A mistake for freedom of the press.
In any case, the complaint against the cartoon was so ludicrous that if Politiken’s editors had any sense they shouldn’t even have even written a pro forma letter acknowledging receipt. The groups that the Saudi lawyer claimed to be acting on behalf of “94,923 of Mohammed’s descendants”. Now I know he got around, but 94,923? Really? Are they sure? Mind you, in my experience it is hard to find people who don’t claim to be descendants of Mohammed once the cartoons start flying. The last such claimant (against the author Mark Steyn) was Canadian.
The problems that will come from this, and the implications it will have for the free press in free countries, may take some time to emerge. But to pose the question baldly: why should people who claim to be descended from a dead historical figure have their feelings respected any more than anyone else?
Post a comment
Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.