As if this whole issue deserves any more print, but I had a flashback the other day that I thought was worth sharing. During a call-in show on the radio about the topic, I heard the oft repeated comment that similar cartoons about Christianity and its sacred figures are printed all the time.

During my second year of University, our student newspaper printed a cartoon of Jesus, wearing a straight-jacket, and being wheeled through the halls of an insane asyllum. The next issue of the paper printed an angry, poorly-written reply, penned by yours truly. I voiced my displeasure with the newspaper and its editor for printing it. I also challenged them to print a similar cartoon disparaging the prophet Muhammed. It angered me then that an obvious double standard existed, with one religion, mine, open for rebuke, and all others untouchable. My challenge was not meant to encourage intolerance of others, but to highlight that double-standard. The editors response was that it was to demonstrate how society has rejected the teachings of a man advocating love and forgiveness. I insisted that there were better ways of making that statement.

He never did respond to my challenge though. In a way I’m glad. I certainly wouldn’t want to have instigated this whole cartoon fiasco myself through a letter to the editor. It would weigh heavy on my conscience if Canadian embassies were attacked because a newspaper responded to my challenge.

Since then, I have seen many more unflattering artistic depictions of Christianity and its historic figures. Some I have appreciated as valid critiques, such as the “She of Little Faith” episode of the The Simpsons, and some I have despised as tasteless, such as the film “Dogma” even though it mocks the Catholic a lot more than it does me. In that same amount of time, I haven’t seen anything in the artistic world that critiques Islam, Judaism, etc. Perhaps we’re easy targets, but ours is not the only religion whose history is littered with illegitimate violence, hypocrisy and intollerance.

Various reasons are given each time a Western news outlet re-prints the cartoons such as exercising freedom of the press or just reporting the basis of such a newsworthy event. Nobody is printing them with the intention of offending Muslims, at least not overtly. Heck, they’re not even all that offensive (yes, I have seen them). Another interesting reason has been used lately to publish them, bravery. Certain news outlets have refused to cower in fear of Muslim extremists and ar re-printing the cartoons to demonstrate. Now it’s easy to be brave this far away from the middle east, but it’s a valid concern. We in the west as well as the Muslim world are not well served when this kind of violence dictates what gets printed and what doesn’t. Civilized discourse usually doesn’t sell a lot of newspapers, but it’s what is most needed in times like this, and it is what should decide what gets printed and what doesn’t.