Conditioning for Dhimmitude

By Janet Levy | March 18, 2011

Cartoongate, which took place September 2005 following publication in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten of 12 editorial cartoons depicting Mohammed, marked a great watershed: the start of the Western world’s conditioning. Accustomed to unfettered literary license afforded by free press guarantees, the West has a tradition of unreservedly heaping criticism and spewing ridicule on religion. The West highlights obvious hypocrisies, questionable practices and controversial practitioners. That is, until Cartoongate.

Cartoongate ushered in a new standard of behavior that has had a chilling effect on free speech and expression when it comes to all things Muslim. The aftermath of the Mohammed cartoons incident established Muslims as a uniquely protected group to be effectively shielded from all critique and ridicule. Noteworthy is that this new Muslims-only standard mirrors the Islamic doctrine of shariah that confers superior legal and political status for Muslims in parallel with a subservient status — dhimmitude — for non-Muslims. Today, the West all too easily and habitually gives up freedom of speech by avoiding even the merest shadow of negativity when it comes to Muslims and, thus, imposing on itself dhimmitude and enabling our sworn enemies.

Yet, no faith has been immune from humiliating depictions and trenchant critique in the Western media. Hooked-nosed, hunch-backed Jews have been portrayed lusting after the blood of Arab babies and Israel has been depicted with Nazi imagery and barbed-wire graphics evocative of the death camps. Sacred Christian symbols and images have been desecrated, including crucifixes photographed in urine, the Virgin Mary splattered in elephant dung, and Jesus Christ receiving sexual favors. Responses have always been within the realm of what is expected and accepted in free societies — letters to editors of various publications, censure from religious leaders, phone calls voicing disapproval to program sponsors, boycotts of exhibitions and other actions.

By contrast, protests were initiated across the Muslim world in February 2006 and escalated into violence that left more than 135 dead, several hundred injured and many buildings destroyed, including three Danish embassies. Because the Mohammed cartoons were first published in September 2005, the six-month delay in reaction led to speculation that the response was deliberately engineered, planned and calculated to achieve maximum impact on the non-Muslim world. It was reported and later confirmed through WikiLeaks that the violent protests were orchestrated by Syrian government officials who urged mosque preachers to incite Muslims with fiery speeches on the eve of the protests.

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