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Life Imitates Art: The Case of the Exploding Turban

Danish children's book writer Kåre Bluitgen's leftist bona fides are
irreproachable: A long-time resident of Copenhagen's multicultural
Norrebro district, he sends his kids to a school predominated by
Danish as a second language classes. Bluitgen's plan to write a book
explaining Islam to Danish children hit a snag when illustrator after
illustrator declined to put themselves in the way of reprisals from
extremists. This was no idle concern just months after Theo van Gogh
had been slaughtered in the street in Holland. In 2005, when word of
this impasse reached newspaper Jyllands-Posten, the decision was made
to test the strength of post-Enlightenment ideals (like freedom of
expression), in a post-immigration society. The paper commissioned a
series of provocative cartoons, on the premise that Moslems, like
everyone else, must suffer occasional jibes in a free society. We all
know what happened. The cartoon that inflamed Islam was Kurt
Westergaard's Mohammed wearing a bomb in his turban.

Needless to say, life as Mr. Westergaard knew it, will never be the
same. In 2008, the Danish Security and Intelligence Service charged
two Tunisians and a Moroccan-born Dane with conspiracy to murder the
cartoonist. Westergaard was placed under 24-hour
protection/surveillance shared out between police and the Danish
secret service. His house was fitted with steel doors, a panic room,
reinforced glass in the windows and surveillance cameras. The panic
room would save Westergaard's life on New Year's Day 2010. Somali
Mohamed Geele (reputedly an acolyte of al-Shabaab) broke a window and
pummelled the panic room's steel door with a knife and axe shrieking
"revenge!" until police subdued him with shots through hand and knee.
A unanimous jury found Geele guilty of an attempt to perform an act of
terrorism and attempted murder and sentenced him to nine years in
prison and expulsion from Denmark for life. But life insists on
imitating art:

The exploding turban is becoming something of a Taliban trademark.
"Afghan insurgents appeared to continue their assassination campaign
against key public figures on Wednesday with the killing of the mayor
of Kandahar. Ghulam Haider Hamidi was targeted by a suicide bomber who
got into the municipality compound in Kandahar City with explosives
concealed under his turban. The technique was first used earlier this
month in a mosque in the city during a memorial service for Ahmed Wali
Karzai, a regional strongman and half-brother of the president.'' (The
Guardian, July 27, 2011)

In due course, the children's book was published -- illustrated by an
anonymous artist. Jyllands-Posten's cultural editor was recently asked
whether he felt the newspaper was responsible for the creation of more
extremists. His thoughtful response: "Perhaps. But by making fun in
this way, we've not only created [radicals], we've also created Danes.
Humour, even offensive humour, brings people together. Because by
making fun of people we're also including them in our society. It's
not always easy for those concerned, but that's the price they've got
to pay."

[This article appears in the August, 2011 issue of the CANADIAN
IMMIGRATION HOTLINE. Published monthly, the CANADIAN IMMIGRATION
HOTLINE is available by subscription for $30 per year. You can
subscribe by sending a cheque or VISA number and expiry date to
CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE, P.O. Box 332, Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3.]

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Life Imitates Art: The Case of the Exploding Turban

Written by Paul Fromm

Wednesday, 10 August 2011 04:24

*Life Imitates Art: The Case of the Exploding Turban*

Danish children's book writer *Kåre Bluitgen's* leftist bona fides are
irreproachable: A long-time resident of Copenhagen's multicultural Norrebro
district, he sends his kids to a school predominated by Danish as a second
language classes. Bluitgen's plan to write a book explaining Islam to Danish
children hit a snag when illustrator after illustrator declined to put
themselves in the way of reprisals from extremists. This was no idle concern
just months after *Theo van Gogh* had been slaughtered in the street in
Holland. In 2005, when word of this impasse reached newspaper *
Jyllands-Posten*, the decision was made to test the strength of post-*
Enlightenment* ideals (like freedom of expression), in a post-immigration
society. The paper commissioned a series of provocative cartoons, on the
premise that Moslems, like everyone else, must suffer occasional jibes in a
free society. We all know what happened. The cartoon that inflamed Islam was
*Kurt Westergaard's Mohammed* wearing a bomb in his turban.

Needless to say, life as Mr. Westergaard knew it, will never be the same. In
2008, the *Danish Security and Intelligence Service* charged two Tunisians
and a Moroccan-born Dane with conspiracy to murder the cartoonist.
Westergaard was placed under 24-hour protection/surveillance shared out
between police and the Danish secret service. His house was fitted with
steel doors, a panic room, reinforced glass in the windows and surveillance
cameras. The panic room would save Westergaard's life on New Year's Day
2010. *Somali Mohamed Geele* (reputedly an acolyte of *al-Shabaab*) broke a
window and pummelled the panic room's steel door with a knife and axe
shrieking "revenge!" until police subdued him with shots through hand and
knee. A unanimous jury found Geele guilty of an attempt to perform an act of
terrorism and attempted murder and sentenced him to nine years in prison and
expulsion from Denmark for life. But life insists on imitating art:

The exploding turban is becoming something of a Taliban trademark. "Afghan
insurgents appeared to continue their assassination campaign against key
public figures on Wednesday with the killing of the mayor of Kandahar. *Ghulam
Haider Hamidi* was targeted by a suicide bomber who got into the
municipality compound in Kandahar City with explosives concealed under his
turban. The technique was first used earlier this month in a mosque in the
city during a memorial service for *Ahmed Wali Karzai*, a regional strongman
and half-brother of the president.'' (*The Guardian*, July 27, 2011)

In due course, the children's book was published -- illustrated by an
anonymous artist. *Jyllands-Posten's* cultural editor was recently asked
whether he felt the newspaper was responsible for the creation of more
extremists. His thoughtful response: "Perhaps. But by making fun in this
way, we've not only created [radicals], we've also created Danes. Humour,
even offensive humour, brings people together. Because by making fun of
people we're also including them in our society. It's not always easy for
those concerned, but that's the price they've got to pay."

[This article appears in the August, 2011 issue of the *CANADIAN
IMMIGRATION HOTLINE*. Published monthly, the *CANADIAN IMMIGRATION
HOTLINE*is available by subscription for $30 per year. You can
subscribe by sending
a cheque or VISA number and expiry date to *CANADIAN IMMIGRATION HOTLINE*,
P.O. Box 332, Rexdale, ON., M9W 5L3.]

Hear Paul Fromm -- The Fighting Side of Me: Press Smears & Anatomy of a Killing

Written by Paul Fromm

Tuesday, 09 August 2011 03:42

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