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Al-Qaeda: Bounty on Swedish cartoonist's head
Associated Press
Published: 15.09.07, 18:23
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26 Talkbacks for this article
1. The religon of peace at work again!
Joe ,   Ohio, USA   (09.15.07)
2. Sweedish cartoon
gary ,   bass lake,ca. usa   (09.15.07)
Draw a cartoon, tell a joke about them and they want to cut off your head! Yeah, a religion of peace and tolerance. NOT!
3. We need counterattack bounties...
Micha   (09.15.07)
100k for the thug who issued the first bounty.
4. Islamic world have more hateful cartoons than the west...
Nannette ,   London   (09.15.07)
Can they please exterminate each other?
5. Don't forget Osama's head is much more expensive
Obama ,   Washington DC   (09.15.07)
6. Double standard
Natan ,   USA   (09.15.07)
The same religion who drew and still does, the most hateful anti Jewish cartoons is crying foul now. Give me a break, and by the way as a dog lover, i resent this cartoon as being insulting to dogs...
7. We're not sorry
Intedi Nensak ,   Stockholm, Sweden   (09.15.07)
We're not the least bit sorry for living in a free country. Also, i don't understand why the idiot muslims concentrate only on one small local paper, several nationwide newspapers also printed the cartoons, along with a few other local papers.
8. To #6 Good Point :-)
M. Hartley ,   Atlanta, US   (09.15.07)
9. Just one question
Jake T ,   Alaska   (09.15.07)
Why in the heck does Eurabia, and the other Western countries continue to allow Muslim immigration? Don't give me that nonsense that the majority are good Muslims. These fundamentalists are emboldened because they are growing in numbers in the West and in the number of adherents to their extreme views. If they intimidate non-Muslims, just think of the pressures they exert on their very own to conform to their ideas. Western countries must set a moratorium on immigration until it becomes clear that any immigrant applying to come to the West is also ready to sign an agreement that it will abide by our customs. Throw multiculturalism out the window. Enough already!
10. Swedish double standard
Raphael ,   Netanya   (09.15.07)
Sweden, the second western stronghold of hate industry after US, considers holocaust denial as a opinion, as in all other EU countries it is a criminal offence. Let us see how the Swedes will deal with islamic intimidation: if it works, that means we are wrong withholding our own "uncontrolled" terrorists.
11. Have We All Had Enough Of Islam Yet?
Bill Foonman ,   Jacksonville, USA   (09.15.07)
The Subject line says it all. Criticize them - you die. Draw cartoons of them - you die. Write about them - you die. At the heart of Islam is the Koran, which is not a holy document. It is a historical record, written by humans - yes humans - whose backward, medieval viewpoint is rooted in violence, oppression, misogyny and rabid anti-Semitism. This is hardly a faith to be proud of.
12. read Koran .
(09.15.07)
13. How About Giving The Fatwah Makers Their Own Medicine
Adina Kutnicki ,   US   (09.16.07)
We are barking up the wrong tree. In the west's efforts to appease they have forgotten how to react to outrageous actions. When a bully smacks you upside the head, the ONLY way to stop the bully is to smack him/her back. Turning the other cheek or running away NEVER works. Therefore, I have a novel suggestion - how amount a group of brave hearted and fair minded Swedes (and other groups who are targeted) set up their own 'fatwa' councils. All those who put a 'price' on someone's head in your country, the same price-or higher-should be put on the bullies head. This way the playing field will be equal. You can't play in the sandbox with someone who has a bow and arrow, and expect to get them to stop terrorizing by showing them your marble collection. Right?
14. ONLY 150,000!!!!!
ROBERT MORLEY ,   FARMINGTON,WV   (09.16.07)
ONLY $150,000 THATS ALL THEY VALUE THERE GOD .YOU KNOW THE SAYING YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. !!!!!!!!!!!!
15. Threats outrageous but Show Respect
Semsem ,   New York, USA   (09.16.07)
Though the threats are despicable, the Europeans should show respect to other religions.
16. Muslims calling for murder are asking for more hate speech
ny ,   usa   (09.16.07)
As an American, I believe in freedom of speech and the press; however, under American anti-bias laws, so-called "blasphemy" of a religious figure like the Prophet Mohammed could be considered a hate crime. The Swedish cartoonist would have to prove that the cartoon was meant to satirize religion and not humiliate or single out a group of people. I have not seen the cartoon, but it sounds like an effigy depicting Mohammed as a dog constitutes hate speech, and as such could be prosecuted. That said, Muslims who live in Western countries are required to act with civil decency and use the laws of the land to redress grievences. Decreeing fatwas calling for the murder of cartoonists hardly furthers the image of Islam as the peaceful religion it purports to be.
17. Cartoon not a hate crime in U.S.
Don ,   West Bloomfield MI   (09.16.07)
For the record, hate crimes are crimes first.. A blasphemous cartoon can't be a hate crime because a cartoon isn't a crime. If the cartoon defaced private or public property the defacement would be the crime and then proscutors could decide to charge it as a hate crime depending on content. But just the cartoon in a paper, no crime and no hate crime.
18. #10
Intedi Nensak ,   Stockholm, Sweden   (09.16.07)
First of all, you're wrong, it's not illegal in all other EU countries (it's perfectly legal in the UK, Netherlands, Italy, Ireland, Finland and Denmark etc). And secondly it's not a bad thing to have freedom of speech, if you don't like what someone is saying then you don't have to listen. If you want to be free to express yourself you must allow others the same thing.
19. Vilks, you cannot hope Muslims in
(09.16.07)
Europe or elsewhere understand freedom of expression. They only understand and accept THEIR freedom of expression. So, better take good cover and take care of yourself !
20. But blatant anti-semetic cartoons are ok?
Tahl ,   Israel   (09.16.07)
What hypocrites these Muslims are. They routinely print in their newspapers, the most disgusting, distasteful, virulent anti-semetic cartoons (such as the extermely ugly, hooked-nose, scheeming, all-black-dressed Jew), yet they cry out and riot every time their religion is offended. The funny part is that they insist they're a religion of peace - and everyone who says otherwise shall be executed! :-)
21. Why not just protest?
deb ,   usa   (09.16.07)
In the western world we are supposed to deal with antireligious sentiment through peaceful protest not threatening to blow someone up.
22. #17: interesting point, but where is the line drawn?
(09.16.07)
If a Neo-Nazi group or the KKK publishes anti-black or anti-semitic flyers in a newspaper, that might be considered hate speech because it singles out a particular group or groups of people. American newspapers would not allow cartoons of Jesus as a dog, so why Mohammed? Yes, I agree that a cartoonist has the right to express his opinion, but he does not have the right to single out a group of people for humiliation or scapegoating. It is a very fine line, to be sure.
23. Muhamad as a Dog
Shayne007 ,   Roanoke, USA   (09.16.07)
Awe shucks man they (the Islamic) people are offended bucause of a cartoon? yet in their Kuran they speak of jewish people and the infedels (that being anyone not like them) as being pigs. They are offended (as if I should care) that we flush their kuran down the toilet, yet they wipe their buns with our Holy Scriptures. What is this world coming too? WHat can;t they reap what they sow? You dish it out, it'll come back to ya.
24. You are all just as bad!
Pär ,   Göteborg, Sweden   (09.17.07)
Besides the threats made by the so called al Qaeda, Muslims have an obvious right to feel heart and angry by the cartoons and peacefully protest against them. The error is that they are angry at all Swedes, me for example. I wasn’t asked before Lars Vilks drew the cartoons or before they were published neither were the Swedish prime minister or the CEO of Volvo, as far as I know. The same error is made by most people commenting this article. Just because the so called al Qaeda threaten to kill the artist it doesn’t mean they speak for all Muslims. Crimes commited to Jews, Muslims or Christians or to their respective religions are commited by individuals not by a people, or a race. And, to the editor of this site, how can you let comments as number 4 be left on the site?
25. wake up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!before it's too late
EYNAV ,   ny USA   (09.20.07)
www.faithfreedom.org
26. Swedish Cartoons
Muslims Against Shar ,   Stockholm, Sweden   (10.04.07)
Muslims Against Sharia praise the courage of Lars Vilks, Ulf Johansson, Thorbjorn Larsson and the staff of Nerikes Allehanda and Dagens Nyheter and condemn threats issued by Abu Omar Al Baghdadi and the Islamic State of Iraq. Muslims Against Sharia will provide a payment of 100,000kr (about $15,000) for the information leading to capture or neutralization of Abu Omar Al Baghdadi. Muslimer mot Sharia berömmer Lars Vilks, Ulf Johansson, Torbjörn Larsson och övriga anställda på Nerikes Allehanda och Dagens Nyheter för deras tapperhet och fördömer hotet från Abu Omar Al Baghdadi och Islamistiska Iraq. Muslimer mot Sharia betalar 100 000 SEK (ca 15 000$) för information som leder till gripande eller oskadligörande av Abu Omar Al Baghdadi. Muslims Against Sharia Defend Freedom of Speech - Support Sweden!
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