Will any Irish papers print the Muhammed cartoons?

[smiffy]

These Muslims need to chill out. No way do we need or want the kind of people who make death threats over issues like this in our country.

I understand that senior managers in the BBC had death threats issued against them when Jerry Springer: The Opera was due to be aired.

[Simon.D]

I personnally think it's in the national interest now at this stage.. People on this Island need to know how easy it is to really piss-off our Middle-East & North African Neighbours.. And a picture speaks a thousand words.. It'll also take the heat off Denmark somewhat, and re-enforce our press freedoms within the EU.

[eurocrat]

We should not let Muslim countries with people like this into the EU.

The entry of Turkey is not related to this topic. There's been a strong reaction in denamrk among the Muslim community there too. Prehaps we should throw them out of the EU too.

By the way, no one likes a supremisist.

[smiffy]

I personnally think it's in the national interest now at this stage.. People on this Island need to know how easy it is to really piss-off our Middle-East & North African Neighbours.. And a picture speaks a thousand words.. It'll also take the heat off Denmark somewhat, and re-enforce our press freedoms within the EU.

No it wouldn't. It wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to press freedoms within the EU, which vary from state to state.

I don't see any reason why Irish newspapers should be restricted from printing the cartoon. I'd certainly think editors should take into consideration the possible offence it might cause if they did print it, and bear that in mind when making the decision whether to print it or not (and this applies to every picture that may be considered offensive, whether religious or not). But printing it simply because people find it offensive (and, therefore, to show how easy it is to offend people) seems to me to be, at the very least, just a little childish. I find it very hard to see any convincing 'national interest' argument here.

[morryah]

I personnally think it's in the national interest now at this stage.. People on this Island need to know how easy it is to really piss-off our Middle-East & North African Neighbours.. And a picture speaks a thousand words.. It'll also take the heat off Denmark somewhat, and re-enforce our press freedoms within the EU.

fair play simon.d - you nailed that one.

and fair play to those european papers who joined forces to print.

[Bogwarrior]

The sketches were offensive. (Maybe not to you or I, but to many others) They were designed to be controversial. Had the Danish paper printed homophobic cartoons, and were condemned by gay activists, would people here call for them to be reprinted in Ireland, just to defend press freedom like .
By the way, the editor of France Soir, who reprinted the cartoons was sacked today. Just because Christians don't get upset when people poke fun at their God, doesn't mean Muslims should have the same submissive attitude.

[newFF]

Just because Christians don't get upset when people poke fun at their God, doesn't mean Muslims should have the same submissive attitude.

They are entitled to protest but the reaction hardly fits the 'crime'. Protesting is quite acceptable. Burning flags is par for the course.
Threatening the lives innocent citizens of a state because a newspaper in their country printed offensive images is a million miles over the top.

[morryah]

Just because Christians don't get upset when ....

is a million miles over the top.

Yes. Ask Theo van gogh (if you could) how 'upset' Muslims get.

The first thing to go if Muslims got into power here would be individualism, civil liberties, gay rights, equality etc that have evolved here slowly and steadily since the Age of Enlightenment while the Mid East stagnates. Nothing to do with imperialism or any of that crap.

It makes sense that the first battle would be along those lines in the modern era. It's a natural fault line.

[MichaelHennigan]

OK so maybe some ppl don't like having their religion mocked. But you sure wouldn't get Irish Catholics reacting as hysterically as these Muslims.

Remember how Salman Rushdie had to have bodyguards all the time just because his book mocked Mohammad?

These Muslims need to chill out. No way do we need or want the kind of people who make death threats over issues like this in our country.

We should not let Muslim countries with people like this into the EU.

Would Irish Catholics have reacted hysterically say in the 1960's? I would think so and in the average Irish town, it would have been a brave soul who would have risked public "blasphemy," unless it was against say the Protestant vicar.

Change takes time - just wonder about the big issue that's made of Stringfellow's lapdance club and contrast the hysteria of many Irish about sex issues with the attitude of the Dutch.

Many Dutch would think that our attitude towards prostitution for example is backward.

So we should be careful about casting stones and having some dubious litmus tests of tolerence.

I lived in a Muslim country for 5 yrs and I recall a Syrian saying with an expression of incomprehension: "I heard that homosexuals are allowed meet in clubs in Europe."

I explained that progressive European countries do not have freedoms for some of the population and not for others.

We should expect tolerance from people who come to Europe but having tests is another matter.

[morryah]

OK so maybe some ppl don't like having their religion mocked. But you sure wouldn't get Irish Catholics reacting as hysterically as these Muslims.

Remember how Salman Rushdie had to have bodyguards all the time just because his book mocked Mohammad?

These Muslims need to chill out. No way do we need or want the kind of people who make death threats over issues like this in our country.

We should not let Muslim countries with people like this into the EU.

Would Irish Catholics have reacted hysterically say in the 1960's? I would think so and in the average Irish town, it would have been a brave soul who would have risked public "blasphemy," unless it was against say the Protestant vicar.

Change takes time - just wonder about the big issue that's made of Stringfellow's lapdance club and contrast the hysteria of many Irish about sex issues with the attitude of the Dutch.

Many Dutch would think that our attitude towards prostitution for example is backward.

So we should be careful about casting stones and having some dubious litmus tests of tolerence.

I lived in a Muslim country for 5 yrs and I recall a Syrian saying with an expression of incomprehension: "I heard that homosexuals are allowed meet in clubs in Europe."

I explained that progressive European countries do not have freedoms for some of the population and not for others.

We should expect tolerance from people who come to Europe but having tests is another matter.

You're missing the point MH. It's not a switch - tolerance/intolerance. There's a world of a scale of difference between controversy, intolerant attitudes to blasphemy in the 60s and actually killing someone, fatwas and the like.