More Speech

Violent protests continue to sweep the Muslim world in reaction to a series of provocative cartoons in a Danish newspaper, one of which depicted the Prophet with a bomb for a turban. Commentary in the blogosphere includes statements by MoorishGirl, Andrew Sullivan, and the View from Fès.

Apparently, while the cartoons have inspired protests in Morocco, the reportage I have seen indicates that they have been happily nonviolent. This is clearly the appropriate response to offensive speech — more speech. However tasteless and offensive the cartoons, the best answer is reasoned criticism, even boycotts, but not death threats and arson.

Mark Twain once quipped that in America we are blessed with freedom of speech and the wisdom not to use it. I absolutely believe that the Danes have a free speech right to publish caricatures of religious figures, including the Prophet, just as the Arab press has a right to publish tasteless and offensive caricatures of Jews and Judaism. That they choose to do so does not necessarily speak well of them.