Google news is a wonderful thing. It pops up all kinds of interesting perspectives, such as this Russian news analysis that answers that Iran is instigating this conflagration now, months after the offensive cartoons were published, to [ul]
[li]distract the world from its nuclear program[/li][li]to minimize the influence of moderate and pro-Western forces in Arab countries during a show-down over its nuclear program[/li][li]to furher polarize Arab and Western societies and therefore help keep the Arab world “safe” from western secular values[/li][li]and to solidify their own base within their own country against moderate forces[/li][/ul]
Please note, the scope of this thread is limited. We already have discussion on how this reaction proves (to some who want to think this way) how violent Islam is, and others on how Islamophobic the West is, and others on the inappropriateness of various responses from every side. Please leave those discussions in those threads. This is specifically on whether or not the controversy was artificially created, and to what end people are being manipulated, if they are. Thank you.
I don’t know about Iran, but since the comics were published several months ago, something’s defintely awry. All of Russia’s commentaries seem to be in character with Iran, so none of it would surprise me. But it seems they’re taking the idea from another country…
The theory being that even after saying that they had upped security and safety measures at Mecca, there were several hundred deaths on Saudi’s watch during Hajj this year.
From what I’ve read, the Saudi’s then marginililzed the story by saying that there were only a few deaths, and then, when other Muslim countries started to complain that their citizens’ deaths were the Saudi’s fault, had several “inflammatory” stories published about the cartoons (since the government supposedly has full control of the media). The Saudis influence the Sunnis regardless of country, and now there’s flames and even death.
I don’t know how much of this, if any, is true. The key here is that the cartoons were published several months ago and only now is the violence breaking out. And as the above link points out, depictions of Moe may not be common, but they still appear even in the Muslim world.
(No wonder I didn’t find this thread in my search: It doesn’t contain anything Danish ;))
Iran? Saudi? A shadowy international government-sponsored disinformation/agitprop cartel? Ah, you naive Americans, innocents abroad, just as your Mark Tuwayyin called you on his trip to the Middle East. Babes in the woods. Now it is time to welcome you to the wonderful world of Middle Eastern conspiracy theory mongering. In America, conspiracy theories are still amateur. In the Middle East, this sport is pro ball. Wanna play?
I’m not sure an imam would manufacture a picture showing Mohammed, even as part of a horrific plot. It’s certainly not crazy to think that someone would have created such pictures. As nasty and hateful as many of the protestors are, there are plenty of people who hate Muslims who would create stuff like that. Heck, stop by free republic every once and awhile.
I think the bottom line should be that these people going around claiming that some anonymous hate mail proves that they are being oppressed or that entire countries must pay for it is still totally fuckheaded. It doesn’t matter if the kind of Europe drew some dirty pictures: that’s still no excuse for violence against anyone.
Okay, has anybody established a definite connection between the imams who are circulating these cartoons and the Iranian government–or better yet, the Iranian intelligence services?
Somebody on the net now found out the probable source for the cartoon with Muhammed as Pig, Duo hogs top prize in pig-squealing contest - which has absolutely nothing to do with Muhammed or Islam or anything. But run through a photo-copier a number of times to reduce quality. Suddenly you can pass it off as anybody from Britney Spears to Muhammed. (Danish Imams Busted!). It’s still a lie that the images were published in a Danish newspaper. However I guess someone else besides the Imams themselves might have run the image through the photo-copier. Right.
I heard on NPR today that an Iranian Ayatollah claims that the whole cartoon thing is a conspiracy on the part of Israel to stir up Muslim/Christian antipathy.
That’s right, and as you figger, you may perceive the relevance in my sarcasm above. Anytime shadowy actors are stirring up the Middle East, count on an ever-thickening haze of conspiracy theories pointing in many different directions at once. The poor signal to noise ratio is seriously something to be prepared for in trying to understand just what is going on.
It made sense to me, but I’ve studied the history and culture of the middle East more than the average bear. I thought it was a nice encapsulation of a very real phenomenon in the region.
C’mon guys (and gals), don’t you think the intelligence organization’s of Saudi and Iran (and most countries) are every bit as educated, clever, devious and capable of something like this as our own CIA?
It seems like failure in Iraq would gain, potentially Iran or Saudi, and possibly both to a degree. Neither wants democracy, both would like the additional oil. Something like this certainly makes it harder to finish the Iraq thing which will then leave an opening for either one of those two countries to take Iraq and really dominate the ME.
