Same difference

In the Western world, people are protesting (non-violently) against the plight of Abdul Rahman. In the Muslim world, people are protesting (often very violently) against the publication of twelve cartoons in a Danish newspaper. Six of one, half-dozen of the other, says Reuters:

The strong Western response to a threatened death sentence for an Afghan convert to Christianity looks something like a mirror image of the Muslim reaction to the Prophet Mohammad caricatures printed in the European press.

There have been no riots or sackings of Afghan embassies, unlike the violence that marked the uproar in Muslim countries after the Danish cartoons were published, but the shock and mutual incomprehension expressed in both cases are similar.

The difference lies in the issues at stake. In the cartoons row, Muslims stressed the sanctity of Mohammad, whom they say nobody -- even non-Muslims -- can criticize. The subtext was resentment against perceived Western prejudice against Islam.

Now, Western governments and societies are speaking out for religious freedom and against the death penalty. The fact many Western troops now help defend the Afghan government against al Qaeda and Taliban remnants heightened the outrage in the West. (via LGF)

Actually, there is a common thread between the two stories: the degree to which Muslims are willing to accept that in a free society, not everyone is going to follow the tenets of their faith. Most people in the West will stand up for this principle. The mainstream media, I'm not so sure.

Speaking of the Danish cartoons, Algerian-French journalist Mohamed Sifaoui (whose book Inside Al-Qaeda is a must-read) caught Danish imam Ahmed Akkari on tape making death threats against a the leader of a moderate Muslim organization. Akkari first denied making the comment, and then said it was "only in jest".

Nobody in Denmark is laughing, except maybe Akkari's followers.

Posted by damian at March 23, 2006 12:58 PM | TrackBack