Widespread loss of grip

[ewx]

Odious tyrannies throw crowd-pleasing hissy-fit. The Religious Policeman has had quite a bit to say about this lately.

Comments

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

The thing that I find surprising is that they're suggesting action against the Danish government rather than the newspaper concerned. I suppose Libya and Saudi Arabia don't go in for freedom of the press that much.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

It's not clear what they could do against an individual newspaper in any case.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

Well, no. Consumer boycott, but in Denmark that wouldn't get them very far. Was there outrage among the Danish Muslim community over this, or just from overseas?

[ewx.livejournal.com]

I've yet to hear of any Danish Muslims being offended (but that doesn't mean there aren't any).

[mobbsy.livejournal.com]

If it were in the UK, and the bill goes through, possibly get them prosecuted under the incitement to religious hatred legislation?

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

It's an unpleasant thought. I would hope that this sort of cartoon, while it's in bad taste, wouldn't become criminal.

[ewx.livejournal.com]

It seems plausible, under the circumstances, that they would try.

Many of the cartoons (http://www.di2.nu/files/Muhammed_Cartoons_Jyllands_Posten.html) look like satire to me, and some have limited targets (e.g. the run-out-of-virgins one is aimed squarely at Muslim suicide bombers, not Muslims in general).

Others it might be possible could stir up hatred in someone who saw them: the first one, of the prophet with a bomb on his head, does seem to draw a connection between the religion and the terrorism, rather than (say) between extremism and terrorism. So they might manage to get at least that one into court.

The Religious Policeman thinks it's all about keeping the (rather numerous) Mecca deaths off the front page, though, so it might be that only short-term publicity is intended, rather than the protracted process of a prosecution.