Jyllans-Posten needs to explain itself (anti-Islamic cartoons)

[IndianaGreen]

Here is a press release from Danish industry.

27-01-2006

Jyllans-Posten needs to explain itself

Open letter to Jyllands-Posten from the Confederation of Danish Industries.

It is now time for the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten to use its freedom of expression to explain its own reaction to the fact that drawings of the prophet Mohammed, published in September 2005, have offended the feelings of a large number of people. Since the publication of the drawings, the editors of the newspaper have remained silent and chosen not to comment on the consequences of the drawings.

Obviously, Danish companies are in no way direct parties in the dispute between Jyllands-Posten and religious leaders. Nevertheless, companies have experienced a number of repercussions in the Arab World during the past week: boycotting of their products, cancellations of sales and project meetings, lost orders etc. Furthermore, the personal safety of their employees is now also at stake. In this way, Danish companies and their employees are paying for the unsolved dispute between the newspaper and religious groups. This situation calls for a reaction from the editors of Jyllands-Posten.

In our view, it is no longer sufficient just to discuss whether a newspaper has the right to publish drawings of the prophet Mohammed. Our freedom of expression does not make us unaccountable for our actions. Accepting its responsibility in this respect, Jyllands-Posten now has to show whether it has any sympathy and respect for the people whose feelings have been hurt by the publishing of the drawings. It is now that the newspaper's editors have to break their silence in this respect.

Freedom of expression is one of the basic values of our society, but until now Jyllands-Posten has only invoked this freedom to explain its actions. I now urge the newspaper to acknowledge the fact that many people have been offended and that this has negative consequences for third parties who are not directly involved.

Yours sincerely

Hans Skov Christensen
Director General, CEO
The Confederation of Danish Industries

http://www.di.dk/DI/English/Press+Release/Jyllands-Posten+needs+to+explain+itself.htm

[Wilms]

1. These guys need a PR firm, too.

Their profits, employee's safety, OK. But no expressed concern over the death and destruction?

[IndianaGreen]

2. Press release is dated January 27, before the deaths and destruction

I will point out that all the deaths were in Afghanistan and they were caused by government troops firing into a crowd.

[Wilms]

3. Ooops! Appreciate you setting me straight. n/t

[McKenzie]

4. it's not only the consequences that need to be considered

the burning question is WTF do it in the first place? What was the purpose? Who exercised editorial judgement as to the likely effect? ETC.

If the cartoons had appeared in a major western newspaper (sorry Danes, no disrespect meant) then there would have been allegations of provocation. Much more difficult to level such a charge against a nation not usually associated with political/ethnic controversy.

Something is not right here.

[Wilms]

5. Good points.

Had it appeared in the US, I'd imagine a lot of Danes, perhaps even the Jyllans-Posten (if it was a slow news week :eyes: ), expressing concern.

I do wonder if there was any concern expressed in Denmark immediately upon release (before the ME reacted).

I visited there, and while I experienced people who'd resonate with the Jyllans-Posten attitude, there were many, many, fair-minded (as well as fair skinned!) people I enjoyed. To be fair, a community like I never met other than here on DU. So I wonder what they've been thinking.

[Monkey see Monkey Do]

6. (copied from a previous post of mine) the background to it

In mid-September there was an article in another Danish paper about the difficulty a writer was having getting an illustrator to work on his childrens book about Mohammed's life. According to the author, the various illustrators he spoke to were too afraid of fundamentalist retribution - citing the murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh & more recent physical attacks on academics in Denmark by Islamic fundamentalists. This article sparked off a debate in the Danish media about free speech, Islam and European secular society. Jyllands-Posten asked a load of cartoonists to provide drawings of Mohammed. The twelve who responded were published in the paper at the end of the month, along with an editoral that read:

"The modern, secular society is rejected by some Muslims. They demand a special position, insisting on special consideration of their own religious feelings. It is incompatible with contemporary democracy and freedom of speech, where you must be ready to put up with insults, mockery and ridicule. It is certainly not always equally attractive and nice to look at, and it does not mean that religious feelings should be made fun of at any price, but that is less important in this context. (...) we are on our way to a slippery slope where no-one can tell how the self-censorship will end. That is why Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten has invited members of the Danish editorial cartoonists union to draw Muhammad as they see him."

Also it's worth remembering that not all the cartoons depicted Mohammed, or were in any way anti-Islamic - obviously the best example of the latter is this one:



and the "PR Stunt" one (although admittedly, that sort of represents Mohammed as a stick figure).

[CJCRANE]

8. The subtitle below the cartoon

kinda gives the game away: "On the blackboard it says in Persian with Arabic letters that 'Jyllands-Posten's journalists are a bunch of reactionary provocateurs' ".

[Dutch]

7. Big business ranks profits ahead of free-speech- no great surprise.

[muriel_volestrangler]

9. And the paper did publish this the next day

Original in Danish

English version