance by attacking another religion and its prophet!
What kind of tolerance is that?!
And do they think that publishing the caricatures with others of God and Christian and Jewish figures makes it better?
Of course it doesn’t. In Islam we believe in God and all his prophets, and we find it unacceptable to portray any of them in such tasteless manners.
And as for Buddha, it’s unacceptable too because we should respect our brother buddhist’s religion as well.
Anyway, I’ll go on with their claims, and I’ll try to convince myself that it’s all in the name of “Freedom of Expression”, although I personally believe that any person’s freedom ends where the next person’s freedom begins, but let’s try to get over that.
But, based on that, aren’t we also entitled to this same freedom of expression?
Isn’t it normal for us too to express ourselves and say that we’re unhappy about these cartoons and act upon it in peaceful ways like demonstration or boycott?
Or is this so-called freedom available to some and not to others?!!
Why are there always double standards when it comes to dealing with Arabs and Muslims?!!
Related Links:
– The Black Iris
– Al Jazeera
– BBC News