February 05, 2006
Funny
I imagine everyone knows about the furor caused by the publication of the Mohammed cartoons in the Danish press. and the subsequent burning of Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus and Beirut. Publication of the cartoons has elucidated the differences between Western and Muslim worlds, and has ignited a smoldering tinder box of ill will.
Of course, I'd like to take this opportunity to point out that although Bush's War on Terror has done nothing to diffuse the situation, the administration right on top of this issue . Limiting constituional freedom is one thing they can really get behind.
The documentary photographer Zombie reminds us that "While the debate rages, an important point has been overlooked: despite the Islamic prohibition against depicting Mohammed under any circumstances, hundreds of paintings, drawings and other images of Mohammed have been created over the centuries, with nary a word of complaint from the Muslim world. The recent cartoons in Jyllands-Posten are nothing new; it's just that no other images of Mohammed have ever been so widely publicized." (Be sure to scroll down -- hope your index finger is in good shape.)
Photo note: Although I awakened to disturbing BBC reports of burning Scandanavian embassies across the Muslim world, I didn't think I'd write about it. However, upon examining my lastest crop of photographs this morning, I found a most mosquey frame, taken on Friday. Here's the funny part. It's a silhouette of the minaret atop the Harvard Lampoon Castle. That's an ibis at the apex, symbol of Thoth, the Egyptian god of writing and wisdom. Lately, the building has had steam coming out of it's ears, anthropomorphically speaking, but I haven't been able to stop in traffic long enough to catch the shot..
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