COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- A Danish court on Thursday dismissed a lawsuit filed by Muslim organizations against the newspaper that first published the Prophet Mohammed cartoons that touched off protests in the Islamic world.
The City Court in Aarhus said it could not be ruled out that some Muslims had been offended by the 12 drawings printed in Jyllands-Posten, but said there was no reason to assume that the cartoons were meant to "belittle Muslims."
Who cares whether the cartoons were meant to belittle Muslims. That's not exactly the point. The point is whether I can express my opinion about any topic I want. Whether it's my favorite color, political statements, or criticism of a cult of violence and death. Granted, it's harder to express yourself in Europe than in the US, because you can be successfully prosecuted for offensive speech in some countries. Fortunately, based on this dismissal, Denmark isn't one of them.
If this had been an issue involving a depiction of Jesus, Moses, or one of the many incarnations of Buddha, this would have largely been a non-issue. Sure there would have been some people upset. But I can guarantee that there would be few, if any, calling for death and/or dismemberment. The worst would be people saying it was in bad taste. There definitely would not be world-wide riots and outrage as a result.
The seven Muslim groups filed the defamation lawsuit against the paper in March, after Denmark's top prosecutor declined to press criminal charges, saying the drawings did not violate laws against racism or blasphemy.
There are laws against blasphemy? What the hell? How can it be blasphemy if you don't even believe their tripe? And last I looked, Denmark was not part of the Caliphate.
The lawsuit said the cartoons depict Mohammed "as belligerent, oppressing women, criminal, crazy and unintelligent, and a connection is made between the Prophet and war and terror."
Oh, this is rich. Could the depiction possibly be a result of the fact that Islam itself is belligerent, oppresses women, and is composed insane asshats who embrace death and chaos? Who can blame people for assuming your "Prophet" is part of the whole deal? I mean, you obviously put a lot of stock into what he has said. It's not such a far leap to figure that he must espouse these ideas. Look at how Islamics in the Middle East act. You get judged on actions, not intentions. Although, in this case I think that Islams actions truly do reflect its intentions.
Islam, it's time to act like an adult member of the world's religions. These tantrums don't solve anything. If anything it just pisses people off. Even Europeans, who are known for tolerating and accommodating almost anything in the name of multi-culturalism, are getting a little irritated.
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