From the chronicles of the insane

The cartoon madness continues. Al-Ghurabaa, a British Muslim extremist organisation, has an article on its web page inciting to kill those who insult Muhammed, "since the Prophet said 'Whoever insults a Prophet kill him'". Palestinian gunmen searched hotels for Danes, Norwegians and French, and kidnapped a German when they didn't find any of those, just in case. They released him later. In Indonesia 300 thugs went on a rampage in the lobby of the Danish building. Churches were bombed in Iraq. Al-Aqsa Martyrs' brigades demanded that Europeans leave Gaza, and so did Islmaic Jihad. Hamas, however, behaved itself pretty well, having encountered objective reality in the form of money, or rather severe lack thereof.

(Palestinian political life is rather amusing at the moment: "Get out of Gaza, evil infidels! You insulted our prophet! And give us money while you are at it! What, you want us to say that we have to renounce our holy goal of the destruction of Israel first? Gaah, blackmail! We won't let you blackmail us into giving up on our holy goals! But maybe you will still give us some money? Just a little?")

Some people try to explain this behavior by saying that people who grew up in countries where the government controls the media cannot comprehend that in some countries government cannot control the media. Funny, I don't remember this concept causing any difficulty to myself.

I wonder: if a group of Christians or Jews here in Finland assaulted a cultural center or an embassy of some country where something insulting to their religion or other sensibilities was printed, would the participants wind up in prison or in a psychiatric institution?

Various newspapers in various European countries have printed the cartoons now. France Soir printed them in France, and the editor got fired. The cartoons were printed also in Germany, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium Hungary, Iceland, Switzerland, you name it. Even the Jordanian weekly Al-Shihan printed three of the cartoons and pointed out that a suicide bombing at a wedding in Amman probably hurts Islam's image more than these cartoons. Now here is a guy who has balls. Or death wish. He has been suspended pending an investigation.

Muslims all over the world are boycotting Danish ham and Carlsberg beer. So far I have not seen any demands for boycotts of European money, but I am sure these are coming Real Soon Now.

Note to self: you you ever start drawing and want to become really famous, draw Muhammed. But hire good bodyguards first.