Follow this link to view the controversial cartoon. WARNING: This cartoon contains material which some may find offensive. Controversial Cartoon

The past couple of weeks have been a turbulent period for the international relations of one small European nation – Denmark. People from North Africa to the Middle East, all the way to Indonesia have taken to the streets, destroying embassies and attacking Western symbols, as a form of protest against a grievous insult perpetrated by the Danes.

What could have sparked such an uprising? Is it a product of a trade war impacting commodities such as Danish blue cheese?

Nope.

Could it be a case of geopolitical conflict arising from military maneuvers carried out by the powerful Danish navy in nearby waters?

Wrong again.

All of this destruction and mayhem concerns a few cartoons published last September by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. The cartoons have since been reprinted in several other European dailies.

Apparently, depicting the holy prophet Muhammad is a form of blasphemy to the Muslim faithful. As a result, various Islamic fundamentalist groups have taken offense and have actively fomented a series of violent demonstrations throughout the Muslim world. This has inevitably produced a broad public discourse on how freedom of speech and press, rights that are integral to a free society, can co-exist in a respectful manner with religious dogmas.

For people of faith, this debate about political correctness may appear to be a legitimate issue. To an atheist such as myself, however, it is completely exasperating. This is not the appropriate forum to discuss all of the various reasons why religious stories about gods, angels, devils, fiery serpents, and so forth are myths, but it does raise the interesting question of whether such fictional texts should be open to public scrutiny and commentary, such as political cartoons, even though it may result in hurt feelings.

The provocative Danish cartoons include one caricature of Muhammad with a bomb beneath his turban, and another that shows Muhammad standing on a cloud holding back a line of smoldering suicide bombers trying to get into heaven and saying “stop, we have run out of virgins.” Is this simply a case of European arrogance and Islamophobia? Or is there a political statement conveyed by these particular cartoons that has been largely overlooked?

Every religion has its own moral teachings and unique world views that contribute to the wonderful diversity of human traditions and cultures we see today. But when they are interpreted as the literal truth by radical groups and individuals, and applied to society and government in an absolute fashion, it can become a repressive doctrine responsible for widespread suffering and the stifling of human thought and creativity.

That is the ultimate message of these cartoons. The supposed reward of 72 virgins in heaven for Muslim martyrs has been preached by radical groups such as al-Qaida, who have misrepresented the Quran for their Jihad against the West and the values it stands for. As a consequence of this radical interpretation, young Arab men have been more than willing to commit acts of terror in the name of Allah, the most dramatic being the events of 9/11. This said, however, one cannot disregard the damaging role of American foreign policy and its close alliance with the state of Israel in straining the relationship between the West and the Muslim world, creating a volatile mixture of nationalism and Islamic fundamentalism in places such as occupied Iraq.

But nonetheless, religious dogmas can be extremely dangerous and should not have a special status in an open marketplace for ideas and debate. The need to be subjected to the critical eye of reason. Otherwise, if considered as literal truths and taboo as topics of discussion, a return to the Middle Ages may be knocking on our future’s door. Discrimination against certain members of society can occur unchecked (e.g., women under the Taliban regime, the gay community) and, what is particularly relevant to the state of Kansas, scientific progress can become compromised if it is in conflict with religious beliefs (e.g., modern evolutionary theory).

We should be thankful for the freedoms we have. Sometimes all it takes are a few cartoons from a small country in Europe to help us realize that.