Some links on Danish cartoons, riots

As the worldwide uproar continues over publication in a Danish newspaper of cartoons perceived as derogatory to the Prophet Muhammad, it's all I can do to keep up with it. Too many basic issues and cross-cultural misunderstandings are involved, from the Muslim prohibition on visual representation of the Prophet (similar to but more categorical than the ban on "graven images" in the Ten Commandments) to the basic Western right to freedom of speech. Rather than give my own opinions, I will just post several links to help you get up to speed on the controversy and make up your own minds.

As usual, the BBC News website has just about the most balanced and informative coverage in the world. See especially their Q&A page and a story on "A Clash of Rights and Responsiblities" quoting not only politicians and writers but also Muslim scholars at Oxford and York universities in England. Also worth checking out, and much more balanced than it is given credit for, is al Jazeera, the Arab television station.

Background. The American electronic magazine Slate.com carried a useful summary with a lot of links on Monday. More valuable background comes from Juan Cole of the University of Michigan. Cole is an expert on Shia Islam, and his blog "Informed Comment" has a very dispassionate, factual account of how the controversy simmered along from September till the recent uproar began. Somewhat inflammatory but perceptive (and always provocative) is U.S. conservative pundit Pat Buchanan. His headline, "Europe's Juvenile Idiots Start Religious War," sums up what he's got to say. But Buchanan is always worth reading even when you don't agree with him. But also read the Danish newspaper, Morganavisen Jyllands-Posten (which in English would be "the Jutland Morning Post"), explain why it ran the cartoons before you make up your mind.

The cartoons (and a content advisory). Here are two links. One is to the German newspaper Die Welt ("the World"), which printed a small thumbnail of one of the cartoons Feb. 1 to help explain a story (in German) about why they are offensive. The other link is to the right-wing U.S. opinion magazine Human Events, which carried all the cartoons in a larger format. Since some of the cartoon are clearly offensive, I am providing both links and posting this warning. If you would be offended by the cartoons but want to see what the controversy is about, I believe the smaller version in Die Welt would be less offensive. If you believe any representation of the Prophet Muhammad is blasphemous, you would find the smaller version equally offensive.