One of the Mohammed cartoons that sparked riots last year throughout the Muslim world
The Wall Street Journal has a piece today (via Michelle Malkin) about the PRICE OF NOTARIETY experienced by Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard.
Kurt Westergaard is in hiding from Islamic militants who want him dead. Now, the Danish cartoonist says he’s ready to part with the source of his travails, a small ink sketch of the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban.But first there is the ticklish question of price.”I would like to think that it has some value,” says Mr. Westergaard, the 72-year-old creator of one of the world’s most famous cartoons and one that inflamed Muslims world-wide. “It is a symbol of democracy and freedom of expression. I think I should have a little money for this,” he says.
But how do you fix the value of something that auction houses won’t touch, that museums won’t hang on their walls and that still inspires murderous passions?
What a price to pay! Hiding from Islamic militants for the rest of your life.
In the meantime, Denmark is retailiating against Sudan who earlier in the week initiated yet another boycott over the reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.
Denmark said Thursday it will oppose any debt relief deal for Sudan in response to the Sudanese president’s comments urging the Muslim world to boycott Danish goods over the publication of a Prophet Muhammad cartoon.Interior Minister Ulla Toernaes said she summoned Sudan’s ambassador to Denmark to demand an explanation of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir’s comments a day earlier.Al-Bashir said Wednesday that he would bar Danes from Sudan and told tens of thousands of people at a government-backed rally in Khartoum that the Muslim world should boycott Denmark because of a cartoon reprinted recently in Danish newspapers.
So, is freedom of expression worth the price? And, who will pay?
Previous:
Mohammed Cartoon Watch: Sudan Urges Boycott of Denmark
Mohammed Cartoon Watch: Solidarity with Denmark
The Muhammad Caricature Watch Files
Entries (RSS)