Mike the Usurper wrote:

Ahmadinejad also ordered his commerce minister to study scrapping all trade contacts with European countries whose newspapers published the caricatures, Iranian media reported.

Well jackass, this is what a free press gets you, something obviously lacking in Iran. It would be nice to find a way to pull the plug on the Iranians, but the problem is, even if we and the Europeans stop buying from them completely, and maybe get the Japanese to do so as well (big maybe that) the Chinese will be happy to pick up that slack.

A bit of a sticky wicket this one...

It's unbelievable to me that the militant lunatics raving about these strips don't understand that their rampaging only plays into the stereotypes that set the whole thing off. I guess maybe they do understand but don't care, though I can't imagine the twisted logic there. You want to get people to not think of you as unreasonable, reactionary militants? Start by not being unreasonable, reactionary militants. It's absurd, and a disgrace to the vast majority of muslims in the world who are level headed and have no interest in expressing themselves with fire, guns or bombs. Perhaps the lunatic fringe thinks of such reasonable muslims in the same way Jerry Falwell might think of me; that is, a false believer, or at any rate, one too weak to do what's "right" according to their warped mentality.

Regardless, it's unfortunate, because a lot of westerners (particularly, I imagine, here in the US) are taking this oppurtunity to sit back and say, "See, I've been saying for years how all muslims are dangerous crazies. We should wipe 'em out!"

I think the cartoons were pointless at best, and, in fact, largely in poor taste, but really, the treatment this has been getting among fundamentalists is beyond stupid in pretty much every way.

The economic reaction by Iran is almost reasonable in comparison. Nonetheless, Europe should essentially unanimously remind Iran, et al that the operations of media within modern societies allow for the expression of essentially all ideas, including distasteful ones, and that providing such an environment can not possibly be considered tacit approval for any particular sentiment expressed. They should politely tell Iran to do whatever is best for Iran, and in no way concede to some silly blackmail for an apology or, worse, concessions in the form of censure or censors. It's too bad the US was so eager to look Mulim-Friendly (TM) in the ongoing wake of Iraq operations that we took the anti-europe stance on the matter. Silly. And contrary to American ideals of freedom of expression. Such as they are.