Germans print Muhammad caricatures

[Stephanie]

By ASSOCIATED PRESS
BERLIN



Two German newspapers on Wednesday reproduced controversial drawings depicting the Prophet Muhammad, with one of them arguing that a "right to blasphemy" was anchored in democratic freedoms.

The drawings were among several published in a Danish paper in September that sparked outrage and boycotts in Islamic countries. The pictures were also shown in a Norwegian magazine last week.

Palestinians in Gaza burned Danish and Norwegian flags this week in protest of the caricatures.

The caricatures offended many Muslims both because of their critical content and because Islam forbids representations of Muhammad out of concern they could lead to idolatry. In some of the pictures, Muhammad was shown to be wearing women's attire.

But the German Welt daily put one of the drawings showing the prophet's turban transformed into a bomb on its front page on Wednesday. It said the picture was "harmless" and expressed regret that the Danish Jyllands-Posten daily had apologized for causing offense.

"Democracy is the institutionalized form of freedom of expression," the paper said in a front-page commentary. "There is no right to protection from satire in the West; there is a right to blasphemy."

The Berliner Zeitung daily also printed two of the caricatures as part of its coverage of the controversy.

In France, the France-Soir daily published the drawings on Wednesday, saying that religious dogma has no place in a secular society.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1138622526823&pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull

 

[Hobbit]

They need to get over it. Here in America, somebody can take a crucifix, drop it in a jar of urine, and then sell it as 'art' for thousands of dollars. Disturbing? Yes. Blasphemous? Most certainly. However, in America, you have a right to be stupid, and if I don't like what somebody says, I'll use the capitalistic, rather than fascist, approach to get them to stop.

Geez, Islam is basically that kid in elementary school who would go around and try to bloody up everybody any time somebody told him a 'yo mamma' joke.

 

[Mr. P]

With this and what I saw on a Frontline show last night, I'd say the light has come on in Europe. Good.

 

[theHawk]

Euro MEDIA showing backbone? ..... :shocked:


Maybe they are starting to realize they don't need to put up with Islamic bullshit.

 

[5stringJeff]

Anyone got a link to these pictures? I keep seeing the news stories about them, but not the pics themselves.

 

[dmp]

Anyone got a link to these pictures? I keep seeing the news stories about them, but not the pics themselves.

Word.

 

[insein]

Anyone got a link to these pictures? I keep seeing the news stories about them, but not the pics themselves.

Goto the denmark thread. All the pictures are shown.

 

[nosarcasm]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2020790,00.html

Press digs in over Islam cartoons fury
By Charles Bremner, in Paris and Our Foreign Staff



NEWSPAPERS across Europe yesterday republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that have inflamed the Muslim world since they first appeared in Denmark.
Daily newspapers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands featured the 12 cartoons, which have caused a firestorm in the Islamic world.



Editors expressed a wish to show solidarity with the Editor of the Jyllands-Posten in Denmark, whose cartoons triggered violent protests in Gaza, a boycott of Danish goods across the Arab world and death threats against the newspaper’s senior staff. The paper’s offices had to be evacuated last night after the second bomb threat in two days.

Showing any depiction of Muhammad is deemed blasphemous and these were seen as particularly offensive, with one portraying the Prophet wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb. Under the headline “Yes, we have the right to caricature God”, France Soir covered its front with Buddha, the Christian and Jewish deities and the Prophet all sitting on a cloud. The Christian God says: “Don’t complain Muhammad, all of us have been caricatured.”

Shortly after the paper appeared, however, its managing editor, Jacques Lefranc, was sacked. Raymond Lakah, the paper’s owner, issued a public apology: “We express our regrets to the Muslim community and all people who were shocked by the publication” of the cartoons, he said.

French officials privately shuddered over the likely damage to relations with Muslims at home and abroad but ministers defended France Soir’s freedom to publish what it wanted. After a Cabinet meeting with President Chirac, Jean-François Copé, a minister and government spokesman, said: “France is attached to the freedom of expression”, but adding that respect should always be shown for the beliefs of others.

The owner of the Soir is an Egpytian, that explains the dismissal. Muslim
scum.


And here is a link for a Danish blogger keeping track on the developing story.

http://dansk-svensk.blogspot.com/

 

[Mr. P]

French officials privately shuddered...

Fell right into their hands, didn't they?

 

[Annie]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2020790,00.html

Press digs in over Islam cartoons fury
By Charles Bremner, in Paris and Our Foreign Staff



NEWSPAPERS across Europe yesterday republished caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad that have inflamed the Muslim world since they first appeared in Denmark.
Daily newspapers in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the Netherlands featured the 12 cartoons, which have caused a firestorm in the Islamic world.



Editors expressed a wish to show solidarity with the Editor of the Jyllands-Posten in Denmark, whose cartoons triggered violent protests in Gaza, a boycott of Danish goods across the Arab world and death threats against the newspaper’s senior staff. The paper’s offices had to be evacuated last night after the second bomb threat in two days.

Showing any depiction of Muhammad is deemed blasphemous and these were seen as particularly offensive, with one portraying the Prophet wearing a turban in the shape of a bomb. Under the headline “Yes, we have the right to caricature God”, France Soir covered its front with Buddha, the Christian and Jewish deities and the Prophet all sitting on a cloud. The Christian God says: “Don’t complain Muhammad, all of us have been caricatured.”

Shortly after the paper appeared, however, its managing editor, Jacques Lefranc, was sacked. Raymond Lakah, the paper’s owner, issued a public apology: “We express our regrets to the Muslim community and all people who were shocked by the publication” of the cartoons, he said.

French officials privately shuddered over the likely damage to relations with Muslims at home and abroad but ministers defended France Soir’s freedom to publish what it wanted. After a Cabinet meeting with President Chirac, Jean-François Copé, a minister and government spokesman, said: “France is attached to the freedom of expression”, but adding that respect should always be shown for the beliefs of others.

The owner of the Soir is an Egpytian, that explains the dismissal. Muslim
scum.


And here is a link for a Danish blogger keeping track on the developing story.

http://dansk-svensk.blogspot.com/

Unfortunately, one French paper, the one you site, has sacked the editor:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/4670370.stm

Muhammad cartoon row intensifies
French daily newspaper France Soir
Some of the cartoons depict the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist
Newspapers across Europe have reprinted caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to show support for a Danish paper whose cartoons have sparked Muslim outrage.

Seven publications in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain all carried some of the drawings.

Their publication in Denmark led Arab nations to protest. Islamic tradition bans depictions of the Prophet.

The owner of one of the papers to reprint - France Soir - has now sacked its managing editor over the matter.

The cartoons have sparked diplomatic sanctions and death threats in some Arab nations, while media watchdogs have defended publication of the images in the name of press freedom.

Reporters Without Borders said the reaction in the Arab world "betrays a lack of understanding" of press freedom as "an essential accomplishment of democracy...."

 

[CSM]

I would say that the reaction from the Muslim world proves that the cartoons ar not that much of a distortion or caricature:

Anger grows over Muhammad cartoon

Gunmen briefly surrounded the EU's Gaza office in protest at the images
Protests have spread across the Muslim world over the publication in Europe of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.

The full story:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4673908.stm

 

[nukeman]

Why do muslims feel they are exempt from being made fun of or any form of disrespect?? Yet they continually degrade everyone elses religion they dont want to live in peice they want to conquer everyone or kill them.

Islam is filled with hypocrites!! they can use the bible as toilet paper when they took over the Church of The Nativity and smear shit everywhere. Yet let someone make fun of the great Muhammed in a cartoon and they want to kill you. What a bunch of useless ass munches!!!!

God these people really piss me off :finger:

 

[theim]

Why do muslims feel they are exempt from being made fun of or any form of disrespect?? Yet they continually degrade everyone elses religion they dont want to live in peice they want to conquer everyone or kill them.

Islam is filled with hypocrites!! they can use the bible as toilet paper when they took over the Church of The Nativity and smear shit everywhere. Yet let someone make fun of the great Muhammed in a cartoon and they want to kill you. What a bunch of useless ass munches!!!!

God these people really piss me off :finger:

I'm almost more pissed off at Europeans than the Muslims. Muslim extremeists, after all, have been lopping off the heads of kuffar or centuries, so what the hell did you expect. It's this whole "We beleive in free speech but this is going too far" or "We believe in free speech but only if it's not offensive" attidude that Europe is in. News Flash: SPEECH ISNT FREE IF THE GOVERNMENT TELLS YOU WHAT YOU CAN AND CANT SAY.

 

[archangel]

Denmark,Germany and France has some cahunas...Cnn covered this story lightly and faded out the face of Muhammed...they are such pussies!

 

[Annie]

Why do muslims feel they are exempt from being made fun of or any form of disrespect?? Yet they continually degrade everyone elses religion they dont want to live in peice they want to conquer everyone or kill them.

Islam is filled with hypocrites!! they can use the bible as toilet paper when they took over the Church of The Nativity and smear shit everywhere. Yet let someone make fun of the great Muhammed in a cartoon and they want to kill you. What a bunch of useless ass munches!!!!

God these people really piss me off :finger:

Just to prove your point:

http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/ArabCartoons.htm

http://info2us.dk/muhammed/

 

[nosarcasm]

I'm almost more pissed off at Europeans than the Muslims. Muslim extremeists, after all, have been lopping off the heads of kuffar or centuries, so what the hell did you expect. It's this whole "We beleive in free speech but this is going too far" or "We believe in free speech but only if it's not offensive" attidude that Europe is in. News Flash: SPEECH ISNT FREE IF THE GOVERNMENT TELLS YOU WHAT YOU CAN AND CANT SAY.

What are the Anglo-American newspapers doing about it?

 

[insein]

What are the Anglo-American newspapers doing about it?

We still have newspapers? I never read them. I grow tired of reading a full paper of editorials.

 

[nosarcasm]

I just read in Spiegel Online that the Palestinian gunmen took
a German hostage but released him after a couple of hours.

Armed gunmen stormed his hotel but the Palestinian police managed
to capture them and free the hostage.

http://www.spiegel.de/politik/ausland/0,1518,398795,00.html
German link only.

 

[Annie]

It's not just the Brits not showing. US media too, with the exception of FOX have yet to show. The LA Times says they are running them this weekend. Are they waiting for concrete planters or what?

For the miserable stories:

http://michellemalkin.com/archives/004440.htm

lede:

THE COWARDLY AMERICAN MEDIA (VIDEO ADDED)
By Michelle Malkin · February 02, 2006 08:03 PM

***scroll for updates***

Read this CNN report very carefully:

The international storm over cartoon drawings of the Prophet Mohammad published in European media gathered pace across the Islamic world Thursday with angry demonstrations and the shutting down of the EU office in Gaza City.

In Paris, the daily newspaper France Soir fired its managing editor after it republished the caricatures Wednesday, and in Pakistan protesters marched chanting "Death to Denmark" and "Death to France."

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan was quoted as saying the cartoons -- one depicting the founder of Islam wearing a turban resembling a bomb --showed press freedom should have its limits.

Muslims consider it sacrilegious to produce a likeness of the Prophet Mohammad. CNN has chosen to not show the cartoons in respect for Islam.

Unbelievable. The news network reports on an international controversy, but refuses to show readers what the news is actually about and let them judge the cartoons for themselves.

Even more galling is CNN's newfound respect for religion.

Where was that deference when Ted Turner was calling Catholics "Jesus Freaks?"

Where was the sensitivity about offensive religious imagery when Jeanne Moos was mocking images of Jesus Christ or Jonathan Mann was reporting on the Virgin Mary covered in dung?