My latest in PJ Media:
One of the most consequential and least-known people of this young century died last Wednesday: Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard. You may not be familiar with Westergaard’s name, but you almost certainly know his most celebrated work: the cartoon of Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, with a bomb in his turban. That was the cartoon that set off worldwide rioting and a campaign that has now lasted for a decade and a half to compel the West to criminalize criticism of Islam under the guise of “hate speech.” The Left’s present all-out war against the freedom of speech began in great part in the furor over Westergaard’s cartoon.
Westergaard’s cartoon was the most arresting and provocative of the twelve cartoons of Muhammad that were published in the largest newspaper in Denmark, Jyllands-Posten, on September 30, 2005. As the book Islamophobia and Free Speech explains, the paper wasn’t trying to be gratuitously insulting. In the wake of the jihad murder of Theo Van Gogh, Danish author Kåre Bluitgen had found it difficult to find an illustrator for his book about Muhammad: Danish artists were all too afraid of jihadist violence. Frants Iver Gundelach, president of the Danish Writers Union, decried this submission to violent intimidation as a threat to free speech, and Jyllands-Posten took up the challenge.
Flemming Rose, Jyllands-Posten’s culture editor, approached 40 artists asking for depictions of Muhammad. In response, he received the 12 drawings he published, nine of which were eminently forgettable—and immediately forgotten. The other three pointed out the link between Islam and violence. One of the three, only Westergaard’s drawing was truly memorable.
By early November 2005, thousands of Muslims in Denmark were marching in demonstrations against the cartoons. Westergaard went into hiding. The Pakistani Jamaaat-e-Islami party offered 50,000 Danish kroner (around $7,500) to anyone who killed one of the cartoonists. The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) lodged a protest with the Danish government and began a campaign that continues to force the West to abandon the freedom of speech and criminalize “incitement to religious hatred.” Around the world, riots over the cartoons killed at least 139 people and injured 823.
On January 1, 2010, a Muslim migrant in Denmark took an axe to the door of Westergaard’s house, intent on killing him for insulting Muhammad; he got inside, but Westergaard and his five-year-old granddaughter were hiding inside a secure safe room, and the would-be murderer was shot by police. After that, Westergaard, who was 74 at the time of the attack, kept a low profile. Voices speaking out in his defense were few, and were defamed as “far-right.”
There is more. Read the rest here.
gravenimage says
The Paradox of Muhammad Cartoonist Kurt Westergaard
…………
I am terrribly sorry to hear this–he was a brave man, and this is an important cartoon. I do wonder if this insanity shortened his life.
I have featured him in my “Heroes Against Jihad” series, and would post it here except that PhotoBucket has censored me for featurng Muhammad cartoons.
Aloha Akbar says
l would love to see that series Graven & I’m sure others would too.
Where can we view it?
Thanks in advance
Aloha
gravenimage says
Hi, Aloha Akbar–thank you for your interest. I’ve featured Geert Wilders, Brigitte Gabriel, Wafa Sultan, and Charlie Hebdo editor Stéphane Charbonnier. I plan to include Robert Spencer, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Pamela Geller, and others. I’ve also got some Muhammed cartoons.
I need to set up a dedicated website for my anti-Jihad work. I’ll let people here know when I do that.
JGO says
My deepest and most sincere condolences to the Westergaard family and friends.
Rest In Peace, Kurt.
Infidel says
RIP, Kurt. One thing for sure – he’s now safe from the jihadists
Raja says
Infidel,
Both the pastor James and Kurt are safe from jihadists. I admire these guys like Hatun Tash (who is still vulnerable to jihad attacks) as my heroes. Cleary, there is dearth of Christians like the apostles of first century. We should be allowed to discuss anything under the sun including islam. Period.
Infidel says
Raja
My #1 hero these days is Swami Yati, the Hindu priest in that temple in the midst of a muslim ghetto outside Delhi who has multiple death threats against him, but is actively campaigning to educate the world – starting w/ Hindus first – about islam, mohammed and jihad. In my life, I never looked twice at any Hindu ‘baba’ since they were almost always frauds who’d teach real nonsense like all religions being the same, all roads leading to one, there being only one god (despite Hindu scriptures having clear references to multiple divine entities and deities), blah blah blah. This sage, who previously lived in the real world, first as an engineer and later as a political activist before turning to faith, was the first whose statements even begin to make sense to me. He plans to hold an all religion (except islam) conference in Hardwar this year to tell leaders of all religions about the threat posed by islam. I hope that it is a success
At any rate, I hope that the Chicoms do cartoons about mohammed, islam, quran and jihad for the consumption of the Uyghurs, and that someone somehow leaks it to the rest of the world. They convert mosques in Hotan into toilets: don’t tell me that they hold the religion in any level of respect. I think they must have material that mocks islam: what needs to happen is that that stuff needs to be leaked, so that once it is, we can flash that in the faces of mohammedans, rile them up, and point to their Chicom partners as the authors. And then watch their reactions ?
gravenimage says
Of course, the Communist Chinese are not big on humor–or freedom of speech…
Raja says
Infidel,
I am delighted that sage Swamy Yati is proving to be a good counter-jihadist. We should have complete freedom to question any religion and scrutinize them, but unfortunately, successive Indian governments have curtailed free speech under the guise of “maintaining peace/harmony or maintaining public order”. Some so called first world countries have unashamedly taken the same leaf out of India.Tragic indeed.
Your wish on Chicoms, is little too pragmatic and far fetched.. Like Gravenimage has said, they are so paranoid of Islam (and other religions) that they don’t see the humor in the insanity of islam. They may not have the stomach to put islam in its place but would nevertheless curtail it in their own old fashioned way. i personally believe that what Swamy Yati is doing by educating the populace is far more effective that converting a mosque into a toilet or some pig farm. The heartless pious muslim being the most closed minded fellow on the face of the earth.must be a tough nuts to crack. I can understand your anathema to the supremacist ideology of islam but I am also on the same page as you and I don’t belong to any think tank!
Infidel says
Graven & Raja
The Chicoms are fine w/ humor if it comes to mocking other people. I think in February this year, on Chinese New Years, they included in their programming a skit parading all racial stereotypes that they have on Africans and other Blacks, even parading someone in an ape suit.
They may not be humorous themselves, but I’m pretty sure that they mock islam and muslims, and crack snide jokes about them. My wish was just that that be somehow discovered and exposed, so that it can be waved in the faces of the next anti-islamophobic protest anywhere
Raja says
Infidel,
Your explanation of Chicom mocking others racially is well noted. That also reminds of how they mock Indians for the love of gold (especially with reference to dark color) and how they vociferously denied having any link, ethnically to the first man Adam of AFRICA!!!!
I wonder if Chicom will ever partner with any nation to pluck islam to pieces!. They are too mean and dumb to do that.
Kepha says
The Chicoms did do some cartoons that were taken as mocking Islamic pork avoidance. The result was Hui people (Chinese- rather than Turkic-speaking Muslims) rioting in Qinghai and other places in 1994–and these are people who, unlike the Uighurs, tend to identify as part of the Chinese state. After some Party HQ and police stations got burned, the Chicoms tiptoed around Hui sensitivities for a while.
gravenimage says
Kepha, more proof that “moderate” Muslims are anything but.
revereridesagain says
Proud to say I bought a “Mo’ da Bomb” t-shirt years ago and used to wear it to rallies, although recently no one knows what it is because it isn’t anti-Antifa/BLM or the other newly fashionable tribal mobs.
Kurt Westergaard was a quiet hero. He was the kind who made us proud to be defamed by the foolish, ignorant, and cowardly for supporting him.
We need millions more of his kind, now more than ever.
RIP Kurt.
Jim says
The nice thing about insulting Republicans and especially Trump is that one does not have to fear for one’s life, one might even get invited to a MSM talk show or interview. The bad thing is that people insult the president with throwaway jokes and quips without considering how serious it really is.
Johnny B says
He payed a very heavy price for it too. The terrorist was jailed for a while but then released again without being deported. Apparently it was “too dangerous” for him to be go back to Somalia according to some very old international conventions that Denmark oblige by. Meanwhile, Kurt Westergaard was effectively locked up and kept under surveillance 24/7. It’s hard to tell, really, who was the criminal and who was the innocent. Lets ask the left what they think?
gravenimage says
Yes–just nuts. No one cared how dangerous things were for this cartoonist and his family.
Johnny B says
He was a very gentle and considerate man. Yet he was often called “racist” by these intolerable, know-it-all, politically correct individuals. You know the kind – if your country ever got into a war you wouldn’t want be anywhere near them or that they had any information about you..
gravenimage says
Grimly true.
Aloha Akbar says
The left would have handed Kurt over to the nearest shariah court.
Wellington says
RIP.
And again, shame on Islam—all of it.
Siddi Nasrani says
Oh the irony of ironies, “The religion of Peace ” shows us how tolerant they are !
Around the world, riots over the cartoons killed at least 139 people and injured 823.
Aloha Akbar says
“Islam doesn’t kill people, cartoons kill people”
Oh, and blasphemy kills people
and gays kills people
and concerts kills people
and apostacy kills people
and innocent people kills people
and marrying non believers kills people
and education for girls kills people
and speaking Truth kills people
gravenimage says
Yep…
Raja says
Siddi Nasrani,
Those rioters were most likely muslims. There has always being riots whenever “islam is mocked” They are “warriors” of allah, waiting to propagate islam and seek the next-to-impossible 72 bosomy virgins and pearly boys. The 139 would have reached “bosom of Satan” in Hades.God would have honored their commitment to Satan.
Giacomo Latta says
I applaud Mr. Westergaard for being at least a part of if not the leader of the Danish movement to act with common sense and to respect one’s heritage. Denmark is currently a beacon of hope for all of us. Germany, Sweden and many other countries need to get on board.
Michael Copeland says
Just for the record, the phrase “the cartoon that set off worldwide rioting” is a little too much of a simplification and foreshortening.
The demonstrations were arrranged after a long period during which support was drummed up in different countries. False extra cartoons were added that had never been part of the publication. The rioting was carefully orchestrated beforehand from the mosques.
In London the contrived “Day of Rage”with much obedient shouting outside the Danish Embassy took place FOUR MONTHS AFTER, not spontaneous in the slightest.
Raja says
Michael Copeland,
Thanks for the info, I thought it be other way round.
gravenimage says
Yes–and they had to add fake cartoons because the actual cartoons are very mild.
The most ridiculous thing was adding a photograph of “Muhammed as a pig”–except it was actually just a picture of a bearded Frenchman involved in a pig calling contest wearing a fake pig snout and ears. Nothing to do with Islam at all.
Infidel says
Not so sure of that. Aside from the turbomb, the one I remember is the angel screaming, “STOP, STOP!!! WE’RE OUT OF VIRGINS”
Steen says
Westergaard was widely celebrated, though. It’s not as if he was forgotten. Here are some of my photos of Kurt through the years
https://snaphanen.dk/2021/07/18/kurt-westergaard-er-doed/
gravenimage says
Thanks for those pictures, Steen!