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Thursday, February 02, 2006

Just What Do They Want? Part Two

I am continually amazed by those who think that we must have done something to provoke the wrath of peaceful Moslems and compel some of them to become whackjob jihadis committed to our deaths. Surely, if only we would change our behavior, they would stop hating us and attacking us.

Interesting thought. Yet there is this:

Armed militants angered by a cartoon drawing of the Prophet Muhammad published in European newspapers surrounded EU offices in Gaza on Thursday and threatened to kidnap foreigners as outrage over the caricatures spread across the Islamic world.

More than 300 students demonstrated in Pakistan, chanting "Death to France!" and "Death to Denmark!" — two of the countries where newspapers published the drawings. Other protests were held in Syria and Lebanon, while officials in Afghanistan, Iran and Indonesia condemned the publication. In Paris, the daily France Soir fired its managing editor after it ran the caricatures Wednesday.

A Jordanian newspaper took the bold step of running some of the drawings, saying it wanted to show its readers how offensive the cartoons were, although its editor also said he did not want "to promote such blasphemy." In an editorial, it also urged the world's Muslims to "be reasonable."

I know, I know, going to war against the jihadis will just enrage average Moslems to fight us, so we should just pull home. Act like France has and they'll love us. Oh wait, what were the jihadi-lovers chanting in Pakistan? Ah yes, "Death to France!" Well there goes that response.

And "Death to Denmark" doesn't exactly conjur up images of violent Western imperialism. You know, other than the oppressed colony of Greenland. Really, "Death to Denmark" makes about as much sense as "Death to Hello Kitty!" as an inspirational chant to inspire the faithful to hate and kill. Well, on the latter I'll defer to Mad Minerva.

Makes me wonder if we could ever appease them. Doesn't it? It's almost like they hate us for who we are and not what we do!

UPDATE: Mark Steyn is amazed that we can't seem to work up an outrage over the nutter response to some cartoons that some deem our offensive to Moslems. Sure, they can be crazy enough to be outraged, but why do we have to go along with it? Can't we defend our society and culture in the face of murderous outrage over badly drawn cartoons? As Steyn writes, "As a famously sensitive Dane once put it, 'To be or not to be, that is the question.'"