More Cartoon Backlash

This cartoon backlash has become appalling. Those who are attacking Danish embassies, and especially those who are attacking merely anything European or Christian, they are compete barbarians. No possible cartoon could justify such a response. The Danish (who as Andrew Sullivan points out, have a long history of courageous and moral action) have nothing to apologize for. I went out today and bought some Havarti cheese, just to show a token of support. (Justice never tasted so good. :-)) The Danes deserve better. Maybe it's time I should start wearing a watch again, and I've always admired the clean lines of Skagen. (For ideas how you can show support to the Danes, see here. At least buy a sixer of Carlsberg.)

I'm also thankful to Wikipedia for being willing to republish the cartoons. Nearly all of the media here in the US have been too squeamish to do so. (It's okay to publish leaked government secrets that might compromise national security because freedom of the press demands it, but it's not okay to publish newsworthy cartoons because some people might be offended. Hmmm.)

At the same time, I should also be clear that, just as some prominent hooligans are wrong to hold all Denmark responsible for the actions of one newspaper, I for one do not hold all Muslims responsible for the actions of the hooligans. Some hopeful signs: An al-Jazeera online poll asking "Are consumer boycotts against countries an appropriate response to publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad by newspapers?" currently has a small majority (53%) saying no. At least some American Muslims recognize a mountain being made of a molehill. And lastly, buried down in a NYTimes article, I read that while Lebanese Muslims were torching Christian neighborhoods in Beirut, Mahmoud Zahar, a top Hamas leader, went to the only Catholic church in Gaza and publicly condemned any threats against the Christians. That was the most hopeful thing I read all day.