SEATTLE – The Stranger, an alternative weekly newspaper, has published the cartoons that sparked chaos overseas by outraged Muslims who consider them blasphemy.
The goal is to let readers make up their own minds about the drawings, which have stirred violent demonstrations in the Islamic world months after their original publication in Denmark.
“One man’s blasphemy doesn’t override other people’s free-speech rights, their freedom to publish, freedom of thought,” said Stranger editor Dan Savage, who also writes the blunt, spicy and nationally syndicated advice column “Savage Love.”
The decision frustrates some local Muslims, who consider the cartoons hurtful and offensive. Many U.S. publications have opted not to print the cartoons for that reason.
Jamal Rahman, a Muslim and minister with Interfaith Community Church in Ballard, said the Stranger’s decision to republish them is an “unnecessary provocation.”
The cartoons were first printed in September in Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten newspaper. The editor challenged cartoonists to draw the prophet Muhammad, saying he thought they were self-censoring because of fear of Islamic radicals.
One of the drawings shows a bomb wrapped up in Muhammad’s turban. Another shows the prophet wielding a dagger in front of women in burqas.
Islam prohibits depictions of the prophet because of concerns about idolatry and showing disrespect.
“I’m appalled by the cartoons,” said Jawad Khaki, a Seattle-area software company executive. “Not just as a Muslim, but as a human being, because I normally wouldn’t do something to offend a large portion of the population in any way.”
But many local Muslims also are horrified by the violent clashes overseas.
“If it’s the image of Islam they’re trying to protect, they’re doing exactly the opposite,” real estate agent Jeff Siddiqui said.
The Stranger published four cartoons in Thursday’s issue with an article by Bruce Bawer, author of “While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West From Within” and “Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity.”
“No Molotov cocktails, but the calls have been interesting,” the newspaper’s receptionist, Mike Nipper, said Friday.
“The article we’re running is about how stupid it is to throw violent temper tantrums against freedom of speech,” said Stranger news editor Josh Feit. “We thought it would have been stupid for us to do an article condemning those temper tantrums and not run the pictures themselves.”
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