If we keep mouths shut, terrorists win
John M. Crisp’s May 16 op-ed, “Forgoing right to depict Muhammad — or burn flag,” omits an important point.
He basically claims that, despite the outrageous savagery and brutalit y of Islamic extremists, the actions of Pam Geller, the organizer of the recent Prophet Muhammad cartoon-drawing contest in Garland, Texas, should restrain herself from exercising her right to freedom of speech.
Crisp asks, in effect, why inflame 1.3 billion Muslims? I do not recall Crisp leading a crescendo of voices expressing outrage when several staff members of Charlie Hebdo were killed by extremists after the French satirical magazine published a cartoon depicting Muhammad.
Nor do I recall any leftist uproar back in 1989, when Andres Serrano, a photographer, exhibited a photo, titled “P—s Christ,” at a New York museum. It featured a crucifix submerged in a jar of Serrano’s urine.
Serrano, over a period of several years leading up to the exhibit, was granted a total of $25,000 by the U.S. government-funded National Endowment for the Arts.
By inference, then, it is fine for us to freely express ourselves with such taxpayer-funded pseudo-expressions of art as Christ submerged in urine. However, when mere cartoons encourage the attempted murder of Geller, by people claiming to be linked with ISIS, and calls for her death under Shariah law, we as good Americans should turn the other cheek and show respect.
If we dare let terrorists cause us to fear our freedom of expression, we will start to lose the battle for preserving our democracy.