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“You can't separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom. “ -

Malcolm X (1925 - 1965), Malcolm X Speaks, 1965

Being away from Singapore and all that Europe travelling kinda honed my expertise as an armchair critic. Of course, being the perennial nitpick-er of the local papministration, the topic of democracy takes an appealing stance to me.

Copenhagen was initially one of the destinations to go, until the riots (go read up) escalated.

Ok, so what I am Kiasee?

Oh democracy.

I find it mildly amusing when it was just a bunch of third world muppets rioting and generally making a ruckus over cartoons and caricatures about 99.9% of them had never even personally seen. But then again I shouldn't be surprised since gullibility and faith are, to me, interchangeable terms.

But when innocent lives were involved over what has been a largely exaggerated issue, it ain’t funny no more.

I mean let's face it if a couple of drawings is going to "threaten" your religion, then I gotta say, your god is a pretty weak dude. Because, you know, that "other" god and his junior have had to put up with equally "blasphemous" cartoons for an equally long time.

I mean, what are the demonstrators calling for? Censorship eh? Not because they have been injured in any measurable way, though some may argue that such cartoons reinforce the prejudices against Muslims that is manifested in other, concrete ways.

But what carries more prejudice? The caricatures, or camera images of hostage-takers slashing the throat of his victim or suicide bombers doing… their thing?

You tell me.

Yet this only reminds us of the very reason why Europe is leagues ahead in cultural vibrancy and creativity. The freedom to challenge, which necessarily causes offence to some who embrace the status quo, is fundamental to intellectual, economic and socio-political progress. Calling pet ideas into question is essential if we are to use human intelligence in any meaningful way.

ian

15/12/06