Cartoon controversy suggests potential victory strategy for Islamists
The Islamic uproar over the Mohammed cartoons has succeeded wildly. The international MSM have been cowed into self-censorship over a practice of long standing and a controversy, in part, trumped up. CNN, NBC, the NYT and many others have shown outraged Muslims, but not the source of the overwrought and inappropriate outrage, the cartoons themselves. (For example, the WaPo has four entirely different articles and a slideshow of outrage, but we can’t find the cartoons anywhere.)
The ease with which the MSM were intimidated suggests a strategy for victory for the Islamists. They should forget the bombs and the guns and focus on outrage and intimidation. They should take as their model the anti-smoking movement. Forty years ago, cigarette ads were the largest source of evening TV revenue. Forty years ago, there were no warnings on cigarettes, and there were large smoking sections on airplanes. Forty years ago, there was an ashtray on every table in a restaurant, and you would be thought odd and intrusive if you asked the person at the next table not to light up. The anti-smoking movement proceeded in baby steps. Now the world is different. Forty years goes by quickly.
The Islamists should focus on getting those things banned and censored that they deem “offensive” to Muslims, just little things at first, like the cartoons and piglet. The MSM will respond favorably to the pressure, particularly if the term “racist” is thrown around a bit. We’d suggest as a next step that Muslims insist that Mohammed’s name never appear in print in the West without the honorific “pbuh” or “saw” after his name. It is an outrage to Muslims around the world not to do so! (Cue mass demonstrations.) The next step might be to make it an outrage! if Islam is not given equal billing whenever Christianity is mentioned in the West. And on and on. And it is not just the MSM-Left that can be co-opted in this way. There are plenty of family values issues on which Muslims could make common cause with conservatives. In far less than forty years, moving in little steps, Hamas might become mainstream and Israel uprooted to someplace in Europe.
The good news for the West, if indeed there is any good news, is that the Muslim street seems to have no ability to moderate its behavior and modulate its emotions. Boiling the frog without a fight is best done by turning the heat up very slowly; the Islamists want the heat turned to high immediately. Thus, if the West seems effete and over-civilized, the Islamic world seems just the opposite. So perhaps the West will wake up. But perhaps not. It is wise to remember that Rome fell to people such as these.
UPDATE
A nice bit from one of the WaPo pieces:
“Bin Laden our beloved, Denmark must be blown up,” protesters in Ramallah chanted…..”If they want a war of religions, we are ready,” Hassan Sharaf, an imam in Nablus, said in his sermon.
UPDATE II
Via Michelle Malkin, our point on moderation and modulation is illustrated well. “Exterminate,” “holocaust” — hmmm, that has kind of a WWII feel to it, doesn’t it? We were also reminded, via Powerline, that it is very hard to look at that Holocaust woman above and not think of this particular Danish cartoon on the right. BTW, shame on our State Department.
February 3rd, 2006 at 10:11 am
They should forget the bombs and the guns and focus on outrage and intimidation.
It is really scarey that you have hit the predict nail right on the head -this will happen prbably in this order. Mainstream media censorship has long been acceptable to them -try to find a pictute of a partial birth abortion in any MSM. they have censored it. Try to find a movie(film) about a decent Catholic priest -you won’t find it. Try to find a column showing motherhood and stay-at -home MOMs as role models -you wont find it.
February 3rd, 2006 at 12:58 pm
“It is wise to remember that Rome fell to people such as these.”
So true. The radical Islamists have a will to power that is breathtaking in its ferocity, and the leadership of the west (political, media, intellectual) has allowed itself to be intimidated and thus seeks to accommodate, if possible, these murderous impulses. I say the “leadership,” however, because I have no doubt that the average American citizen would have no patience for such violent protests if they occurred here. If such were to happen in this country (say, in Brooklyn or Detroit) I predict law enforcement would be deployed to protect the Islamists from American mobs, not the other way around.
February 3rd, 2006 at 1:18 pm
I have written about the Canadians’ slumber vis a vis the impending doom Islam and the hatred found in Al-Koran will eventually poison in the long term the cultural mosaic of Canada.
In some ways it has already begun. A fish rots from the head. A society rots from the head of government, political parties, or corporations. In the following cases, all are appeasers of Islam and are very influential to the less informed; i.e., most Canadians.
1) Government > Paul Martin Jr. Former PM Paul Martin Jr an appeaser of Islam. In December of 2005 he said that Muslim values are Canadian values.
He is proof that the apple does not fall far from the tree. His father supported U Thant to remove UNEF troops in 1967 leaving Israel alone. He was the Canadian Foreign Minister at the time. Do not wait for our media to tell you that.
2) Media > Michael Harris of 580 CFRA ( http://www.cfra.com, 1 – 3 PM Ottawa time )
The culprit is Ottawa talk show host Michael Harris CFRA 580; hard left.Mr Harris voted for the left wing party NDP which captured 29.5% of the Canadian left wing freak vote.
Michael Harris shocked even me on September 10, 2001 for agreeing with the following comment from a caller: “ Zionism is responsible for the problems of the Middle East”.
Mr Harris. February 2, 2:15 PM to 3:00 PM station CFRA, stated the following:
1) agrees with the Muslim display of anger re: those “ 12 cartoons” that The British still refuse to publish- no criticism of it and mentioned the words ” the prophet” at least 5x in a period of 45 minutes
2) disagrees with the issue of free speech and Danish PM Rasmussen for defending free speech- I doubt very much he even saw the 12 cartoons which upsets the muslim world being unable to describe more than one
3) blames the cartoons for the kidnapping of a German national in Nablus
4) rude to those callers who do not agree with him
5) refused to even discuss the beheadings, kidnappings, gang rapes, so common in the
Muslim world.
6) insisted on referring to Islam as the religion of peace more than once.
7) used the phrase “ Muslim militancy is a fact of life “
michael harris ( capitals omitted ) is a proud member of the Bush/USA/Jew hating left and maybe more typical of the Canadian public than we would like to think. He will never public insult Judaism but will insult Israel for the actions of the government, more than any other foreign country. I find that offensive. He has never criticized the Arab world nor any Arab government for their lack of civil liberties which his left wingers keep whining about. He also never responds to my emails.
I suggest you and your leadership list to him; EST http://www.cfra.com, 1:00 PM to 3PM, Monday to Friday (email: mharris@cfra.com).
Jeff Burke – loyal reader
Montreal, Canada (left wing central)
February 3rd, 2006 at 1:44 pm
What I am wondering about cartoons and freedom of speech is this: would any of these european newspapers publish cartoons of jews that depicts them with big noses and money hungry? Would they publish cartoons that deny holocaust? It’s crime in these countries. The editor or cartoonist would go to jail. Hypocrisy? Apparently freedom of speech has limits to them.
February 3rd, 2006 at 3:59 pm
Big Noses and Money Hungry? Whom are you describing? The leaders of Hamas, Fatah or Hezbollah? Some of them have bigger noses than any Jewish leader I know. And as far as being money hungry, Palestinians have received more welfare per capita than any one else.
Jeff Burke
February 3rd, 2006 at 8:13 pm
Speaking of appeasement, the heroic Bush State Department has weighed in. As Reuters reports, “The United States backed Muslims on Friday against European newspapers that printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a move that could help America’s battered image in the Islamic world.
Inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States sided with Muslims outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion.
“‘These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims’, State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question.”
And State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters, “Anti-Muslim images are as unacceptable as anti-Semitic images, as anti-Christian images or any other religious belief.”
NIce, huh? Just a pair of lips looking for a Muslim ass to kiss. Funny, I don’t remember them ever saying a word about the vicious anti-Jewish graphics that routinely appear in newspapers in Arab countries…