You may think that the cartoon row was a crazy frenzy on both sides. The truth is the cartoon row was designed to make EU's middle east policy closer to that of the US by creating a misunderstanding of Islam and hindering dialogue between the EU and the muslim and arab worlds. Until now, the EU was the main contributor to the Palestinian aid.
Not content of destructing the Palestinian infrastructure during the second intifada, paid for by the EU after the Oslo accords and before the second intifada, Zionists worked hard to plant the misunderstanding between the EU and Islam.
Clearly, the hysteric reaction of muslims across the arab and muslim worlds to the not funny and not so smart cartoons have created a profound misunderstanding. My european secular husband, despite being well educated on the many issues of the middle east and the arab world, couldn't understand the reaction otherwise than pure fanatism. I tried hard to explain to him that: 1) fanatism per se is not mainstream among muslims and 2) people in the arab street marched in protest because they were manipulated by their rulers to do so in order for these contested rulers (Syrian and Saudis for example) to gain legitimacy among their people and that this manipulation was made possible by the frustrations of ordinary muslims and arabs to what they perceive as the hypocrisy and the double standards of the west.
I can easily imagine that, beyond clichés, the cartoon row encouraged some already tired and harrassed european diplomats into 'divesting' from the Palestinain authority under the rule of an Islamist organisation. That was exactly the purpose of pro-zionists americans and right-wing Danish* and they clearly won.
*It seems that the Editor of the Jyllandposten who published the cartoons had close ties to pro-zionist americans and the most notorious of them, Daniel Pipes.
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Since March 29th 2006
11 comments:
Jyllandposten had been known to harbour anti-Islamic elements: there had been trouble in their hometown regarding these issues before. This was not an exercise in free speech, as is claimed so often.
What I fail to understand is why some radical clerics, months after the publication, decided to kick up such a storm of protest, something which in the end played firmly into the hands of those opposing a solution for Palestine, those calling for the "clash of civilisations" and all the other Western wingnuts, including the "nuke Iran" crowd.
Gert,
I had an interesting exchange on this matter with a Danish blogger (he is in my links). It seems that a good part of danish muslims are on the way of integration. One of them even joined the governement of Rassmussen. The other muslims were not happy with the outcome and they jumped on the publication of the cartoon as a cause for them to fight in its name and to raise their popularity among the danish diaspora.
What is interesting in this story is that it is not true that muslims cannot adopt the values of their host country. many muslism are on the way of integration in Europe, nobody speaks about this and of course other muslims are not happy with this poutcome. it is interesting to see that saudi Arabia, the country who fought secularism all the way in arab countries and financed Islamists fundamentalists, was the first to respond to the plight of the Danish mullahs.
Saudi rulers are the most obscurantists of arab rulers. They know that they are in danger and they are ready to do anything to keep their power, even if it means playing in the hands of the neo-cons and Bush. Since sept 11, tehy are litterally frightened that Bin Laden might put an end to their rule and they are keeping close to the mightiest of this world, just to protect their privileges and their rule.
hamas understood that and hamas understood that saudi rulers cannot do that without some kind of legitimacy from the people by financing the hungry and starved PA and I think Hamas will be playing this card because right now it is the only one it can play. I don't know if it is in their (Hamas) interest but they don't have much choice.
Dear Sophie,
I’m not sure this is durable paradigmatic shift in the EU’s Middle-Easter policy…
I hope not.
At this (early) stage, this looks more like a token alignment of Brussels with TeX-Aviv: it shouldn’t last very long… if the prudish Gaza strippers don’t overreact e.g. say by starting to issue some anti-European fatwas.
These bearded Salafi zealots are capable of the worst kind of dogmatic jingoistic gesticulation: in that, as in many other aspects, they are the ideological brothers in arms of the Neocons and of the Israeli far right!
In the long run, I think Europe might be tempted to retract into a “splendidly isolationist” stance to avoid being caught in the US vs. Ummah crossfire
Dear Victorino,
''In the long run, I think Europe might be tempted to retract into a “splendidly isolationist” stance to avoid being caught in the US vs. Ummah crossfire''.
Lets hope not but this is what is happening. However, There rae geographical and demographical considerations that might prevent the european from doing so.
The question is whether the publication of the cartoons should be considered a school boy prank on the part of Jyllandsposten, or if there are right wing political reasons. Even though Flemming Rose was an admirer of Daniel Pipes he did not intend it to be a zionist attack on muslims.
You're right that what is interesting in a wider context are the wildly overblown reactions, and what the reason of consequences of these reactions are. It is probably the biggest boost to Al Queda that anyone could imagine.
Cosmic Duck,
I wanted to tell you that if you ever visit Beyrouth, in Front of the national museum (you have to cross two wide streets but you can see the snack from the outside stairs of the museum), there is a snack owned by a muslim lebanese who lived in danemark. I chatted with him last summer. He was unhappy with his decision to move back to lebanon. Beyond the security situation in Lebanon he cited among other things that he was perfectly happy in Danemark and it was his wife who pushed him to move back.
"he was perfectly happy in Danemark and it was his wife who pushed him to move back"
Guess that's just one more case of "cherchez la femme" as the former colonial rulers of Sambuseckistan used to say
:)
The cartoon row was the result of a Zionist conspiracy.
There is no doubt about it.
Who would gain more from a clash between europe and the muslim countries ?
The Zionists.
If you want to find more in depth information about Zionist crimes open this link in a new window
This latest anon is almost certainly "solitarioh2500", the same internet troll who's been accusing me and others of anti-Semitism, simply for taking a critical stance on Israel's policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians. On one of his "blogs" he calls me a "British anti-Semite". I just call him a twat (and I don't resort to name calling easily).
He also goes by the nom de plume "anonimoh2005". This guy simply refuses to argue with an open visor. Sad git...
This latest anon is almost certainly "solitarioh2500"
I am not 2500.
I am 2005.
:)
To Sophia. Thanks for your comments in my blog.
I did reply to them, already.
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