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 Ali Jarekji / Reuters / Reuters Protesters in Amman, Jordan, demonstrated against the cartoons on Friday |
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Feb. 4, 2006 - The furor over a Danish newspaper’s publication of provocative caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad continues to spread across Europe and the Mideast. On Thursday, further outrage was triggered throughout the Muslim world when the Jordanian weekly Shihan republished the caricatures seen by many as a crude affront to Islam. The Jordanian government and press association swiftly condemned the publication and Shihan’s editor in chief, Jihad Momani, was fired. On Saturday, Momani was arrested for violations of Jordan’s press law, which forbids insults against religion. Before that arrest, NEWSWEEK’s Joanna Chen spoke to Momani by phone about the ongoing public outcry. Excerpts:
NEWSWEEK: Did you expect that publishing the offending caricatures would cause such an outcry in Jordan?
Jihad Momani: I was shocked and surprised to hear the statements released by the Jordanian government condemning my decision to publish the cartoons. And it’s continuing. Today there have been more demonstrations.
It’s not the first time caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad have been published. Why are they causing so much controversy now?
I think there is a political motive behind the Muslim uprisings. Why are the voices protesting these cartoons so very loud? We are talking here about countries that have taken the step of supporting the uprising and encouraging boycotts.
You’re suggesting that people are looking for an excuse to complain about the West.
Well, I think it’s true to say we’re talking about a new era between Islam and the West. The two sides are trying to rebuild their relations. They are trying to approach the relationship in a different way, to go back to the ‘80s or early ‘90s of the golden age between Americans, between the Western world, and Islam in general. So now, in opposition we are hearing loud voices protesting against these cartoons. The Americans are working through back channels. They’re holding negotiations with Islamic groups in the Middle East. This is good. Now we are looking at the amazing victory of Hamas in Palestine and it’s clear the [United States] will not just sit back and observe. They will go forward, maybe they will talk to Hamas, accept Hamas.
Don’t you think that by publishing the caricatures you were just fanning the flames of hatred?
No, not at all. I was trying to calm them down, to tell them these cartoons are not the end of the world, that insults have happened before and will happen again. The cartoons are silly. They don’t deserve such an intense reaction.
Does the world lack a sense of humor?
Religion is a red line. No religion should be laughed at. But you have to know how to respond [appropriately].
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