As usual, the Vatican strikes a sane position in the Danish cartoon controversy:
In an official statement regarding the controversy over publication of cartoons mocking Islam, the Vatican has said that freedom of speech "cannot imply the right to offend the religious sentiments of believers." The Vatican statement, issued on February 4, goes on to say that "coexistence calls for a climate of mutual respect."
Although it does not explicitly mention the cartoons that have become the basis for an international controversy, the statement from the Holy See condemns "exasperated criticisms or derision of others." Such an approach would be an "inadmissible provocation," the statement says.
In a subtle rebuke to Islamic militants, however, the Vatican statement goes on to argue that "the offenses caused by an individual or a member of the press cannot be imputed to the public institutions of the corresponding country," adding that "violent actions of protest are equally deplorable."
Although I detest the Muslim fear tactics, I've been painfully aware that I'm siding with the secularists on this one. The Vatican's statement reminds me that the Muslims are properly upset with the cartoons. They need to learn to respond properly--with a blog, with letters to the editor, with cartoons that lampoon Danish cartoonists, with boycotts. And that, I fear, is something they're simply incapable of. It might be rooted in their religion, one that was built on force and violence.
