Your Danish Cartoons Hangover Update

* Jakob Illeborg brings word that a bomb exploded in downtown Copenhagen yesterday morning, and also digs into the issue of whether or not the Danish cartoons are at the heart of the violence and fire-setting in Denmark.

* one letter-writer suggests that before anyone can justify the republication of the bomb-as-turban cartoon based on the arrest of the three men accused of trying to assassinate cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, it might be worth finding out if that arrest was 100 percent just.

* original Danish Muhammed caricatures Editor Flemming Rose has a fascinating post up about one of the foreign publications banned from Egypt for republishing the bomb-as-turban cartoon being the Wall Street Journal. First, he (correctly, I'm certain) identifies this as the first time a major US newspaper published any of the cartoons. Second, he notes that another newspaper republished the cartoons without incident. Whereas I think he may be getting at some sort of fundamental hypocrisy or capriciousness in the protests, I think this supports the theory that to a certain degree, in some cases, what's being protested isn't just the simple fact of publication but the circumstances by which such publication takes place.

* one political prisoner targeted by the US released in Belarus; Alyaksandr Zdvizhkow still imprisoned.

* a lot of folks are joining this person in chastising UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon for his statement that free speech needs to respect religious belief. I'm with the chastisers. Free speech doesn't need to respect anything, although I do believe that folks who practice in free speech that's harmful or upsetting to other folks are certainly fair game for lawful and non-violent protest, objection and even reprisal.

* more on the demonstrations in Indonesia here, here and here.

* speaking of Jakarta, that seems to be where opposition to the images being on Wikipedia is strongest.

* one unnamed Iraqi official warns that the republication plays into the hands of extremists.

* a Yemeni organization joins the chorus in that country decrying the republication. Bangladeshi officials agree.
 
posted 9:20 am PST | Permalink
 

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