Drawing fire: Muslims around the world protest cartoons of Prophet Muhammad

COPENHAGEN, Denmark--Political cartoons often use humor to make The cartoonist tries to make people smile in order to make them think. Cartoons are not designed to provoke widespread rioting, deaths, flag burnings, and the torching of embassies.

Yet that is just what happened when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of Island The cartoons, published Sept. 30, 2005, show Muhammad in various situations: wandering aimlessly through the desert, carrying a bomb on his head, and welcoming suicide bombers to heaven.

Instantly, Danish Muslim leaders objected. In much of the Muslim world, the depiction of Muhammad in any way is forbidden. To show an image of the Prophet is blasphemy: an insult and a sin against God.

On October 17, an Egyptian newspaper reprinted some of the cartoons, describing them as a "continuing insult" to Islam December and January, word of the cartoons filtered through the Muslim world, setting the stage for a growing outrage. On January 10, a Norwegian newspaper reprinted the cartoons. On Jan. 26, 2006, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Denmark in protest.

By February 1, newspapers in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain had reprinted the cartoons. On February 4, Syrian protesters attacked the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus. A day later, angry Lebanese demonstrators set the Danish Embassy in Beirut on fire. On February 6, five demonstrators were killed by police in Afghanistan. The next day, several hundred Iranians attacked the Danish Embassy in Tehran as Iranian leaders announced the cutting of all trade with Denmark.

Throughout the following week, crowds from Indonesia to Pakistan raged and burned not only Danish flags but all symbols of the West in protest. In Pakistan, KFC, Pizza Hut, and McDonald's restaurants were torched. By February 15, the death toll from the rioting around the world had reached 13, with many more injured.

Culture Clash

In Europe and the United States, the unexpected wave of violence over the cartoons left many people puzzled and bewildered. Those in Western democracies are used to political cartoons that make fun of just about everything, including religious figures. Denmark itself has a long tradition of a free press. The newspaper editor responsible for the cartoons, Flemming Rose, insisted that Jyllands-Posten treated Muhammad just as the newspaper has treated other religious and political figures. Rose specifically asked illustrators to draw different versions of Muhammad because he was concerned over the self-censorship of Danish papers in treating Muslim subjects.

On February 2, Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen appeared on Arabic TV He apologized for the offense caused by the cartoons, but he also strongly defended freedom of the press.

To some people, the rioting indicated something bigger than just Muslim outrage over some cartoons; it indicated a worldwide "clash of cultures." Many people in Europe and the United States saw the cartoons as part of normal political and cultural life. Many in the Muslim world, however, saw the publication of the cartoons as more than an insult to Islam. They saw it as a deliberate attack on their faith and culture that was designed to spread hatred.

A Call for Calm

On the PBS television show The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer, Ali Abunimah, a journalist on Middle Eastern issues, said he believes that the anticartoon rioting goes far beyond the cartoons themselves. Muslims, said Abunimah, "believe themselves to be under a generalized assault by the United States and its allies." Anti-Western feeling, he said, is fed by "the war in Iraq, U.S. support for Israel, ... and increasing [hatred of foreigners] against Muslim communities within Europe."

Not all Muslims, however, support the violent reaction in the Muslim world. A number of Muslim governments have called for calm. One weekly newspaper in Jordan urged Muslims to "be reasonable."

Imam Ahmed Abu Laban, one of the Danish Muslim leaders who first objected to the cartoons, said that Muslims have a right to defend their faith in a democracy but that violence is not the right way to do so. Other leaders, both Christian and Muslim, have called for more tolerance and sensitivity on both sides.

"It is vital that we cultivate the values of respect, tolerance, and peaceful coexistence," said Tayyip Erdogan, prime minister of Muslim Turkey, and Jose Zapatero, prime minister of Christian Spain, in a joint statement.

Consider This ...

Should offensive speech about religion be permitted? Why or why not?

Get Talking

Ask students if they have heard about the controversy surrounding the printing of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Ask: Why were many Muslims offended by the cartoons?

Background

* Very few U.S. newspapers or news outlets displayed the cartoons. Fox News, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Austin American-Statesman, and the New York Sun did print the images. When protesters demonstrated outside of the Philadelphia Inquirer, editor Amanda Bennett told them that she respected their right to protest but that publishing controversial material "is what newspapers are in the business to do. We educate people, we inform them, we spark discussion. It is not only our profession, it is our obligation," she said. The New York Times, on the other hand, decided that printing the cartoons would be "perceived as a ... deliberate insult" by Muslims.

* On October 21, the Danish prime minister refused to meet with ambassadors from Muslim countries to discuss the issue. The Danish government said it had no responsibility for the newspaper's actions. In December, the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) issued a statement saying that the cartoons illustrated a "rising hatred against Islam." In response to growing outrage, a Norwegian newspaper reprinted the images as a show of support for freedom of the press.

Doing More

The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects freedom of the press and speech. However, there are exceptions to these freedoms. For example, words deemed profane may not be said on television. Speech that endangers others is also limited. For example, it is impermissible to falsely yell "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Ask students to make a list of speech that should and shouldn't be protected. Then, as a class, discuss the value of freedom of expression in U.S. society.

Sunni and Shia

Sunnis and Shiites are members of the dominant sects of Islam. The majority of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims are Sunni. The Sunni sect came into being after the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the year 632. Muhammad's followers disagreed over who would become the religion's new leader. The Sunnis said the leader should be elected by the elders of the community. But those who came to be known as Shiites argued that a relative of Muhammad should lead the faithful. Two relatives of Muhammad that the Shiites chose as leaders were slain, and the Sunni sect became the majority Muslim sect. Shiites, however, form the majority of Muslims in Iraq and Iran.

Ramadan

Ramadan is a holy month in the Islamic calendar. This time is important to Muslims because it is when Muhammad received the first of the messages that later became the Koran, the holy book of Islam. Ramadan is always the ninth month of the year, but because Muslims follow a lunar calendar, it falls in different seasons. During the month, Muslims may not eat, drink, or smoke from sunrise to sunset. Fasting during this time is part of the main religious duties of all Muslims. Exceptions to fasting are made for the sick, the elderly, pregnant women, travelers, and children. Once the sun has set, a simple meal, called the iftar, is taken. During Ramadan, nights often include special prayer time and Koran study.

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