Michelle Malkin » Mohammed cartoon reprint: Show your solidarity

Mohammed cartoon reprint: Show your solidarity

By Michelle Malkin • February 13, 2008 09:07 AM

Two years ago, the Mohammed cartoon conflagration consumed the world and the blogosphere helped lead the way in fighting back. Longtime readers will remember that this site hammered the issue in support of Denmark. “Sammenhold,” you may recall, is the Danish word for solidarity. With the arrests this week of five jihadists accused of plotting to murder one of the Danish cartoonists, it’s time to demonstrate sammenhold again.

The reported target of the alleged plot was Kurt Westergaard, one of 12 cartoonists commissioned by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper to produce caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed two years ago.

Westergaard’s cartoon, which was reprinted by Jyllands-Posten today, was seen at the time as the most controversial, as it depicted the prophet with a bomb in his turban. “The security service has not wanted to run any risks and chose to act at a very early stage,” Jacob Scharf, Denmark’s police intelligence service chief, said. “Tonight’s operation has been a preventive measure.”

Police raided several addresses at 5am this morning, detaining five men – three Danish nationals and two foreigners. It is not clear whether the five have been charged, or whether they were being detained under counter-terrorism legislation. Early reports suggested that the two foreigners were likely to be deported from Denmark.

Carsten Juste, the editor-in-chief of Jyllands-Posten, said: “We are happy that the security services have acted.” He added that the newspaper had been aware of an alleged plot for some time and that Westergaard was in good spirits “under the circumstances”.

In a statement on the newspaper’s website, Westergaard said: “Of course I fear for my life after the Danish security and intelligence service informed me of the plans of certain people to kill me.

“However, I have turned fear into anger and indignation. It has made me angry that a perfectly normal everyday activity which I used to do by the thousand was abused to set off such madness.

“I have attended to my work and I still do. I could not possibly have known how long I would have to live under police protection; I think, however, that the impact of the insane response to my cartoon will last for the rest of my life. It is sad indeed, but it has become a fact of my life.”

Five newspapers reprinted Westergaard’s cartoon in a show of support:

Berlingske Tidende, was one of the newspapers involved in the republication by newspapers in Denmark. It said: “We are doing this to document what is at stake in this case, and to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper always will defend,” in comments reported by The Associated Press.

Newspapers in Spain, Sweden and the Netherlands also republished the drawing Wednesday as part of their coverage of Tuesday’s arrests.

As a show of solidarity and a reminder of how cowardly American media outlets refused to stand up when it counted, take a minute to reprint your favorite Mo cartoon or link back to the blogging you did on the cartoon rage two years ago.

Here’s the Mohammed Cartoon blogburst from Feb. 3, 2006. At least 192 blogs participated, including:

The Blog from the Core
Michelle Malkin
Face of Muhammad
Little Green Footballs
Barcepundit here and here
Slapstick Politics here and here
Wade’s Inn
JamulBlog
Sobekpundit’s photoshop
Southchild
Bastiat Says No
Scrappy O’Leary
Queer Conservative
FreeBornJohn
Willamette PI
Six Conservative Guys
Adventures of Prissy
Liberty Bell
Bbmoo’s relations
Joe Gringo
Little Red Soapbox
Combat medic in Iraq
Holstein Grove
Frog Blog
Noonz Wire
Samir K
Extreme Centre
Out of the Valley
DANEgerus
RJ Lippincott
Steve Janke II
Flagrant Harbour
My Side of the Couch
Don Singleton
Ed Morrissey
The Politburo Diktat
Transformed View
Thoughts of a regular guy
Kathy Shaidle
TJIC.com
Emily Zanotti
Andy MacDonald
Lifelike Pundits
Tales of a Wandering Mind
Church of Entropy
Two Babes and a Brain
Magnificat
The Citizen Journal
Wikipedia
Riehl World View
Savage Republican
Born Again Redneck
Don Miguel de la Piedra
Jihad Watch
Neal Boortz
WAmbulance
Michael Graham
Texas Rainmaker
Right Wing Nation
A Conservative Force
Wide Awake Cafe
Black Sheep Cafe
Robot Guy
commentary.co.za
Y-2-Dray 4-Ever
tjic.com
Western Critic
Air Force Pundit
Small Wars Journal
You Talk About
Mr Minority
Michigan Blog
Industrial Blog
Inside Larry’s Head
Been there, done that
Right Number One
Drinking From Home
Civil Commotion
Marvin’s Word
American Lights
Klein’s Quips
Peenie Wallie
Limburg Letter
Scipio the Metalcon
JamulBlog
Bear to the Right
Dangerous Dan
WunderKraut.com
Posse Incitatus
Harleys, Cars, Girls, & Guitars
Left wing = Hate
Holstein Grove
The Noonz Wire
GOP and the City
Flagrant Harbour
The Political Pit Bull
Atlas Blogged
Random Thoughts Of Yet Another Military Member
FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog
Don Singleton
Rocket’s Brain Trust
Jessica’s Well
TacJammer
Angry in the Great White North
UrbanRepublican
Dr. Sanity
Darleen’s Place
Bill’s House O Insomnia
House of the Dog
Freedom Folks
Small Town Veteran
A Blog For All
Church and State
Inside Larry’s Head
Free Constitution
This isn’t writing, it’s typing
Rattrap’s Rants
Hard Talk
Citizen Journal
Iowa Voice
Sugar Ray Dodge
NoisyRoom.net
Black Sheep Press
Red hot cuppa politics
CDR Salamander
A geezer’s corner
Deep Keel
And THAT is MY Opinion…
Palmetto Pundit
Void Where Prohibited
Super Fun Power Hour
Striderweb
Oscar Poppa
Peaceful Display of Tolerance and Love
Stuck on Stupid
RightWinged.com
Mike’s Noise
The Johnsville News
Truth Is Stranger
Irons in the Fire
Occasus Pars Clamo
The Citizen Journal
Freedom Eden
Fifth Virginia
Celestial Junk

We stood with Denmark then. We stand with Denmark still.

***

Laughing Wolf and Blackfive show their support: “Let freedom reign.”

Go watch Bryan Preston’s Taqiyya. It’ll refresh your memories of the lies that stoked the Mo Cartoon rage.

Ed Morrissey reprints Westergaard’s cartoon and writes: “It’s easy to defend free speech when it doesn’t cost anyone anything. The Danes have manned the barricades when it counts.”

In very related news, the Muslim lawsuit against Canadian publisher Ezra Levant, who reprinted the Mo cartoons, has been dropped. Levant is going on the counter-offensive. Good for him:

Calgary Muslim leader Syed Soharwardy says he is withdrawing his Alberta Human Rights Commission complaint against former Western Standard publisher Ezra Levant.

The complaint was launched in February 2006, after the Western Standard and the Jewish Free Press reprinted cartoons from a Danish newspaper that many in the Muslim world felt insulted the prophet Muhammad. The cartoons sparked violent protests in a number of countries.

“Over the two years that we have gone through the process, I understand that most Canadians see this as an issue of freedom of speech, that that principle is sacred and holy in our society,” said Soharwardy, president of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada.

“I believe Canadian society is mature enough not to absorb the messages that the cartoons sent. Only a very small fraction of Canadian media decided to publish those cartoons.”

Mr. Levant said he isn’t buying Mr. Soharwardy’s promise, calling it a “temporary, tactical truce.”

“I don’t believe him. He thought this would be easy to do, just sic the human rights commission on me and it would be done. But I decided to fight back,” said Mr. Levant.

“He’s hurting right now. . . . What he’s now saying he is going to do is not a true reflection of his feelings.”

Mr. Levant said he plans to launch a civil lawsuit against Mr. Soharwardy to recover the tens of thousands of dollars he said he has spent battling the complaint.

“I put in at least 100 hours fighting this guy. He may want to run away from this issue, but I’m not going to. His values are out of sync with Canadian society.”

Posted in: Danish Cartoons, Jyllands-Posten

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#244174

On February 13th, 2008 at 4:03 pm, navywife91 said:

I’m just curious, Collin, what do you think we can do about the Islamists? If we don’t convert to their way of thinking, they will kill us. If we do convert, we lose our freedom. Those are the only two choices I see.
#244191

On February 13th, 2008 at 4:16 pm, steveegg said:

My only regret is that I was late to the party originally because I was in the process of migrating off Blogger.
#244205

On February 13th, 2008 at 4:29 pm, locomotivebreath1901 said:

Be careful here, MM. Even though I used the turban bomb ‘toon a few weeks back in one of my posts to illustrate a point, I’m hesitant to pile on just to be piling on.

If this were ‘piss christ’ or ‘mary in dung’ we would screaming condemnation – sans the death threats – but we would all see adolescent insult for the spiteful repeat that it is.

I think there are other ways to support Mr. Westergaard, and present a superior culture to rise above the de-humanizing, aggressive behavior exhibited by the islamists.
#244237

On February 13th, 2008 at 4:59 pm, publiuswarmac9999 said:

Secular socialism is utterly incompetent when it comes to dealing with the religious fervor of Islam. Only a strong and vibrant Christianity can defeat it in the Western World. Short of that, women better get used to the burka and men better get used to praying to Mecca – that assumes that they will be left alive to do so.
#244269

On February 13th, 2008 at 5:34 pm, collinb said:

navywife91,

One of the purposes of government is to protect its citizens. I find no protection in antagonism. It seems counter-productive.

Christians are called to be peacable (no, I’m not a pure pacifist). Again, that’s not accomplished through antagonism.

What Michelle published did not accomplish the goal of government and, as I stated, seems to contradict the purpose of the church.

Collin
#244303

On February 13th, 2008 at 6:36 pm, realitycheck said:

Good grief Collin. I’m a Christian too, but turning the other cheek to radical Islam, will just give them a better angle in which to cut off your head.
#244310

On February 13th, 2008 at 6:45 pm, zorro said:

I say (loudly) May God Bless Denmark and all her people! And May God Bless Michelle. She is a model of patriotism with a backbone of stainless steel.

We will not submit.

My opinion of Islam is low. And it is they who insult the non-islamic world around them. Not the other way around. They hate non-believers and disrespect those who are not like them. Reading Robert Spencer’s “Blogging the Qur’an” since May 2006 has been very enlightening. If they have a problem with democratic freedom of speech then they have a problem with me.
#244322

On February 13th, 2008 at 7:06 pm, Blind_Mule said:

collinb said:
This is not good. I do not believe that this is proper behavior for a Christian.

Collin

Today I must take issue with Michelle Malkin. Her republishing of a cartoon that insults Mohammed is wrong. This is not the type of material that a Christian should support or take part in.

I would ask Christians to take the imperative of the Gospel to heart and not participate in this behavior. The Gospel of Grace and Redemption is the core of the evangelical world view.

grace (grās)
n.
A disposition to be generous or helpful; goodwill.
Mercy; clemency.
A favor rendered by one who need not do so; indulgence.

re·demp·tion (rĭ-dĕmp’shən)
n.
Christianity. Salvation from sin through Jesus’s sacrifice.

Christians have a justification for fighting evil. The world was not designed with evil in mind and the believer has a real basis for fighting evil. He is not following the belief that whatever is, is right. God does not desire evil nor does he ever condone it. He hates evil, and the Christian also is not only to despise evil, he is obligated to do something about it. Even though sin is real, it is not something that the believer accepts as the way things ought to be. By identifying with Jesus, the believer has a duty to call things wrong that are wrong and to speak out when evil is overtaking good. The Christian is not fighting against God, by fighting evil. Terrorism should not be the accepted order of things, because it was never meant to be and they will not be in God’s future kingdom. The fact is Islam, Muslim faith is evil and must be exposed for what it is, whatever the medium, cartoons, writings, speech or film. Should we make fun of Islam? The answer lies in the reaction that Islam and Muslim undertake, perpetual outrage.
Threats, violence and murder is their response you figure it out genius.
#244337

On February 13th, 2008 at 7:39 pm, navywife91 said:

My question

I’m just curious, Collin, what do you think we can do about the Islamists? If we don’t convert to their way of thinking, they will kill us. If we do convert, we lose our freedom. Those are the only two choices I see.

Your “answer”

One of the purposes of government is to protect its citizens. I find no protection in antagonism. It seems counter-productive.

Christians are called to be peacable (no, I’m not a pure pacifist). Again, that’s not accomplished through antagonism.

What Michelle published did not accomplish the goal of government and, as I stated, seems to contradict the purpose of the church

You’re welcome to stand by and let these Islamists shove their beliefs in your face, but I won’t. There is NO defense for what they do.

How is Michelle the government? It’s not her responsibility to protect us. Read your quote before you respond because that’s what you said above.

I can respect someone for being a peaceful person, but you’re just plain delusional if you think by not printing these cartoons they’ll go along their merry way and leave us alone.
#244345

On February 13th, 2008 at 7:51 pm, fourstringfuror said:

Collin, this thread is not about the Christian response to the threat lf Islam. This thread is about supporting and upholding the democratic principles of free speech and expression. If you want to debate religion, let’s ask Michelle to start a new thread.
#244386

On February 13th, 2008 at 8:26 pm, sfcmac said:

Michelle:
Count me in:
http://sfcmac.wordpress.com/2008/02/14/sammenhold-for-danish-cartoonist/
#244395

On February 13th, 2008 at 8:31 pm, sfcmac said:

On February 13th, 2008 at 4:29 pm, locomotivebreath1901 said:
If this were ‘piss christ’ or ‘mary in dung’ we would screaming condemnation – sans the death threats…..

Precisely. And that makes all the difference.
#244431

On February 13th, 2008 at 8:55 pm, collinb said:

navywife91,
Your question addressed “freedom” and that goes to our system of government. So I answered that concern as best I could.
Your question also dealt with our ability to “convert” and that goes to the theological. Hence the otehr part of my answer.
You may not have liked my answer, but I did address the specific issues that you raised.
I have no delusions that the passive, naive, and manipulative approach of the defeatist Dems will make them just go away. My motivation is this: I’m responsible for my own integrity and to clarify what I believe to be true.

Collin
#244479

On February 13th, 2008 at 9:20 pm, navywife91 said:

Collin
This will be my last post because we’re just going in circles and venturing into the OT area. I don’t understand you and I’ve reread your posts many times. It wasn’t that I didn’t like your answer, it is that your answer did not address my sincere question to you. I was truly interested in what/how you think up until now.
#244536

On February 13th, 2008 at 10:53 pm, Bhishma said:

Hat-tip to your blog, Michelle. Rest assured, some Americans are still Americans to the core and will stand up in solidarity for free-speech, no matter what!
#244549

On February 13th, 2008 at 11:20 pm, Speakup said:

If we are to be forced to accept a despicable, offensive representation of Jesus as art then the same level of art representation must be acceptable for any other ideology.

That includes any art media presentation.
#244553

On February 13th, 2008 at 11:24 pm, d1carter said:

First, I can’t believe it has been two years ago, Michelle. I do remember your showing the cartoons on a Fox show by holding them up on camera. I knew then that I was going to be a long lasting fan of yours. You are to this day, one of the “gutsiest” blogger/commentator in the country. Keep up the good work.
#244574

On February 14th, 2008 at 12:39 am, dakine said:

Long live free speech, and I’m all for any and all humor that pokes fun at organized religion (and especially that particular organized religion).
#244596

On February 14th, 2008 at 1:52 am, Avi Green said:

I’m going to see if I can write about the subject on my comics blog! The most ideal place for Sammenhold.
#244620

On February 14th, 2008 at 5:46 am, graysonret said:

I have nothing against Islam or Mo. What I am against, and very much so, is the ones who use Islam and Mo to further their own meglamaniac behavior and power/money ambitions. Those are the ones who need to face the Judgement. Selling one’s soul to achieve power is the biggest sin. To use innocent people, children and women included, to promote oneself is worthy of death themselves…the 4 deaths of a traitor.
#244906

On February 14th, 2008 at 12:04 pm, JuniperLimb said:

I refuse to be intimidated.
#252653

On February 23rd, 2008 at 11:23 pm, ELCore said:

Ah. No wonder Verboten: The Danish cartoons of Mohammed. is the most frequented entry at my blog again. لن أستسلم