Arts vs Culture

I have decided to blog about the recent controversy on cartoons of the founder of Islam, to gte my mind off of some things.

Background: Some danish news paper had institues cartoonists to come up with some controversial material, to find out how artists self-censure themselves when writing about Islam. The result is published in the local papers and forgotten, until 4 months later a cleric reprints them, adds sentences which were not already there and brings to the kind attentions of the rest of the Islamic world.
Result: Lots of riots, protests, killings, burnings etc.

Now I want to say somethings to every player involved because unlike you, my readers, they just dont get it (you on the other hand come from a long line of it-getters).

To all the westerners and especially you rednecks out there wondering why you cant see those cartoons in your 'free' country, finally America has decided to show some sensitivity to other culture's beliefs and values. Yes, freedom of speech and press is hallmark of Western civilization, but that does not come with the right to hurt or insult anybody. I heard Anderson Cooper ask someone "If a cross is dipped in urine in the US, it is not looked upon with so much contempt". That is because Americans have a right to rebel against their own culture and religion, to vent out. How will these same people feel if this was done in a non Christian country? Mutual respect should be more important than an intagible vague sense of self-righteous freedom.

To all the clerics and middle-eastern religious fanatics, your papers and leaders routinely insult other cultures and other religions especially Jews. If you deserve respect you should learn to give it.

To all the secularists in India and especially all MF Hussain's fans, where are you now? Shabana Azmi, Javed Akhtar, Raj Babbar, Kader Khan etc. who were shouting for artistic freedom when Hssain painted Saraswati (Hindu Goddess of learning) nude and when all these Muslims defended his freedom of expression, where are you now? Why dont you speak to your fellow muslims and preach artistic freedom to them? Why malign Balasaheb Thackrey when he is exposing an insensitive boor.

Thats all you needed to know about this issue!