Drawings of Mohammed - who are behind the riots?

It should be obvious by now, that all the violence and threats has little or nothing to do with the 12 relatively innocent drawings that were published in a far-away country four months ago. Even if you add the false Mohammed drawings produced by the Danish Imams, it still doesn't add up. (If you haven't seen the imam's propaganda material, then look here).

Even the White House has realized that something is rotten outside the kingdom of Denmark:

We will hold Syria responsible for such violent demonstrations since they do not take place in that country without government knowledge and support," said presidential press secretary Scott McClellan.

This blog will therefore enter its fourth phase in which we'll take a look at the question: Who are behind the riots?

To begin with, let's look at a two months old article. I'll translate the old Danish article and add my comments. This article is from the beginning of December, after death threats from far-away Pakistan.

[Islamic] Society calms down artists

03-12-05: 15:30 | by: stse

The Danish Islamic Society calms down the artists behind Jyllands-Posten's pictures of the prophet Mohammed:

As I have explained before, they call themselves "The Danish Islamic Society", which may lead to you believe they represent the 200.000 Danish Muslims in Denmark - but in fact they speak for no more than 15.000 - including children.

A closer inspection of their complaint against JyllandsPosten, reveals that out of the 28 organisations, some are counted twice, some does not exist and most of them had never been asked. At least three of these organisations had the guts to state to the newspaper EkstraBladet that they did not want to appear on the list, but they had never been asked.

The religious leader, Abu Laban, explained the difference from 15,000 to 200,000 as "truth with sales tax".

The artist shall remain calm and not let it influence their world. They didn't know how much the drawings would offend, when they were hired for the work" says Kasem Said Ahmad, press spokesman for the society.

Actually JyllandsPosten had asked several experts before publishing, and had received the same answer as I have posted before: The prohibition against drawings of Mohammed is disputed - and any prohibition there might be, only applies to believers.

But even if JyllandsPosten hadn't asked the experts, they would have been excused. Current spokesman for the Society, Ahmed Akkari, has explained that unbelievers are not even allowed to touch the Koran (Akkari in Danish). So how would the artists know?

I myself became so offended over the drawings that I almost got sick and could become a terrorist - if I didn't have control over myself", he admits.
"But there is no taking the laws into ones own hands in Islam. Death threats are immoral, un-Islamic, un-Danish and not relevant in Denmark," the spokesman explains.

My emphasis. Remember these words, "I almost got sick and could become a terrorist".

Wanted to put a lid on the Mohammed-strife

Kasem Said Ahmad thinks that the only solution to the whole affair is, that Jyllands-Posten, who brought the drawings, should come out with an apology because the drawings offended religious feelings. At the same time the paper should emphasize that the purpose behind bringing the drawings was to strike a blow for free speech", thinks Ahmad.

Good advice, Mr. Ahmad. Since then, JyllandsPosten has made at least 13 editorials explaining that they never intended to insult Muslims' feelings, but that we can't have a democratic society with free speech as long as one group - Muslims - demand special treatment.

And after you, Mr. Ahmad, made it a global concern, JyllandsPosten have re-iterated their explanations and apologies in English and Arabic.

What the spokesman fears most of all - after a Islamistic party in Pakistan sent out death threats against the 12 artists - is what an unstable person in Pakistan might do, were he to run into a Dane.

Tomorrow The Islamic Society of Denmark will send a delegation to Egypt. Here it is to meet the chairman of the Arabic League and the foreign minister of Egypt in order to debate the case about the drawings in Jyllands-Posten.

"We want to ask for help from theologians, who can come to Denmark and tell about Islam," explains Ahmad.

He himself is traveling to Beirut to tell youth organisations in the Arabic Initiative, which the Foreign Ministry stand behind, about the drawings.

False Mohammed drawing. Courtesy of Mr. Ahmad - spokesman for the Islamic Society

So Mr. Ahmad and his cohorts will tour the Middle East with his propaganda booklet, where he has a copy of the 12 drawings that "almost made him sick and could make him become a terrorist" to make sure that everybody in the Middle East will see the drawings so they in turn can "almost become sick and almost could become a terrorist" as well.

And just in case the pictures weren't bad enough to "almost make them sick and make them become terrorists", Mr. Ahmad has added his own false Mohammed drawings to ensure that everybody in the Middle East "almost become sick and almost could become a terrorist".

False Mohammed drawing. Courtesy of Mr. Ahmad - spokesman for the Danish Islamic Society

And for the benefit of those who doesn't read newspapers, imam Abu Bashar goes on al-Jazeera and BBC to be really sure that the entire Muslim world "almost become sick and almost become terrorists".

And if images aren't enough, then their propaganda material will tell you that the 12 innocent images in JyllandsPosten are a part of a campaign to persecute Muslims. No mention of Theo van Gogh or Muslim street gangs - no attempt to explain the threats against free speech.

Nobody has been hurt yet, Mr. Ahmad. But when it happens their blood will be on your hands.