Originally posted by JaTo: I believe that those who have been rioting and those who put forth the cartoon would do well to heed the following:
"People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use."
-Soren Kierkegaard
Good one, JaTo. I may use that quote in the future, and will certainly try to keep it in my personal repertoire.
There's a lot to consider in this story besides free speech, as we've discovered. The effect this has on Muslim - Western relations & the troops in the field, Muslims seemingly imposing their belief system on others, and just plain tolerance, courtesy, and/or forethought on all sides. Complex situation, indeed.
After all the debate, I really don't know where I stand on this - especially considering I have been a newspaperman myself. One thing I do know, the offense was not worth the cost of a single life. IMHO, the Muslim community must rise up to help put an end to the terror tactics & inhumane behavior that fueled the creation of such cartoons.
Goonz is in a very difficult spot as a Muslim. I assume he abhors the killings, I know he abhors the poor press that resulted, and he feels helpless to change things for the better. It will take courage & strength of numbers for the Muslim community to overcome the poor image that has been painted by the terror groups, but the solution is within their reach if they would only grasp it
