Islam And Taboos

“Muslim leaders say the cartoons are not just offensive. They're blasphemy--the mother of all offenses [sic]. That's because Islam forbids any visual depiction of the Prophet, even benign ones. Should non-Muslims respect this taboo? I see no reason why. You can respect a religion without honoring [sic] its taboos. I eat pork, and I'm not an anti-Semite. As a Catholic, I don't expect atheists to genuflect before an altar. If violating a taboo is necessary to illustrate a political point, then the call is an easy one. Freedom means learning to deal with being offended.

Blasphemy, after all, is commonplace in the West. In America, Christians have become accustomed to artists' offending their religious symbols. They can protest, and cut off public funding--but the right of the individual to say or depict offensive messages or symbols is not really in dispute. Blasphemy, moreover, is common in the Muslim world, and sanctioned by Arab governments. The Arab media run cartoons depicting Jews and the symbols of the Jewish faith with imagery indistinguishable from that used in the Third Reich. But I have yet to see Jews or Israelis threaten the lives of Muslims because of it.”

The above is from Andrew Sullivan’s essay, ‘Your Taboo, Not Mine’ in Time, on the reaction to the Danish cartoons. My attention was drawn to the point ‘freedom means learning to deal with being offended’ – it is a point a couple of commentators have made – and one worth considering …