The Armchair View: Concerns? You mean murder!

Friday, February 03, 2006

Concerns? You mean murder!

BBC News has a rather odd explanatory box alongside this article on the cartoon row. The text reads (emphases mine):

MUSLIM CONCERNS OVER ART
1989: Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Khomeini calls on Muslims to kill British author Salman Rushdie for alleged blasphemy in his book The Satanic Verses
2002: Nigerian journalist Isioma Daniel's article about Prophet and Miss World contestants sparks deadly riots
2004: Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh killed after release of his documentary about violence against Muslim women
2005: London's Tate Britain museum cancels plans to display sculpture by John Latham for fear of offending Muslims after July bombings

Who in their right mind would term these unconscionable reactions "concerns"? And why is it so hard for some people to distinguish between being offended or disagreeing about something and going around calling for and actually murdering people?
I guess the silver lining of this whole affair is that hopefully more Europeans will be awoken from their slumber.

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