The Satanic Precedent of the Muhammed Cartoons
This is a translation of a piece by Helle Merete Brix for Sappho in Denmark. It was recently published in Weekendavisen also. This is taken from the Sappho edition. The [NUMBER] tags are mine.
The Satanic Precedent of the Muhammed Cartoons
To the last detail, the events of the Muhammed cartoons issue seem to follow the same script as the events sorrounding Salman Rushdie’s “The Satanic Verses”.
By Helle Merete Brix
How is it that 12 cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammed published in a Danish newspaper can lead to a fatwa, threats from Al-Qaeda, diplomatic crisis, massive boycott of Danish goods and flag burnings in the West Bank? How can 12 cartoons get the Moslem World to jump on Jyllands-Posten and the Danish Prime Minister? To understand the dramatic developments of the Muhammed cartoons issue, it may be enlightening to recollect the case of Salman Rushdie’s The Satanic Verses.
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