Kerfuffles

February, the month of love, has begun with the clashing of cultures in America and Europe, brought about by newspaper cartoons which some found offensive.

The Pentagon brass were offended by an image in the Washington Post which portrayed an injured soldier. No, the Joint Chiefs did not call in air strikes, but they did write a letter to the Post expressing their displeasure. Contrast that civilized reaction to the behavior of Muslims in Europe who were offended by the portraying of their prophet in print.

Most of us come across images, including cartoons, on the Internet, or in newspapers, which offend us, but in free societies we try not to restrict such forms of speech. Around the Internet are sites showing video of Muslims beheading Infidels, yet it is an inanimate object- a drawing - that is being condemned, not murder of a human. At this very moment, in a Muslim land, a young American woman is under threat of death by Islamists, yet her plight, as was the case with previous hostages, does not cause as much alarm amongst Muslims as a few cartoons created by non-believers.

The cartoon pictured here, “Kids and Parents”, caused much consternation for American Muslims when it appeared in “The Palm Beach Post” back in 2002. There was outrage and protestations, yet this cartoon does not display an image of Mohammad. It was demonstrating the evil of a religion which encourages children to become suicide bombers. Muslim organizations like CAIR protested this cartoon but never protested the gruesome reality that the cartoon revealed.

“Expose the Left” has more on the anti-troop cartoon from CNN. Michelle Malkin has pictures and video of the Mohammad cartoons, and Outside the Beltway is blogging about “Muslims’ Day of Anger”.

As … Appeals Intensify for Reporter’s Release | csmonitor.com

Some of the Arab world’s most influential Muslim leaders, as well as human rights groups and politicians, are calling for the release of Ms. Carroll, whose captors have threatened to kill her if all women prisoners in coalition custody in Iraq are not released.

This is certainly a harbinger for hope in the Muslim world, when members of Islam can see the injustice of the threatened murder of an innocent young woman, and they have courage enough to condemn it. Even today, finally, after the date of her execution has passed, CAIR has come down on the side of Jill Carroll as an American reporter who was only doing her job and does not deserve to be kidnapped and killed. The headline in Ajazeero blazes that the American Muslim organization, CAIR, has dispatched a delegation to secure Carroll’s release. That seems good news, as CAIR, specialists in the art of “PR”, probably know from their nefarious connections with the Islamist world that Jill Carroll is still unharmed. Pray that it is so, and pray for her family who love her and long for her safe return.

Careless “Too Cairful” CAIR

The blogosphere is in a kerfuffle over the latest CAIR lunacy. “Jihad Watch” found evidence of more CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) fraud and this one is hilarious.

What happens when a woman shows up at a CAIR photo shoot without properly covering her hair with a hijab? No problem! The CAIR brotherhood has big fat marking pens, just for that Islamic PC dilemma. Yes indeed they do, and you can view the result of the brothers’ artistic skills upon the doctored photograph originally published at their website. They have since purged it, however “Jihad Watch” captured the less than professional result as they report in “Stalinism at CAIR: photo doctored for Islamic correctness“.

Such mild reaction to a woman’s public indiscretion actually should be cause for celebration amongst the non-Islamist public, as this PC moment is a more civilized punishment than is often encountered when Muslim females attempt to imitate brazen Western hussies. For the unforgivable sin of displaying her forelocks in public, the CAIR brothers did NOT stone her to death, nor behead her, so we must at least give them credit for controlling their ingrained impulses. Although they inflicted cruel and inhumane psychological humiliation upon her persona by portraying her as a horror movie Grizelda witch, they did her no physical harm. Be grateful for civil improvements amongst the uncivilized whenever they be found.

Image from The Jawa Report. Tracked at basil’s blog Lunch, Mudville Gazette’s Open Post, Point Five and Wizbang’s “Are You Going to Believe Us or Your Lying Eyes?“.