Labor Day Modoggie Roundup

Jordan has joined the ranks of nations and organizations that have condemned the Modoggies. If my tally is correct, the list now includes Afghanistan, Egypt, Jordan, Iran, Pakistan, and the entire OIC.

According to The Local:

Muhammad cartoons: Jordan condemns publication

Jordan condemned on Monday the publication in Sweden of a cartoon of Islam’s prophet, warning it could undermine inter-faith dialogue and co-existence.

“The publication of this cartoon, which seeks to attack the character of the Prophet Muhammad, is unacceptable, rejected and condemned,” government spokesman Nasser Jawdeh told reporters on Monday.

“Such cartoons do not serve inter-faith dialogue and co-existence, in which Jordan believes.”

Jordan is among the more “liberal” — i.e. not as repressive and brutal — governments in the Muslim world. So it’s interesting that, unlike the other countries condemning the Modoggies, it has not called for the punishment of the newspaper and the artist by the Swedish government.

The OIC has more to say about Lars Vilks’ blasphemy. Here’s an excerpt from the Turkish outlet Today’s Zaman:
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OIC calls for peaceful reaction to Swedish cartoons

The leader of the world’s largest Muslim organization condemned the publication in a Swedish newspaper of a cartoon insulting the Prophet Mohammad, but called on devout believers to react peacefully against it.

Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the Turkish secretary-general of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), urged the Swedish government to immediately apologize for the publication, which observers fear could inflame a new “cartoon crisis” similar to the one which erupted two years ago following publication of defamatory caricatures in Danish and other media.

“The caricatures in question do not bode well for freedom of expression,” Ihsanoglu was quoted as saying by Zaman newspaper on Sunday. He called on the West to act in a “responsible” manner where values of Islam are concerned. “It has become a habit to insult our sacred values now. It is impossible to tolerate what has been done and what has been done cannot be considered a simple incident,” Ihsanoglu told the daily.

“Those who are responsible cannot hide behind the principle of freedom of press. Those who remain silent in the face of attacks against Islam may not find anyone by their side when it comes to their sacred values.”

Mr. Ihsanoglu is calling for a “peaceful” response, but his message has that not-so-subtle hint of threat that we’ve come to expect from Muslims when infidels insult their prophet. We want peace, but if you don’t apologize… Well, let the consequences be on your head!

Another familiar theme: The exercise of free speech threatens free speech. In an Orwellian twist, engaging in freedom of expression somehow does “not bode well for freedom of expression”. Parse that logic, infidel!

One other thing to notice: the absence of the customary “PBUH” after “Prophet Mohammad” in this article. Do Turkish newspapers have different rules, maybe a secular-state regulation left over from Ataturk?

The next article isn’t really related to the Modoggies, but since it’s about Sweden, and was on the same page of The Local as the first article, I include it here:

The Swedish navy’s largest ship, HMS Carlskrona, is to be mothballed due to a lack of officers. A decision on whether to refit, sell or scrap the minelayer will be made later in the autumn.

The Carlskrona returned from its most recent long voyage in 2005. Since then, it has been kept in port most of the time. A maintenance crew of eight people has kept it in working order.

The 3rd Naval Warfare Flotilla in Karlskrona currently has 43 vacancies for officers. A number of officers resigned their commissions during the summer.

The commander of the flotilla has asked the navy’s top brass for permission to lay up HMS Carlskrona. This permission was granted, but it is unclear what will then happen to the ship. HMS Carlskrona was refitted in 2002 at a cost of 225 million kronor. The refit left the ship fit for active service until at least 2020.

Somehow this story seems to be relevant, if for no other reason than to highlight the contradictions and insanity that characterize modern Sweden. The ship was refitted five years ago for SEK 225 million, and will now be mothballed!

Is that screwy, or what?


For previous posts on Lars Vilks and the Roundabout Dogs, see the Modoggie Archives.