A hunch I had from the start, but has reaffirmed by the new information that the very-same Jyllens-Posten
refused to run cartoons lampooning Jesus Christ three years ago. claiming that "the cartoons of Christ three years ago, on the grounds that they could be offensive to readers and were not funny."
Of course, none of this has to do with Hosni Mubarak and the Sauds cyncially flogging the issue or a group of radical Danish Islamists possibly taking other, more offensive cartoons on a tour of the Middle East last fall. Or the subsequent violent protests from this weekend.
But I think the story is multi-dimensional, and I don't think Jyllens-Postens should be lionized either. While I defend their editorial decision (even though I may think it unwise) and think protesters and governments have no right to dictate to Denmark and its institutions what they can and can't do, lets not make out Jyllens-Posten to be some kind of latter day Salman Rushdie, either. It was a cheap and possibly nasty PR stunt, that seems to serve very little long-term use and will not encourage a "conversation of civilizations," which of course is vital to ultimately eliminate the scourge of radical Islamist terrorism.