re: #189 Talking Point Detective

I’m on board with this reaction to the Koran-burning.

so…

As much as I think that cartoonists should certainly have the right to draw whatever cartoons they want, and as much as I find it abhorrent that anyone would commit violence because their religious icons were negatively portrayed in a cartoon - I also hold at least some of the Danish cartoonists involved responsible for the violence that ensued because some of the cartoons were drawn to be deliberately provocative.

Is there some distinction between the Koran burning and the cartoons that I’m missing?

Yes, I think there is a big distinction. First, those cartoons were not uniformly negative about Islam — several of them made positive statements. Political cartoons are much easier to see as a valid expression of free speech.

Burning a religion’s holy book is a very different thing. The only reason to do it is as an expression of hatred. It doesn’t make any point aside from this. It’s not criticism. It’s intended only to insult and degrade.

Both of these things are protected by the US constitution as they should be. But burning books is NOT the same as drawing political cartoons.