Opinion - Letters to the Editor   

Provocative act

At a time when the world is becoming wary of a real "clash of civilisations," especially after 9/11, the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammed in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten are not only provocative, but unnecessary as well.

What amount of artistic value could they have added to the quality of the newspaper? Given that Europe has a high regard for liberal values this comes as a huge surprise.

K. Nanda Kumar,
Salem, T.N.

The cartoons were obviously aimed at spreading disharmony and need to be condemned in the strongest possible terms. The violence that followed is also unfortunate. Violence cannot be a solution to any problem. Muslims all over the world should exercise restraint in this hour of crisis.

K. Mahabub Ali,
Hyderabad

As stated in the editorial, `Needless and nasty controversy' (Feb. 9), "the violent reactions by the Muslim world, against all manner of targets, including the Dutch embassy in Lebanon, have been uncalled for."

R. Ramarathinam,
Pondicherry

It seems that the Western media do not want moderate Muslims to take hold of the community. They appear to want radicals to win over Muslim youth.

Syed M. Aman, Mehroz Ali, Fahat Anis,
Aligarh, U.P.

The fact that Islam is reportedly the fastest-growing religion in Europe and the West is perhaps the reason for the Islamophobia in those regions. The best way of dealing with such situations is by exercising patience, tolerance, and tact.

M.A. Hakeem,
Hyderabad

Freedom of speech cannot be made an excuse to hurt a community's feelings and spread hatred.

The publication of the cartoons is surely the work of some disruptive forces.

Malay Mishra,
Dhanbad

Definitely, a distasteful act. Freedom of expression is a right all right but it should be exercised within a certain limitation.

Simanchal Badatya,
Berhampur, Orissa

The media should enjoy full freedom to criticise religious myths and mythological beliefs in any manner without fear of threats from hatred-spewing fanatics who constitute a very low percentage in any community.

Well-meaning citizens, political leaders, and the media in general should learn to ignore such developments without blowing it out of proportion.

Joy Eapen,
Vennikulam, Kerala

As two Danish citizens presently travelling in India and enjoying the friendliness of its people, Muslims and non-Muslims alike, we deeply deplore the offence caused by a newspaper of our country.

It was, as The Hindu 's editorial put it the other day, indeed a nasty and needless provocation. We should like all Indians to know that the newspaper in question represents the more reactionary and narrow-minded elements of our society.

Please, believe us: There is another Denmark that advocates understanding instead of conflict, respect, and dialogue instead of prejudice and arrogance. We are confident that eventually that Denmark will prove the strongest.

Torben Munkholm & Anders Johansen,
Hornslet, Denmark

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

A royal farce in Nepal
Taking `Look East' further
Samajwadi Party: light years from Lohia
Indo-U.S. space cooperation adrift
The battle over a warship continues
Journalists and the truth
Provocative act
Nepal crisis
Speaker & courts
Nothing new
Scientific research
Save whales
Correction

Copyright © 2006, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu