Roadkill Journal

The ugly and often violent furor over the “Mohammed cartoons” published last October by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten – and subsequently republished by others – begins to die down.

A fascinating footnote to the controversy is the identity of one of the republishing entities: The Egyptian Daily Al Fager. Egyptian Sandmonkey recounts the matter:

“Boycott Egypt”

http://egyptiansandmonkey.blogspot.com/2006/02/boycott-egypt.html

Sandmonkey notes that the action taken by Al Fager last October – during Ramadan, no less – incited no riots…

This dichotomy has prompted many conservative and neoconservative pundits to suggest the recent protest riots in several Muslim countries were at least inflamed if not outright orchestrated by either governments or quasi-governmental religious institutions…

Perhaps. Perhaps at least the authorities involved “fanned the flames” kindled by a genuine outrage. But if the outrage was genuine, why didn’t Al Fager feel the thunderbolt?

I think we’re seeing the workings of an unusual aspect of human psychology. There is a possible parallel here in America…

The greatest linguistic taboo in America today is the word “nigger.” So opprobrious is this term that when referred to at all it is usually referred to as “the N word.”

Among non-blacks, that is. It is still common for black people to use the word, however impolitely, to refer to each other…

Why? Why should the taboo only apply to non-blacks?

Because spoken by a white man, the “N” word is perceived to be a disrespectful reminder of a great oppression, an oppression some insist continues to this day. The “oppressed” wield a kind of power against the “oppressor” via the taboo.

I think the cartoon protests stem from a similar perception of oppression, however misplaced that perception may be. Between Muslims, the questions portrayed by the cartoons, and indeed the question of the propriety of displaying the Prophet’s likeness can be discussed… One underdog to another, so to speak… The outsider’s comments carry hundreds of years of baggage, whether the outsider understands it or not.

It isn’t the picture, it’s the past…