Islamic Riots Over Danish Cartoons

In recent days, we have seen a number of riots in Europe over some religous cartoons depicting Mohammed and Islam in a disparaging light. I am unashamedly a born-again Christian. As a Christian living in North America, I have seen my own faith bare the brunt of ridicule, discrimination, criticism and acrimony from the society at large. Because of this I inwardly cringe when anyone's sacred beliefs become a target of derision and scorn. It demonstrates, in large part, the character or lack thereof of the individuals who get some delight in belittling religious idealogy. I share their outrage but I cannot sympathize with their method of expressing their agitation.

Winston Churchill once said, that "Democracy was the worst form of government except for all the others". One of the cornerstones of western democracy is the freedom of expression and the freedom of the press. I won't deal with the question of censorship at this point, but when I speak of freedom of expression, I am mainly concerned with the freedom to present idealogies, thoughts and arguments no matter how outlandish or offensive those thoughts might be. As I stated earlier, as a Christian, I have seen depictions of Jesus Christ, claims made by the likes of Conyay West, inaccurate presentations of time honored biblical principals that have frankly sickened me to my stomach. Having said this, I would never countenance any government to dissuade public discourse no matter how disagreeable the content of that discourse might be. The healthiest antidote to bigotry, hatred and intolerance is a free and open exchange in the market place of ideas.

The maxim "I may disagree with your ideas, but I will defend your right to say them" is quite appropo in this situation. Again, I do not ever believe it is a good thing to profane anyone's belief system. However, the rules that allow sophomoric idiots to display their hatred and ignorance are the same rules that allow me to critique my government, openly question public policy, engage the critics of Christianity and permit me that latitude to declare that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life and that no one comes to heaven apart from the salvific work of Christ. While Mohammed, Buddha, Krishna and a hundred other religious spokespeople may have some minor contribution to make on surface ethics, they are not the Son of God, have no messianic status and cannot save people from the wrath of God. That is an offensive message to many, but that is the heart and soul of the Christian Gospel. This Gospel has been on the receiving end of numerous barbs, but this is to be expected in a society that cherishes the freedom of expression.

Let us also not fall under the false assumption that religious zealotry has largely fueled the Islamic outrcy. It is curious to note that these cartoons have circulated openly in the public arena since last September and October. It also more than a little coincidental that during the period between October 2005 and January 2006, the Palestinian people have been embroiled in electing a new government with Hamas tragically now at the controls of Palestinian interests. During the pre-election period, Hamas was conspicuously silent over the publication of these cartoons. A terrorist organization bent on the absolute and utter destruction of Israel has been granted government status. It is also interesting, that Hamas, after the election, has been the catalyst in the last two weeks inciting clerics to rally the faithful to carry out Jihad in Europe. Islam has always been a religion that has the state inextricably intertwined within its theology so that the state becomes the mechanism by which religious compliance is enforced. I fear that these recent riots have more to do with Islamic politics than theology.

What is truly disturbing is the manner in which Islamic critics of these cartoons have linked journalistic expression with the policy of the Danish government. The reasoning is, that since the newspaper was in Denmark it must by nature have been sanctioned and approved by the Danish government. It is the Danish government's policy to disparage Muslims and therefore pressure is being brought to bear upon the government to silence journalistic expression. This goes beyond any rational attempt to voice disapproval. This is an assault on the very foundations upon which western democracy is based. If they achieve success in this arena, it will demonstrate that violence, murder, fear and carnage are effective weapons in silencing the free exchange of ideas.

That Muslims are offended I completely understand. That Muslims wish to voice their frustration, anger and disapproval is completely reasonable. That Muslims view this as a threat to Koranic orthodoxy is debatable. That they wish to freely exchange their doctrine in the marketplace of ideas is a total myth. Historically, Islam has never believed in a peaceful coexistence with other religious ideas. It is not interested in assimilation into North American society, but will only be satisfied with domination.

I hate saying this, but if any Canadian magazines desire to run these cartoons, they should be free to do so. Fear and intimidation ought not to be a consideration if we truly believe in a free and open exchange of ideas. I will be the first to stand in line and denounce these depictions of Islam but I will not call for the government to interfere with anyone who wants to place their ignorance on display.