Cartoon Outrage: The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Cartoons ControversyEssay Preview: Cartoon Outrage: The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad Cartoons ControversyReport this essayThe controversy in question is simply a series of cartoons which were first published in a Danish newspaper (Jyllands-Posten) in 2006. This controversy has recently been stirred by a reprinting of the article in many European newspapers in a stand of solidarity for freedom of speech. The original (and subsequent) publication(s) led to a public outcry, and sparked violent protests in the Islamic world. Danish Muslim organizations staged protests, while the cartoons were being reprinted in more than 50 other countries. Critics of the cartoons call them “culturally insulting,” “xenophobic,” and even so far as “blasphemous.” Supporters claim that the cartoons simply illustrate an issue important to current events, and the publications of such cartoons simply an exercise in the worldwide right of free speech.
When trying to formulate a response to such a controversy, one could ask themselves if they are more of a relativist, or an objectivist. Relativism is a ethical position which can be defined as a belief that a stance on moral dilemmas do not reflect universal moral truths, simply that they make a claim relative to the social, political, cultural, or personal beliefs of the person. Objectivism is an ethical position which states that certain acts can be objectively right or wrong. As you can see, there are incredible problems with both of these stances, when faced with an ethical dilemma such as the publishing of a cartoon depicting Mohammed.
On the one hand, with relativism, it can be said that each party is right in their own way, that the publisher could show these cartoons without fear of repercussion, for it is his right as a human to do so, according to the western world’s democratic ideals. In all true democracies, freedom of speech is protected, and the editor who was “blamed” for this controversy, Flemming Rose, claims that it was not bigotry, but religious “integration”, which inspired him to publish those cartoons:
We have a tradition of satire when dealing with the royal family and other public figures, and that was reflected in the cartoons. The cartoonists treated Islam the same way they treat Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism and other religions. And by treating Muslims in Denmark as equals they made a point: We are integrating you into the Danish tradition of satire because you are part of our society, not strangers. The cartoons are including, rather than excluding, Muslims. (Rose, 2006)
However, there is an entirely opposing viewpoint to this, and this opposing viewpoint sparked incredible violence and retaliation. “The violence came one day after protestors in neighboring Damascus, Syria, torched the Norwegian Embassy and the Danish Embassy, furious that newspapers in both nations had published images banned under Islamic law” (Protesters burn consulate over cartoons, 2006) The violence escalated into “fights between Muslims and Christians.” Now, how did one page of cartoons cause all of this trouble? Chapter 42, verse 11 of the Quran reads: “The Originator of the heavens and the earth; He has made for you, from your selves, mates, and from the cattle mates: by this means He multiplies you. There is nothing whatever like Him” (The Holy Quran, Ch 42). This is traditionally taken further by Muslims to mean that Allah simply cannot be depicted by human hand. Attempting to do so is an insult to Allah (Q&A: Depicting
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§3. Some People Have Asymmetric Ties
In these two sections, it would be useful to draw distinctions over an idea that can occur to Muslims, a concept that has been debated by more than one person in Muslim culture: (1) the “God-given” role in religious and spiritual life or (2) the role of God in the creation of the cosmos. Aspects of Islamic theology, in particular, consider “majesty” and “majesty,” two words, that refer to the roles of God, his creation and his angels in the world. When describing how a person can be described as a God, the idea of a God in the creation of a universe or in a universe of angels is called “majesty,” “majesty,” and the term “majesty” is sometimes mentioned. For example, “The Virgin Mary” in the Quran (Q:87) describes the role of a God in the creation of a woman so that she will be considered a mother of a son and a wife. And “Ibn Sina” (Q:92) describes that role as being in a woman’s body which is her life.
Although the Islamic conception of a God is often viewed favorably, the fact that Muslim theologians have taken such a view is because it is considered an inappropriate way of teaching. Muslim scholars maintain that Islam, one of the most popular religions around, was founded on such an understanding of God, because of this interpretation, that human bodies are created equal to each other in such a way that men are endowed with the capacity for sex as a part of their body as well as the strength to fight. In other words, it is an expression of human sexuality to view life as a male-dominated and male-oriented form and to view this as the male sexual power and the female sexual power as feminine. As a result, there exists a contradiction to this view, as it would seem, when Muslims are arguing that the concept of the divine being in the creation of a universe only referred to man and woman, not both.
The Muslim perspective on the creation of the entire universe (the “God-given space” in the Holy Qur’aan) is also influenced by the way in which Muslims view human sexuality in relation to other human beings whose sexuality is not known to them. As Muslims say, the entire universe would seem to be made up of three things: God, the human body, and mankind. As regards human sexuality, there is often misinterpretation and denial by people seeking to understand God in a way that does not account for it. A Muslim may be able to see that there exists a god, but the person cannot know which side the man is on or to what extent he feels entitled to be with her. As a result, there is often ambiguity about the role that God and humanity have in the universe. Thus, for example, the term “God-given” (as in “God-given”) would not accurately describe people in Islamic culture, who know God to be the creator and that he is responsible for their human sexuality. However, a person in Islamic culture, having the capacity to give human sexuality is able to be in many ways recognized by one’s peers in Muslim society and as a fact that is not only acknowledged by the entire community. As the Prophet (swt. Qur’aan) said: “And do not act in a man’s way when he is not asked.” (Q:114:7)
§4. The