Thursday, February 09, 2006
NO COMMENTS
Associated Press takes on the Danish Muslim delegation over its use of a photograph depicting French pig impersonator Jacques Barrot:
Jack Stokes, an AP spokesman, said the picture was used “completely out of context and without permission.
“AP is attempting to contact the distributors of this unrelated photo to protest its misrepresentation and demand that they stop immediately,” he said.
Ahmed Akkari, a spokesman for the delegation, has no comments:
When told about the background of the original AP photo, Akkari said: “I have no comments.”
UPDATE. Rami G. Khouri, editor-at-large of the Beirut-based Daily Star, reveals to readers of Melbourne’s Age the real truth behind the cartoons fury:
This is no mere clash of cultures. It is a new form of the colonial struggle that defined European-Arab/Asian relations in the 19th century. The difference this time is that the natives in the south are not helpless and quiescent in the face of the West’s large guns, disdainful rhetoric, or insulting cartoons.
You’d recall, of course, all those insulting 19th century cartoons. Good news: no need to remain quiescent!
Muslims, Arabs, Asians and others today are much more aware of the policies of Western states, concerned about their goals, angry about Western double standards, able to resist through the use of mass media, political, and other channels ...
Here’s an example of this new awareness:
Around 3,000 demonstrators shouting “Allahu Akhbar” (God is great) in Dara Adamkhel, near the Afghan border, accused Bush of backing the caricatures.
“Bush is behind this, he heads the gang which is against Islam,” Said Wazir, the leader of a local Islamic group called Quami Tehreek, told the crowd.
Bush controls the Danish media. Yay for the aware. We now return to Rami G. Khouri:
The message from the Arab-Islamic heartland is that the 19th century has officially ended.
But which century has begun? The 14th?