This debate is very simple. When cartoons of Muhammad lead to violence, who’s to blame? Is it A.) the drawer of the cartoon, B.) the people who showcase the cartoons at a rally on a public square, or C.) the hypersensitive Muslims who become unhinged and commit assault because the cartoons were in their presence.
Before you answer, check out this Der Spiegel article:
A group of radical Muslims attacked police in the German city of Solingen on Tuesday during a far-right demonstration, injuring four. They were provoked by the anti-Islamic Pro NRW party, which displayed cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Officials had warned that the publicity stunt could spark violence.
Radical Islamists attacked police in the western German city of Solingen on Tuesday in protest of a far-right demonstration where anti-Islamic cartoons had been put on display.
Some 30 Salafists were arrested after injuring three police officers and a passerby by throwing stones and wielding poles from protest banners, police said. Pro NRW, categorized as an extremist right-wing group by Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, had staged a demonstration near a Salafist mosque in Solingen.
The violence erupted when Pro NRW demonstrators showed controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad drawn by Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard. One of his drawings was among a series of cartoons published by Danish newspapers in 2005 that led to worldwide protests by Muslims, who were offended by the pictures. Many Muslims believe that visual depictions of Muhammad should be prohibited.
Note the verbiage of the first paragraph. Instead of identifying the radical Muslims as hypersensitive fundamentalists, the people holding the cartoons are labeled as right wing extremists who provoked them.
Apparently, German authorities are of a similar mindset:
German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich warned last weekthat the cartoon contest and the demonstrations near mosques could lead to violent clashes and also endanger German embassies and companies abroad.
At some point, shouldn’t free speech trump hypersensitivity?
It sounds like the demonstrators were simply implementing one of Sun Tzu’s tactics in Art of War:
If your opponent is of choleric temper, try to irritate him.
h/t Weasel Zippers