“The furore around the cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) has brought forth claims that we are at the centre of a long-heralded clash of civilisations.

“Richard Littlejohn even wrote in the Daily Mail this week that this is war, adding ruefully that ‘we’ are losing it. I don’t believe we are witnessing a clash of civilisations, nor do I think such a clash is imminent or necessary. But when people of such varying backgrounds live together, a clash of sorts can be expected. And it is the appreciation of each other’s backgrounds and sensitivities that keeps those conflicts civil, peaceful and even productive….

“Is it so difficult to digest that Islam considers insulting the prophets of God a profound violation of what is sacred, just as Europe rightly regards denial of the Nazi Holocaust? Indeed, if freedom of speech were really the non-negotiable absolute in the west it is now claimed, then we would expect there to be uproar at legal bans on Holocaust denial or laws against incitement to racial hatred.

“Those who claim to uphold freedom of speech by defending the right to reproduce insulting depictions of the prophet are in effect saying to Muslims that what they hold dear and sacred is far more worthy of protecting than what Muslims hold dear and sacred. The cartoons had more to do with incitement of hatred, racism and Islamophobia than with freedom of expression.”

Anas Altikriti of MAB in the Guardian, 10 February 2006

Stand by for David T of Harry’s Place to post a denunciation of the Guardian for providing a platform to Islamic fascism, theocratic reaction etc etc.