When 19th century British novelist Edward Lytton wrote "the pen is mightier than the sword," I wonder if he ever pictured his pen in the hands of a political cartoonist, or that it would be dueling against a wave of violence and destruction across the Middle East and Europe.
The controversy began in September when Jyllands-Posten, a newspaper in Denmark, published 12 cartoons of the prophet Muhammad, the most inflammatory of which showed the Muslim prophet with a bomb in his turban. (Islam forbids any depictions of Muhammad.)
Whether or not the caricature was ethical or even tasteful is not a question that can be answered, because there is no unanimous global consent about what is and isn't appropriate for public consumption.
What can be answered, however, is whether or not the Danish paper was allowed to print what it did. Since Demark, like the United States, holds the Freedom of Speech and the Freedom of the Press as a right granted to its constituents, the answer is yes.
That doesn't mean, however, that the public has to agree with the paper. Outcries of anger and frustration can actually be the best way to bring a topic into an open forum, the ultimate success of any editorial or commentary. The protests become a problem, however, when they become misguided and violent.
Since the original incident and the re-running of the cartoons by newspapers throughout Europe, Islamic protests have called for the Danish government to take action against the newspaper, and have gone as far as to attack Danish embassies and missions in Beirut and Damascus. But how can a government that upholds the tenants of Free Speech and Free Press take a stance on the opinions of its publishers? It can't, and won't, according to Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.
So instead of taking their complaints out in words, in print, like the original cartoons themselves, some protesters have chosen to brandish their swords, resulting in unnecessary death and destruction.
What those protesters don't want to acknowledge is that in reality, the world is not something that holds punches because of possible backlash; no group is safe.
On a Sunday afternoon, if a person wants to go out to grab a bite to eat almost anywhere in the world, is there a restaurant open to serve them? Of course there is, but there are also sects of Christians who protest anyone who works of the day of rest. If that person decided to order a bacon cheeseburger, are they allowed to? Of course, but it could upset any orthodox Jews in the restaurant.
Because we live in a society that doesn't allow the rules of one community to dictate the land, we don't have laws forcing restaurants to close on Sundays, or for their menus to keep kosher.
One Iranian newspaper, Hamshahri (which is run by the government), is protesting by holding a submission contest for cartoons depicting the Holocaust.
Is it gratuitous? Or blasphemous? Maybe.
Is it their right as a newspaper through the eyes of those who uphold the tenets of free speech? Absolutely.
None of this is to imply that free speech should be used to offend; freedoms come with the intent of responsible use. But since using a government to put a stop to the voicing of one newspaper's opinion would result in the loss of rights for everyone, it can't be justified. Newspapers need to be directly accountable for their actions by those who disagree.
Coincidentally Lytton, who told the world "the pen is mightier," also coined the phrase "it was a dark and stormy night" in another one of his novels; a poignant parallel to the tribulations the Freedom of the Press is weathering in recent weeks. Perhaps he did have a grasp on the turbulence his pen could cause in the hands of an opinionated artist.
For those who are angry about the comics: Write letters to the editors of the Danish paper, who refuse to resign over the controversy they began. Or, write to the editors of the papers that decided they should be re-run the cartoons across Europe, and tell them how much you think the caricatures were in bad taste.
Take your frustration out with the same rights that caused them, not with destruction and violence.
Fight with your pens.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
