Muhammad Caricatures in a Book

Another book that belongs in every household! Jyllandsposten plans bring out a book of the caricatures published at the time by the newspaper. A long overdue step in being able to to understand and make judgments over the events of the early 21st century in retrospect, since the harmless drawings were made in to a worldwide political issue and historical documents by the collective outburst of rage by moderate as well as non-moderate Muslims that should have been reserved for the afterworld.

Die WELT reports:

Five years after the printing of twelve world-wide controversial Muhammad caricatures in Denmark’s largest newspaper, “Jyllands Posten,” the initiator plans a new edition in book form. Flemming Rose, head of the Feature Page of the right-liberal paper will publish all twelve drawings again in September as a part of his book “Tyranny of Keeping Silence.”

He intends in the book to “put the pictures in a context with the destructive effect of pictures in general and to try and understand why the caricatures could bring a whole world to a rampage,” it was said in the competing paper “Politiken.” Rose’s book is to appear on September 30th.

The publishing of the pictures in September 2005 led with some months’ delay to extensive protests in the Islamic world. Rose wrote as foundation for the publishing of the pictures that, in spite of the prohibition against drawing images of the prophet, even Muslims should become accustomed to being “taunted, mocked, and ridiculed” in public just like any other group

Regarding his new book project, Rose said, he had been animated by US publishers who, however, opted out at the end. The reason for him was worries about the “sensitive subject.”

Rose says about his own intentions, “With the book, I would like to achieve a Europe-wide debate. It should deal with the fact that we need to live in the 21st century. The crisis over the Muhammad caricatures is an indicator for the 21st century, for there will be much more of the same developments.”

The 51-year-old Rose is considered since the protests as a possible target of attack and he works at his editorial office under massive security preparations. The caricaturist Kurt Westergaard who drew the prophet Muhammad as a sinister terrorist with a bomb in his turban for “Jyllands Posten,” barely escaped a murder attempt in his home in Århus at the beginning of the year.

A historical document that shouldn’t just be under each Christmas tree. It would also serve as a fantastic gift for moderate Muslim citizens — as an introduction or thank you gift for successful interreligious dialog.

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