Details, details...

A new documentary about the great cartoon jihad of 2006 reveals that many of its instigators never actually saw the offending drawings:

In a new documentary film, the violent protests in the Middle East over the infamous Mohammed cartoons in 2005 are proven to have been instigated by Islamic leaders who never actually saw the drawings themselves.

Danish director Karsten Kjær travelled throughout the Middle East to investigate who and what was responsible for the wave of violence released from the cartoons for his documentary ‘Those Damned Drawings’ (‘De Forbandede Tegninger’). He said the primary theme of the film is freedom of expression and its boundaries.

‘I’ve sought to be objective about the crisis’ factual events,’ Kjær told public broadcaster DR. ‘But it is also a very personal film that portrays my travels around the Middle East and my own impression of both the causes and consequences of the conflict brought about by the 12 drawings.

The film suggests the crisis began full-force when the man many consider to be Islam’s most powerful figure, Sheik Yussuf Al-Qaradawi, declared 3 February 2006 as ‘Anger Day’ on his TV programme. [Why bother with "Two Minutes' Hate" when you can have a full day? - DP] A wave of violent protests across the globe unleashing followed in the wake of that transmission.

In the documentary, Kjær shows the Mohammed drawings to Al-Qaradawi, who views them for the first time.

Kjær also shows the cartoons to Ali Bakhsi, the Iranian who spearheaded demonstrations in Tehran that led to the burning of the Danish embassy there. Bakhsi laughingly says the drawings look nothing like Mohammed but rather like an Indian Sikh. [via LGF]

The film airs on Danish television tomorrow. Hopefully a subtitled version will show up online before too long.

Damian P.

Posted by damian at October 6, 2007 08:44 AM