Was this the right decision?

[Semiremis]

Quote:

Yale University Press has decided against reprinting the Danish cartoons of the prophet Muhammad in a book examining the controversy, after being advised by Islam and counterterrorism experts that doing so could incite violence.

As well as leaving out the 12 cartoons which provoked riots across the Islamic world in 2006, Yale also bowed to recommendations not to include any other illustrations of Muhammad, including a 19th century sketch by Gustave Doré of Muhammad in Hell from Dante's Inferno, in the book, The Cartoons That Shook the World.

Author Jytte Klausen said the book had been ready to go to print when the illustrations were pulled, after Yale received some "quite alarmist" statements from experts to whom it had sent the title. A professor of politics at a Massachusetts university, Klausen argued for inclusion of the cartoons in the book, which is due out in November in the US and January in the UK. "People think they know the cartoons and actually, by printing the cartoons, I'm arguing that some of them are Islamophobic, and in the tradition of anti-Semitism. If we can't look at them, how can we discuss this?" she said today.

Full article here

I personally don't really understand the mentality behind all of the anger and threats of violence expressed by Muslims especially when it's happening in the western world. What I'm wondering about is whether or not Yale University Press made the right decision. I guess this could also tie into the religious tolerance subject but it also conflicts with freedom of expression. I'm not at all throwing my support in with those who insult Islam but I kind of see this as caving into pressures and sending a message that freedom of speech and [removed](no matter how insulting or vulgar it may be) is something that isn't worth as much anymore. Then again, I'm not too fond of the idea that if they did include the pictures that it might possibly incite violence. In any case, it was an interesting article.  

[Vasilius Konstantinos]

Its Yale's choice if they wish to fight off a politico-religious debate, and they chose not to. Sad, but it happens due tom pressure.

Its still a decision as Yale has the right to print the images and have the choice to do so.  

[VivoDePyre]

To say Muslims were against it would be like saying that the Jews killed Jesus or that the Christians rape young boys. People from the Muslim faith did it because to them, Muhammad is a sacred icon and the cartoon was a mockery of their faith. We have people over here that get pissed when Jesus looks funny, I can recall a person on Gaia complaining that Neo from the Matrix was based on Jesus.

Of course we have the right to print whatever we want here, but they also have the right to be pissed at us. Yale didn't want to start an argument so they just didn't. It's no big deal, they respected their wishes.  

[Semiremis]

VivoDePyre

To say Muslims were against it would be like saying that the Jews killed Jesus or that the Christians rape young boys. People from the Muslim faith did it because to them, Muhammad is a sacred icon and the cartoon was a mockery of their faith. We have people over here that get pissed when Jesus looks funny, I can recall a person on Gaia complaining that Neo from the Matrix was based on Jesus.

Of course we have the right to print whatever we want here, but they also have the right to be pissed at us. Yale didn't want to start an argument so they just didn't. It's no big deal, they respected their wishes.

sweatdrop Thanks for pointing that out. I was just reading over what I wrote and realized how poorly I phrased it but I was only referring to the particular ones who reacted in such a way which of course isn't all Muslims and probably not even be most of them. My bad.

A lot of people over here get upset with all of the anti-Christian vitriol and disrespectful portrayals of Christ and different aspects of the faith but you don't usually see Christians in the western world out protesting by shouting and calling for blood when that happens and there you have a slight distinction. The Islamic faith is beautiful to me but the fact that the hatred and the call for violence is spreading into other cultures is a bit disconcerting.  

[Semiremis]

Vasilius Konstantinos

Its Yale's choice if they wish to fight off a politico-religious debate, and they chose not to. Sad, but it happens due tom pressure.

Its still a decision as Yale has the right to print the images and have the choice to do so.

Yeah definitely. I'm just undecided on whether their decision is a good thing or not.  

[Apacelull]

It seems to be a good thing if they're trying to keep harm away from their students. Their goal isn't to show that religion doesn't have any kind of influence on them and that they could do whatever they want.

I do hate the Muslims who are against the depiction of Muhammed in an offensive manner so much that they result to violence. Please, find something better to do, like saving other people or something. At least be useful...  

[Mei tsuki7]

This is a touchy subject. On one hand they should be able to print it because of freedom of speech but it is against the Quran and the Muslim religion to have any pictures of Mohammed so it falls under freedom of religion. It can go either way.  

[LordKhrima]

Yeah, seems like the smart choice. Not printing twelve cartoons in order to keep from disturbing the piece seems like a no brainer to me. Though it is sad that people get that upset over their beliefs not being adhered to be others.  

[hachi_ ateyou]

Separate but equal? Your black but you have totally different rights then whites. We make fun of Jews and Muslims but since we are more scared of Muslims we'll take the cartoons out so our building will stay in tact.

So I guess laws to persecute people for killing people and terrorism aren't working because people are still scared of them in their own "safe country"?  

[Kreazdor]

I think Yale made the right decision. Having the right to put blots of ink in certain patterns on peices of paper any way you want isn't worth getting people killed in more riots and violent demonstrations. It's just picking your battles, ya know? They could've won the battle for their freedom of speech in the matter, but it just wasn't really worth the cost.  

[p934]

أسْمِي نويل

I think Yale should have printed them. Despite the impression that the entire "Muslim World" was outraged and offended, most of that outrage seems to have been orchestrated by extremists. A newspaper in Egypt reprinted the cartoons and nobody even cared. It is extremists that have stirred people up. Furthermore, as the book's author mentioned, there is the aspect of Islamophobia. If the cartoons are not printed, the people against Islam and the extremists in the name of Islam both win.

الّسَلامُ عَلِيْكُم

 

[vampirate tsukinu]

p934

أسْمِي نويل

I think Yale should have printed them. Despite the impression that the entire "Muslim World" was outraged and offended, most of that outrage seems to have been orchestrated by extremists. A newspaper in Egypt reprinted the cartoons and nobody even cared. It is extremists that have stirred people up. Furthermore, as the book's author mentioned, there is the aspect of Islamophobia. If the cartoons are not printed, the people against Islam and the extremists in the name of Islam both win.

الّسَلامُ عَلِيْكُم

pirate  

[chessiejo]

the point of most of the cartoons was that the dignity of this major faith had been harmed through the actions of extremists and terrorists.

guess who didn't like that message, then?

to me the issue seems more political than religious.  

[SchizoSpazz]

p934

أسْمِي نويل

I think Yale should have printed them. Despite the impression that the entire "Muslim World" was outraged and offended, most of that outrage seems to have been orchestrated by extremists. A newspaper in Egypt reprinted the cartoons and nobody even cared. It is extremists that have stirred people up. Furthermore, as the book's author mentioned, there is the aspect of Islamophobia. If the cartoons are not printed, the people against Islam and the extremists in the name of Islam both win.

الّسَلامُ عَلِيْكُم

I'm with her on that one. Although I am not mad at Yale for not printing the cartoons, the point seems to be that the context of the joke must be understood, and maybe Muslims are the only ones who truly get it. Where they printed the cartoons in Cairo, with a high Muslim population, they could of gotten it and not gotten extremely offended.
I'm in Utah, which is a high Mormon population, and it's like 'we can crack Mormon jokes all we want, especially if you're in the faith, because we get the whole picture. If anyone else says anything like that, it's from a place of hatred, and you are in the wrong and can't say anything like that.' I guess what I'm saying is that in the end, maybe nobody was wrong.  

[xXiMay]

Okay. Whys everyone posting about muslims... And how can they draw Prophet Muhammad (swt). Nobody knows how Muhammad looks.