Danish Iceberg

Arabs and Muslim groups are marketing “Insulting Muslims” as a new form of hate speech. Can they pull it off?


To many Western observers, the worldwide Muslim outrage over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed is the stuff of mystery. Why, they may wonder, do Muslims protest so vehemently some silly drawings, while they don’t protest the dictatorships that starve them and rule them so ruthlessly?

The question is legitimate, but beside the point. Westerners will sooner or later accept the notion that many Muslims have a weird sense of prioritization. If they starve because of bad government policy or corruption, they attribute it to “God’s will”. But if some “heathen” westerner insults their beliefs, they will be seriously offended.

So offended in fact that they will take action: The Libyans have pulled their Ambassador in Copenhagen, The Jordanians “summoned” the Danish ambassador, the Saudis are toying with the notion of boycotting Danish products, protests are everywhere, and, in case you want to make a difference and are wondering what products you should boycott, there’s a website especially designed for you. (Take your time and browse to the bottom. Depending on where you stand, you will either laugh or cry)

You get the picture. But should the Danish government cave in and apologize for the drawings of some otherwise obscure cartoonists? (Because of the fuss the Muslims are making, Jamal muses, more people will actually see the cartoons)

It depends on how much the Danish government is willing to pay for “freedom of speech”. If Danish companies start losing a lot of money to disgruntled and determined Muslim consumers worldwide, they will eventually force their government to bury the hatchet. After all, like the Google-in-China episode has shown us, high ideals also have a price. Muslims are comparing insulting their sensitivities to denying the holocaust and some international leaders are beginning to buy it.

The good news for the Danish government is that Muslim boycotts have notoriously failed in the past. Who remembers the “Boycott everything American” in the wake of the Palestinian intifada? Just between us, do you really believe that your mother will stop buying Lurpack butter because Jyllands-Posten published cartoons of the Prophet?

The Danes need only wait before the boiling bloods of Muslims cool down. But will they take that risk? The problem is not just economic; some Danes are worrying about terrorist reprisals and their reputation of neutrality in the Muslim world. This is why the Danish government might end up taking a more nuanced approach: It has already talked tough to appease its export industry, but it is also likely to make a very disguised apology…Eventually.