Cultures in Conflict? Western Free Speech vs. Muslim Religious Sensitivities OR Radical Islamic Fundamentalists' Incitement to Terrorism Michael A. Bozarth,

Cultures in Conflict?

Western Free Speech vs. Muslim Religious Sensitivities

OR Radical Islamic Fundamentalists'

Incitement to Terrorism

Michael A. Bozarth, Ph.D.Department of Psychology

University at Buffalo

www.PsychologyofTerrorism.com

Copyright 2006 Michael A. Bozarth

The Cultural Conflict

• Western Culture has a tradition of free speech that spares no target• Nothing is safe from the Pope to the

President, from Jesus to the Buddha• Media, organizations, and individuals are

permitted to express offensive material, except when it blatantly promotes hatred or incites violence

“I don't agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” –Voltaire


• Muslim culture forbids the portrayal of Mohammed in any form• This is not actually proscribed in the Qur’an but is

the interpretation of most Islamic scholars who believe that portrayal of the Prophets (especially Mohammed but including Jesus, Moses, and others) might lead to idolatry

• Mosques do not contain images of humans or any form of icon but are sometimes decorated with artistically rendered passages from the Qur’an


Masjid-i Shāh (Royal Mosque)


The Action


The Reaction




“Muslims of the world, be reasonable... what brings more prejudice against Islam, these caricatures or pictures of a hostage-taker slashing the throat of his victim in front of the cameras or a suicide bomber who blows himself up during a wedding ceremony in Amman?”

Jihad Momani, Editor-in-ChiefShihane (02 February 2006)

Two Jordanian Tabloids Reproduced the Cartoons


• Momani (Shihane) has been fired and was arrested in Jordan—all editions of the popular paper were removed from the newsstands

• The editor of a second Jordanian tabloid (Al-Mehwar) has also been detained (this smaller tabloid actually published the cartoons 26 January 2006 in an article renouncing them)


Western Counter-Reaction

• The U.S. State Department and the Pope denounced the cartoons as inflammatory, but

• Additional newspapers reprinted the offensive Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad . . .• Austria, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Italy, Jordan,

Spain, Switzerland, Hungary, New Zealand, Norway, and Poland

• Newspapers in other countries with a free press have published the cartoons since the outbreak of rioting as an endorsement of free speech . . . Australia, Japan, Ukraine, United States, and others


• However, stories reporting the ‘story’ in the American media have generally displayed self-censorship by not reproducing the cartoons

• Ironically, many of the protestors in Europe and in the United States are violating Western laws by inciting violence against the West


London, 04 February 2006


The Real Conflict

• The conflict is deeper than just cultural conflicts

• It involves secular vs. Islamic law governing a nation and its people• The United States and many other Western

democracies have a clear separation of church and state

• Muslim countries are governed by secular or Islamic law, with even secular states (e.g., Egypt, Turkey) guided by Islamic law and tradition


• In conservative Muslim countries blasphemy is a criminal offense, often severely punished

• In Western democracies freedom of speech is protected except when it poses a threat to safety, incites violence, or promotes hatred—religions and their icons are not spared from ridicule

• Most of the Muslim world views the recent portrayal of Mohammed as blasphemous and as promoting hatred, with blasphemy being the more serious offense punishable (in some views) by death

• The fact that Western governments allow their free press to publish such material is seen as a government condoned attack on Islam and on the Muslim world


The US-Israeli Alliance

• Many Muslims charge this is another example of differential treatment by the West which discriminates against Muslims and favors Jews


From al-Quds, 02 February 2006

“This is racism!” “This is anti-Semitism!”

“This is freedom of speech!!”

Note that the images of Mohammed are absent from the drawings in the last panel.


Hidden Agenda?

• A few Muslims and many in the West see this as another excuse by radical Islamic fundamentalists to encourage terrorist attacks against the West and to recruit increasingly widespread support for their cause


Focus Questions

1. What are the limitations of free speech in the United States?

• What can’t you say or print?• Should there be more or fewer

restrictions?

2. How does this compare with other countries?

• In the Western world?• In the Muslim world?


Timeline—The Beginning

• 17 Sept. 2005: Danish newspaper Politiken published article describing the difficulty finding an illustrator for a children’s book on the life of Mohammed

• 30 Sept. 2005: Popular Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of the prophet to illustrate the problem

• 12-20 Oct. 2005: Ambassadors from 10 Muslim countries and the Palestinian representative in Denmark called the cartoons deeply offensive and demanded a meeting with the Danish Prime Minister

• 21 Oct. 2005: Danish Prime Minister refused to meet, indicated that this was a matter for the courts to decide

• 28 Oct. 2005: A coalition of Danish Muslim groups files a criminal complaint against Jyllands-Posten newspaper; after investigation no charges were filled by the Danish prosecutor


Timeline—The Agitation

• Dec. 2005: A Danish Muslim coalition visits the Middle East seeking support from religious and political leaders• The Muslim clerics were radical fundamentalists who had

already been active in agitating• Three additional “cartoons” were allegedly to the collection• These “cartoons” were much more offensive than those

published by the Danish newspaper• One shows Mohammed as a demonic pedophile• Another portrays Mohammed with a pig face• A third shows a Muslim worshipper being sexually mounted by

a dog• The source of the additional “cartoons” is unknown, but

they were not published by the Western media and could be total fabrications by the agitators


Timeline—The Reaction

• 04 Jan. 2006: The Secretary-General of the Arab League joins the protests

• 10 Jan. 2006: The Norwegian newspaper Magazinet reprints the cartoons

• 25 Jan. 2006: Saudi Arabia’s religious leaders demand an apology and call for the Jyllands-Posten newspaper to be punished

• 26 Jan. 2006: Saudi ambassador is recalled from Copenhagen; Danish companies in Riyadh report a boycott of Danish goods and supermarkets remove products from the shelves; Jordanian tabloid (Al-Mehwar) publishes “cartoons” with an article condemning them


Timeline—Tensions Escalate

• 01-02 Feb. 2006: The “cartoons” are reprinted in Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Iceland, Italy, Hungary, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland

• 02 Feb. 2006: Published by Jordanian tabloid (Shihane) calling for contained response

• 04 Feb. 2006: Protesters in Damascus attack the Danish and Norwegian embassies; South African court prohibits publication of “cartoons”

• 05 Feb. 2006: Protestors storm the Danish Embassy in Beirut

• 06 Feb. 2006: Violent protests and attacks spread to Afghanistan


Pig-Faced Mohammed?

One of the three added images is actually an Associated Press photograph (14 August 2005) from an agricultural festival held in southern France.


Fight Against Terrorism Scoreboard

RIF AgitatorsFree World & Progressive Muslims

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Cultures in Conflict? Western Free Speech vs. Muslim Religious Sensitivities OR Radical Islamic Fundamentalists' Incitement to Terrorism Michael A. Bozarth,

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