Cartoons and culture

The Providence Journal: Respect is a one-way street for militant Islamic fundamentalists. They demand that others share their approach to venerating their view of God -- or else. They assiduously avoid the anxiety caused by the free interplay of ideas. Meanwhile, they reserve the right to brutalize those who profess other beliefs.
Outrage is swirling through the Islamic world over cartoons first published in September by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. They include a picture of the Prophet Mohammed with a bomb hissing in his turban -- obviously, a statement about how Islam has been hijacked by terrorists. In the Islamic faith, it is considered blasphemous to depict Mohammed in any form.
Well, we dislike disparagement of religious figures, too. Still, in fervently supporting the right to free expression, we do so even when it offends people, including us.
When Islamic fundamentalists threatened retaliation against Denmark, newspapers in a number of European countries flocked to reprint the offending cartoon, in defense of free speech. The managing editor of France Soir published the drawings on Feb. 1, under the headline "Yes, we have the right to caricature God." (His publisher, of Egyptian background, who was apparently less of a champion of free speech, fired him.)
'Death to Denmark'
In recent days, hundreds of Islamic students have protested in Pakistan, chanting "Death to Denmark!" and "Death to France!" In Syria, protesters have demanded a boycott of European products. More ominously, in Gaza, armed militants have surrounded European Union offices and threatened to kidnap foreigners.
Such threats must be taken seriously, since Islamist radicals have indeed threatened and murdered people whom they have accused of disparaging their religion, such as the Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh.
The West must not cower before such extremists. We must continue to respect and defend the rights of the individual. This is a culture war worth fighting.