Word: prophetic
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...bring "Old Europe" back on board to press for the right kind of deal in Iraq. Indeed, the cartoon controversy seems a sign that attitudes toward Islamic extremism are hardening in Europe. Publications in Italy, Germany, France and Norway expressed solidarity with Denmark by reprinting cartoons of the Prophet. Conservative and populist anti-immigrant political parties are on the rise throughout the Continent. "Anti-American feelings have really diminished," Senator John McCain told me last week after returning from meetings with European leaders. "The Europeans have their own problems now. And I think the situation in Iran has led them...
Muslim leaders say the cartoons are not just offensive. They're blasphemy--the mother of all offenses. That's because Islam forbids any visual depiction of the Prophet, even benign ones. Should non-Muslims respect this taboo? I see no reason why. You can respect a religion without honoring its taboos. I eat pork, and I'm not an anti-Semite. As a Catholic, I don't expect atheists to genuflect before an altar. If violating a taboo is necessary to illustrate a political point, then the call is an easy one. Freedom means learning to deal with being offended...
Both sides are exaggerating. While it's true that the picture of the Prophet is strictly forbidden, Muslims have to understand that there is an old tradition in secular Western society to make fun of everything. To react emotionally is excessive. It is no longer a debate; it is a power struggle. We have to calm down. We don't want laws preventing people from being free to speak. But we should also not forget wisdom and decency when we are dealing with people. Democracy isn't just a legal framework. It is about respecting one another...
...cartoon war be stopped? The controversy over Danish caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad has mushroomed into another major crisis in relations-one that appears to have developed a self-perpetuating momentum that will be hard to stop. It has escalated rapidly in the last few days, with imams around the world fanning anger in last Friday's mosque sermons, and mobs in Damascus and Beirut attacking embassies over the weekend. Muslim television and newspapers have provided blanket coverage, bloggers have stoked outrage on the Internet and more governments and Islamic groups have declared support boycotts...
...reasons for the escalation is that Muslim and Western officials have deadlocked over how to resolve the original grievance. Muslim leaders insisted that the Danish paper had no right to publish images of the Prophet and demanded an apology; Danish officials, while expressing regret at the hurt feelings, have refused to apologize for what they see as the fundamental right of newspapers to freely publish their views. Other European newspapers fueled the fire by republishing the drawings, some of which were offensive caricatures, in defense of free expression...