STRATFOR reports: “The Mohammed Cartoon Dust Has Not Settled”
Few would argue that the artistic community rightly loves freedom of expression. Whether its an artist in SoHo, a novelist in Vermont, or a movie director in Hollywood, the artistic community would justifiably condemn anyone who tried to limit his or her freedom of expression. And if it went beyond words—if one artist was physically threatened by some malevolent entity, the broader community of artists would conduct “consciousness raising events” to condemn the aggressor. They would demand action, insist on protection, and demonize those who made the threats. Unless …
STRATFOR, a non-partisan “global intelligence” organization, assesses an on-going threat to the artistic community:
“Upon careful reflection, however, it is hard to find any target set that has been more of a magnet for transnational jihadist ire over the past year than the small group of cartoonists and newspapers involved in the Mohammed cartoon controversy.”
STRATFOR delineates five Islamic terrorist operations uncovered during 2010 against the Danish Newspaper and the cartoonists who published the “Mohammed cartoons” in 2006. Included in the discussion is a “hit list” that encompassed filmmakers and novelists who have “insulted” Islam. Worse, STRATFOR’s projections indicate that the threat against artists is growing …