Danish Diplomats are joining in the debate about Mohammed cartoons published in Jyllands-Posten, criticizing the way their gov't (A good review of the entire story can be found on Fjordman).
A cohort of high-ranking Danish diplomats on Tuesday, December 20, joined the heated debate about the controversial anti-Prophet cartoons published by the country's mass-circulation daily, criticizing Premier Anders Fogh Rasmussen's handling of the crisis.
Twenty-two former ambassadors, including many who have served in Muslim countries, chastised Rasmussen for snubbing a meeting request by eleven Muslim ambassadors accredited to Copenhagen, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
In October, The ambassadors of eleven Arab and Muslim countries, including Egypt, Palestine, Turkey, Pakistan, Iran, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Indonesia, wrote a letter to Rasmussen requesting a meeting to discuss twelve provocative cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) published by the Jyllands-Posten.
In a written reply, the premier snubbed the request, telling the diplomats they can take the paper to court.
Flemming Rose, the head of the culture section at Jyllands-Posten who authorized the cartoons publication, has repeatedly defended his decision.
He said it fell within the absolute freedom of expression provided for in the Danish constitution.
Playing the same tune, Premier Rasmussen said the freedom of expression "is the very foundation of the Danish democracy ... (and) the Danish government has no means of influencing the press".
Reiterating respect for freedom of expression, Al-Azhar, the highest seat of religious learning in the Sunni world, vowed to raise the issue of the provocative caricatures with the UN and international human rights organizations.
While Al-Azhar is going to the UN and human rights organizations, did any Muslim actually follow what Rasmussen is saying and sue the paper? Or do they know that it would be thrown out of court?
Rasmussen never said that such cartoons are 'ok'. He is saying, and rightfully so, that in a democracy, it is not the Prime Minister who decides what a newspaper should or shouldn't do. Had Jyllands-Posten advertised antisemitic cartoons, the issue would have ended up in court, not in a meeting by the Prime Minister, as can be seen by this story, where The Independent published a cartoon showing a naked Ariel Sharon biting off the bloodied head of a Palestinian child as helicopter warships hovered overhead blasting out "Vote Sharon" . (That cartoon won a prize).
I truly hope human rights organizations would stick with human rights, such as my right to live without being blown up for belonging to a different race or creed, rather than to Danish cartoons.
Source: Islam Online (English)
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