Something has been nagging at the back of my mind since this whole debacle began, but it was only this morning that I teased it all out.
The publication of the cartoons was provocative, to be sure. But they were cartoons drawn by an European artist, for an European-language newspaper, serving an European readership. These were not Arabic-language cartoons airdropped in some Islamic nation. Most of the non-European Muslims would have never heard about the cartoons had they not been so heavily publicized. Not only that, but they wouldn’t have understood them, because they’re in Danish. So why should they really care what is being published about them in a foreign country?
Ah — that’s the rub if it all. That’s where the double standard comes in, because Muslim publications routinely defame and insult Jews and Judaism. Where is the stink about that? If the freedom of press does not give license to insult people’s beliefs, as many Muslims are saying, why aren’t the imams condemning the anti-Semitism that’s so rampant in the Muslim world? Indeed, they are often promoting it.
Of course there are a significant number of European Muslims, and they — especially Danish Muslims — have every right to be upset. And to voice a complaint. And to justly point out that such cartoons unfairly stereotype Muslims as being terrorists. For not all Muslims are terrorists. In fact, the vast majority hate violence. So why should we judge all Muslims by the examples of the extremists who make the nightly news? Why judge so many Muslims by the actions of so few? Why judge so many Danes by the actions of so few?
They can’t have it both ways. Either there is such a thing as collective guilt and all Danes are responsible for the behavior of all other Danes and all Muslims are responsible for the behavior of all other Muslims, or…
And so that’s what gets me most about this — the double standards at every level.