Something Is Not-So-Rotten In The State of Denmark

Good for the Danes! According to the UK Telegraph, the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten has decided to engage in a little "necessary provocation" by publishing twelve cartoon figures of the Prophet Mohammed, in defiance of Islam's ban on images of the Big Mo. This has caused the local Muslim population to go ballistic, demanding retractions and apologies from the Danish government and the newspaper and hurling death threats at the paper and its cartoonists. So far, though, both the government and the paper are telling their critics to go piss up a rope:

"I will never accept that respect for a religious stance leads to the curtailment of criticism, humour and satire in the press," [Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister] said.

This is what you might call the "Lighten Up, Francis" school of religious plurality and in my humble opinion, there isn't enough of it in the world.

"But, Tom," you might say, "We know that things like the Piss Christ and Madonna covered in feces offend you, so what's the difference?" The difference, of course, is that while I may find these things offensive and don't believe government money needs to be spent on them in the name of "art", I also am not going to try and slice off the hands of the people who made them or firebomb their homes. In other words, I just deal with it.

And here's another little proof of my attitude: Regular readers will know that I'm an old-fashioned Rite I Episcopalian, with heavy Catholic leanings. I have a profound respect and reverance for my God, the Bible and the Church. Nonetheless, I can't help myself from laughing every time I see this:

Lighten up, indeed.

Yips! to Rachel.

UPDATE: Then again, the French just plain reek.

UPDATE DEUX: Annika's got more.