Jyllands-Posten: “My Day in Florence”
Translator’s note: This is the next in the series of columns that Per Nyholm is doing for Jyllands-Posten, the last of which was entitled "We are being pissed upon" which is available here. The column before that one is here.
Jyllands-Posten, Friday, February 17, 2006
By Per Nyholm
(Florence) The days are growing longer and milder. The first smells of spring are in the air. Soon the delights of Summer will be here.
Of course there are problems, even serious ones, but sometimes even they need to be put aside for a spell. Maybe then, one returns and finds that they have grown smaller by the absence. Maybe one achieves greater clarity by thinking in another direction.
This morning, feeling utterly disgusted with the Moslem rebellion (which, praise the Lord, is not a Danish Moslem rebellion), I boarded the train from Rome for Florence. I intended to take a walk, have some brunch and see the newly renovated Statue of David. A day of culture, in other words - no wars, no hysteria, no hatred.
On the train, I read an article by the President of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in which he encourages the values of respect, tolerance and diversity, all very fine values which I am happy to support. And I said to myself: "Fine, mr. President! What are you doing for Salman Rushdie and Ayaan Hirsi Ali? What are you doing to hinder the group of madmen who reportedly live in your country and which has pledged to slaughter Danes living there - all because a Danish newspaper printed some cartoons, seen by few Indonesians?"
If you want respect, mr. President, tell your countrymen that these cartoons are protected by Danish law and that there is no case. Tell publicly what you very well know privately, that in a proper democracy one may insult Islam, Christianity, Judaism and every other religion. There is no shall, but you may. Freedom isn’t free, mr. President, just ask the Danes this very moment.
I know, mr. President that neither can you nor will you do this and that is the problem. A problem you share with other rulers from the Phillipines across Central Asia to the Middle East and Africa. The problem - except from a few lying Imams - is not in Denmark, but in the Moslem world where religion isn’t a private matter - where Mullahs are allowed to pester the believers in their homes, in their workplaces and in government. Only this all-encompassing religiousity can explain how 12 rather innocous cartoons can lead us to the present, a place where several have died on account of them.
You complain, mr. President - with no small justification - about the Islamophobia of The West. In connection with that, some have complained of a drawing of Muhammed with a bomblike turban as being the most offensive. Very well, what do you think hurts Islam the most? The cartoon or this: that millions of viewers watch crazed and savage madmen decapitate their victims with knives or slaughter thousands of innocents, Moslems included, from New York to Iraq and Bali?
Respectfully, mr. President, these killings and threats are of little use. If you say we can’t show the likeness, or alleged likeness, of Muhammed in Denmark, I say: our rights are not up for discussion. Moslem repressions will not be accepted as the basis for diminishing the foundations of Western Democracy - a system, I might add, which also many Moslems strive for and which you - as far as I know - in no small degree try to uphold.
Those were my thoughts on the train, travelling north through the mild Italian landscape - and here in Florence I wonder if not we in Denmark should abolish the People’s Church and abolish all official recognition of religion. The State could then take care of our churches - as they do all cultural monuments - but the preaching of the word should be with free clerics, paid by their flocks, who spread the word - be it Christian, Moslem, Jewish or something else - under the protection and abiding by the responsibilities of the normal secular laws.
I fancy that by so seperating politics and religion it would help the plight of the free and critical citizens, among these thousands of well integrated Moslems, used by a faltering priesthood in their, hopefully, doomed attempt to - by leveraging the Muhammed cartoons - keep their failing power over the Moslem Mind.
Having finished brunch I take the long way past San Lorenzo to pay my respects to Niels Steensen of Copenhagen, beatified by the Catholics as Steno. I then visit the Academy to see the newly restored David.
There I am, delighted and breathtaken, in front of a piece of art which in a world of Puritans would be used to pave roads - Michaelangelo’s naked youth, gracefully nonchalant, natural yet glorious, watching the fallen Goliat just smithen by his sling.
David is one of the great pieces of art of Western Civilization, not only because it is technically perfect but because it holds in it a message - that the weak and naked by using his mind and inherent humanity may triumph against the might of boasting brutality, against those whose only language is that of threats, destruction and murder.
Today was a good day in Florence.
PS: I would like to thank seperately everyone who writes to me. This time I cannot. Last week’s column, "We are being pissed upon", has as of this moment resulted in 274 comments of which four were negative, five or six were sceptical and the rest positive. I had reactions from China to Costa Rica, from the United States to Australia and from Sweden to South Africa. So you’ll have to consider this my sincere "thank you".
Thank you, Per, and thank-you Denmark! Believe it or not, you may have done the world a favor at Jyllands-Posten by inadvertently exposing this evil before it got any worse. It may not seem that way now, but after this is all over, we’ll look back on that defining moment and realize had it not happened, this might be far harder to deal with in another couple of years. It is better you lanced the boil now and exposed the spiritual wound to the daylight. G*d Bless and Save Denmark and lovers of freedom everywhere.
foreign devil, Toronto, Canada
Comment by foreign devil — February 20, 2006 @ 2:35 am
Enjoyed your column immensely. Please know that the unelected State Dept. do not speak for we Americans. My family are buying Danish and supporting you in every way possible. I’ve written to the newsmedia here asking them to post the cartoons but apparently we’re at war and it would leave our troops in jeoopardy…that being said they’re fighting for the very rights we’re curtailing!
The American people have your back!
God Bless Denmark,
and God Bless you sir,
Sincerely,
Anne
Comment by anne — February 20, 2006 @ 2:35 am
Brilliant article(s). YOu’re doing a great job. Deport the crooked Imams - they did you wrong once which means they’ve done it before and will do it again. Get rid of them. Glad to see that the lying Egyptian Ambassator has been banished to Africa where hopefully she can do little damage in her stupidity. Didn’t she know that the cartoons were published in Egypt already?! It’s obvious she was working hand and hand with the lying imams. I say deport them all b;ut…
Anyway -
BUY DANISH!
God BLess,
Megan
Comment by megan — February 20, 2006 @ 2:51 am
Per Nyholm, thank you so much for being a voice of reason in this time of equivocation and appeasement to the Muslim rising tide. I hope that those you are reaching in Europe see the future that we are railing against very early here in America. As my uncle said as to why he was moving from London to Edinburgh. “England is Dead.” I can only hope that words and thoughts such as yours help to awaken the secular throngs from their slumber before they are forced into the bonds of dhimmitude.
Comment by james — February 20, 2006 @ 2:56 am
I too saw the statue of David, over 30 years ago, when I was a young man. Travelling cheaply with my young wife we two young Australians were also smitten by its beauty.
In those naive days we had not seen it as a statement of wetern civilization. It is true that youth is wasted on the young.
How long before some crazy Moslem wants it removed? Or destroys it like they did the giant statue at Bamiyan?
Even in remote Australia you have those who admire your stand. Fight the good fight and maintain the rage for all of us.
You are not alone.
Comment by youcancallmemeyer — February 20, 2006 @ 3:38 am
(Standing up and cheering!)
I like this guy more and more every time I read him
.
“Ytringsfrihed er ytringsfrihed er ytringsfrihed. Der er intet men.”
~~”Free speech is free speech is free speech. There is no ‘but’.”~~
Jyllands-Posten, 2/10/06
Comment by mamapajamas — February 20, 2006 @ 6:04 am
(To the owner of this blog: Thank you for your fine job translating and posting this great article. Could you please pass the message below on to Per Nyholm if possible)
Mr Nyholm, if only more in Europe had your perspicacity and courage. Let us hope that yours will be infectious and sufficient.
We in Australia face similar problems, but not to the same degree, at least not yet.
And we stand by you. Our Mary is now your Princess. We think of little Christian as an Australian too.
I make a point of drinking only Carlsberg now,(the only Danish beer I know) and toasting Denmark every time.
Comment by Ben Ze'ev — February 20, 2006 @ 7:01 am
Dear Mr. Nyholm,
How I wish I had your courage to speak truth to assassins—of every stripe. PLEASE PLEASE REMEMEBER, YOU ARE NOT ALONE NOR WITHOUT THE HOPES AND PRAYERS OF THOSE WHO CARE FOR YOU.
With respect, from one of the very few towns, I imagine, in the western hemisphere with thoroughfares called Kongensgade and Dronnnigensgade,
Joe Sansonese
in Frederiksted, Sankt Cruds, United States Virgin Islands
Vivant Frederik V et Denmark!!!
Comment by J Sansonese — February 20, 2006 @ 5:46 pm
Europe (and the world) is in danger and you dare to speak about it. Denmark is a model country with no shame in its past and a people who are welcome anywhere they go because they exhude the values that you uphold. Danes have survived the nazis, they will prevail in this mess too.
cheers from canada and break a leg in the next world cup…we re watching
Comment by kaos — February 20, 2006 @ 11:38 pm
Sir: Just read your article re’ being pissed on; I felt that your reactions were appropriate and spoke for a lot of people. Political correctness has become so extreme that no longer can many people express what they feel, for fear of retribution. Please keep up the good work, and for G-d’s sake, leave the Scientologists alone!!! Their thin skins make the Islamists look like dilletants. Peace on you.
Comment by mark kantor — March 19, 2006 @ 11:39 am