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Gallery: the Muhammad
cartoon crisis in pictures
by James Mayfield (Chairman, European Heritage Library)
 Print
this Article • About
the Author • Bibliography/Sources
The year of 2005 saw a bizarre
inter-cultural and inter-religious conflict that spanned across
the world, all sparked by a series of 12 cartoons in a small
newspaper of the tiny country of Denmark. It was a phenomenon
of incredible controversy that revealed a dormant and undeniable
clash between the political, cultural, social, and religious
values of European societies and Muslim immigrant communities
and led to much violence and property damage. From the Muslim
perspective, and quite understandably, the images were highly
offensive. It is unacceptable in Islam to depict God and any
prophet (at least the face of a female or male prophet). Further,
these images were perceived as additionally slandering the
Muslim prophet as a violent mendicant, and implied that Islam
-- and more importantly the Arab culture and its analogous
minority in Europe -- is inherently violent and obsolescent.
Although the artist subsequently claimed he did not intend
to depict the Arabs as objectionable, this is only a predictable
statement from an artist facing death threats.
In many ways as well, the
production of the cartoons was also used to signify how free
speech is used in the world. The Danish queen and society
refused to apologize according to many reports, masking dormant
cultural hatred under the guise of freedom. Europeans overwhelmingly
rallied in support of the right of the artist to publish his
(and most of Europe's) opinions, further emphasizing an already-growing
cultural conflict between natives and foreigners in Europe.
Embassies were bombed, burnt, and closed all across the Muslim
world. Jihad was summoned to deliver the protection of Islam
into the heart of the infidel. Websites were hacked for merely
reproducing the images. In most Muslim countries, it is punishable
by death to insult Muhammad or Islam, as has been practiced
since the 7th century. Muslims responded to the claim that
Islam was violent with violence, a strange response that brought
increased hatred against Muslims among most European cultures.
To the Muslims, however, they were defending their faith,
tradition, worldview, Holy Prophet, and social status in a
continent that they perceive as already racist and oppressive.
Overall, the bitter conflict revealed an inherent inter-cultural
incompatability of sorts, further encouraging natives to view
Muslims as violent because of their violent response, whilst
encouraging Muslims to further view Europeans as discriminatory
to the true faith.
Burning the Danish embassy
in Syria
The Danish embassy in Lebanon
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ABOUT
THE AUTHOR:
James Mayfield is a historian
and the Chairman of the European Heritage Library. I have
a Cum Laude BA in History with a Minor in Germanic Studies
(language and history), am presently working for my Masters
in History, and plan to immediately progress to my PhD Doctorate.
I have a special academic interest in Europe's diverse ethnic
identities, languages, and cultures, and the political struggles
of native European and immigrant minority identities. See
my staff entry for more information.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
USED:
No additional citations or
sources necessary.
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