Now that Muslim rage has quieted somewhat over the dreaded cartoons of blasphemy, American media are suddenly finding the courage to publish them. The new edition of Harper’s features the cartoons with commentary by leftist illustrator Art Spiegelman: US satirist takes on Danish cartoons. (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin.)

NEW YORK - Controversial Danish cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad have been reprinted in a U.S. magazine with commentary by leading American cartoonist Art Spiegelman, who offers what he calls a “fatwa bomb meter” to rate their offensiveness.

Harper’s magazine published the article by Spiegelman in its June edition, available on newsstands Tuesday. It joins only a handful of U.S. outlets that have printed the cartoons, which provoked furious protests that killed 50 people.

In his attempt to distribute blame evenly to all sides, Spiegelman offers up a complete distortion of the reasons why Jyllands-Posten published the cartoons:

“The Jyllands-Posten — a newspaper with a history of anti-immigrant bias — seemed somewhat disingenuous when it wrapped itself in the mantle of free speech to invite cartoonists to throw pies at the face of Muhammad,” Spiegelman wrote.

And a Reuters report contains another idiotic quote:

Spiegelman noted that the cartoons appear “banal and inoffensive” to secular eyes, revealing a gulf in understanding. “To my secular eyes it seems like the real insult has been things like Abu Ghraib,” he said, referring to abuse of prisoners by U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

To Spiegelman, worldwide riots, violence, dozens of people killed, embassies burned, threats of beheading and terrorism, calls for the abolition of Western free speech ... these are all nothing compared to the horrors of Abu Ghraib.

The moonbat mentality in all its glory.

UPDATE at 5/17/06 9:39:15 am:

Borders Bookstores could get away with refusing to carry the small objectivist magazine Free Inquiry out of fear of radical Islam.

But Harper’s has a much higher profile, and impeccable left-wing credentials. What will Borders do now?