Washington Post: Why I Published Those Cartoons

Posted by Roger Frye-2 on Feb 20, 2006; 2:34pm
URL: http://friam.383.s1.nabble.com/Washington-Post-Why-I-Published-Those-Cartoons-tp521395p521396.html

The 12 cartoons published by Jyllands-Posten, which you can find on the  
web, don't tell the whole story.  I saw the other three, very gross  
cartoons that were confused with them, and I believe these triggered the  
outrage.  Even so, it is very hard for us to understand the taboos of  
other religions.  Roman catholicism and orthodoxy split over iconography.  
Judaism prohibited the naming of god (JHWH), and Christians prohibited  
swearing in the name of god (Jehosephat, 'sWounds). Hindus prohibited  
beef, while jews and muslims prohibited pork and the mixing of meat and  
dairy.  Westerners have become extremely desensitized to these  
prohibitions.  Americans can't even understand British revulsion to blood  
and gore.
-Roger