12/31/2002
Cartoon on Tally Democrat site provokes Arab world
Doug Marlette defends himself for a cartoon that was posted briefly on the Tallahassee Democrat site and then taken off. Earlier the executive editor issued a wan defense and sort-of apology for the cartoon. Meanwhile Islamic organizations went nuts and have been sending e-mails by thousands to Marlette. some with the inevitable death threats. The Council of American-Islamic Relations is outraged. Kathleen Parker, whom I seldom read because she's a scold and a self-righteous Dan-Quayle-Was-Right bore gets riled and writes with passion because this is someone she knows, dammit. Part of the mix is a weird fight over Marlette's book not being featured on the Today show.
In its typical heavy-handed response to a cartoon that had not yet even appeared in print, CAIR is itself reinforcing the stereotype of Islamic culture as intolerant and defensive. The Muslim World League -- which just might have a few other pressing matters to consider at the moment -- also condemns the cartoon as part of "a media campaign in the United States against Islam." Its spokesman "demanded that the Tallahassee Democrat apologize to the 1.5 billion Muslims and give an undertaking that it will not publish such disparaging material again."
In its typical heavy-handed response to a cartoon that had not yet even appeared in print, CAIR is itself reinforcing the stereotype of Islamic culture as intolerant and defensive. The Muslim World League -- which just might have a few other pressing matters to consider at the moment -- also condemns the cartoon as part of "a media campaign in the United States against Islam." Its spokesman "demanded that the Tallahassee Democrat apologize to the 1.5 billion Muslims and give an undertaking that it will not publish such disparaging material again."
