Cartoon frenzy

The madness over the publication of cartoons continues. Western embassies in Syria, Iran, and Lebanon have been attacked, and so far 12 people have been killed in Afghan protests.

You can view the 12 cartoons published in the Jyllands-Posten HERE.

The obvious double-standard has been pointed out, that the press in many of the countries where protests and riots have been carried out have regularly published anti-semitic and anti-Christian cartoons.

In London, protestors who held signs advocating terrorism and murder may face charges including public order offenses and incitement to murder.

It is also becoming more apparent that these riots and protests were organized.

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has accused Iran and Syria of inciting violence and exploiting Muslims anger. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said the same thing.

Meanwhile, Iran follows it's usual formula of blaming all problems on the Jews. Now an Iranian newspaper is holding a contest for cartoons about the Holocaust. You can be sure that the Jews won't be rioting, burning embassies, and calling for murders.


Timeline from BBC News:

2006
8 February: French magazine Charlie Hebdo publishes the cartoons along with other caricatures. French President Jacques Chirac condemns decisions to reprint the cartoons as "overt provocation".
7 February: Several hundred Iranians attack the Danish embassy in Tehran as the country announces it is cutting all trade ties with Denmark.
6 February: Protests claim lives - at least five people are killed in Afghanistan, and a teenage boy dies after protesters attack police in Somalia.
5 February: Lebanese demonstrators set the Danish embassy in Beirut on fire. Interior Minister Hassan Sabeh resigns over the violent protests.
4 February: Syrians attack Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus, prompting UN chief Kofi Annan to call for calm.
2 February: The editor of the French newspaper France Soir is sacked for printing the cartoons.
1 February: Papers in France, Germany, Italy and Spain reprint the caricatures, defying Muslim outrage.
31 January: The Danish paper apologises. The Danish prime minister welcomes the apology but defends the freedom of the press.
30 January: Gunmen raid the EU's offices in Gaza, demanding an apology over the cartoons.
26 January: Saudi Arabia recalls its ambassador to Denmark, while Libya says it is closing its embassy in Copenhagen.
10 January: A Norwegian newspaper reprints the cartoons.
2005
20 October: Ambassadors from 10 Islamic countries complain to the Danish prime minister about the cartoons.
30 September: A series of cartoons, some depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist, are published by Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

Perhaps State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said it best in his February 3 daily press briefing:

"Our response is to say that while we certainly don't agree with, support, or in some cases, we condemn the views that are aired in public that are published in media organizations around the world, we, at the same time, defend the right of those individuals to express their views."

"For us, freedom of expression is at the core of our democracy. And it is something that we have shed blood and treasure around the world to defend, and we will continue to do so."