In response to, "Muslim cartoon controversy opinions vary across campus," Feb. 17: As a sporadic, aspiring comic artist I've been following the Mohammed cartoon controversy, well, religiously. I just can't see how this has become a two-sided issue.
I think people need to stop bending over backwards to find justifications for tolerance and leniency in this situation. Why are we striving to conceal the values we fought so hard to uphold at the whim of countries that think boycotting European medicine will somehow teach the world a lesson? We've spent countless quantities of media cosmetics to make the Middle East seem like a sweet, cultured world with a bad reputation, I think they've long since given up the right to that compassion.
It's time we stop defending people who burn cars, bomb weddings and stone people for "blasphemy." They're not asking for sympathy or freedom from religious persecution. They're asking to be exempt from all criticism on the grounds that it's only unfair when it happens to them. Tolerance for others should end when we cease to tolerate ourselves.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
