Non-prophet cartooning

OK, let’s put down our pens and swords and recap. Danish editors, concerned about self-censorship over Islamic imagery, challenged cartoonists to portray Muhammad, an Islamic no-no. Outraged Muslim clerics pressured the Danes to apologize, outraging more European editors, who reprinted the cartoons, outraging many more Muslims. The clerics circulated them, leading to riots throughout the Muslim world. Meanwhile, fearing editorial censors, not to mention firebrand jihadists, U.S. cartoonists did a lot of self-censoring.

Incendiary religious imagery is big news, but hardly new, as the accompanying examples show. William Hogarth raised hellfire with his satiric 18th century images. Art critics wrestle with affronts on numerous fronts, whether it’s Jesus in a jar of urine or a painting of the Virgin Mary spackled with elephant dung. Tony Auth’s 1984 cartoon pictured here took aim at Christian abortion protesters.

Last week, plenty of people pointed to what they said was the hypocrisy of the Muslim reaction to the Danish cartoons, given how often the Arab press publishes hateful images of Jews. An Iranian editor raised the stakes when he announced that his paper would challenge cartoonists to debunk the Holocaust, a crime in several European countries.

In the end, the fine line between respectful deference and timid self-censorship is only clearly defined by sticking your toe, or your neck, out over it.

Outraged reaction is a daily byproduct of strong satire, but let’s be clear: Cartoons don’t burn embassies, people do. (Whatever happened to canceling your subscription?)

From Ozzie and Harriet to Ozzy and Sharon, taboos change, sometimes quickly. Hard to believe today, but there was even a time when some Rolling Stones lyrics were off-limits. In the fall of 2001, the image of the Twin Towers spent a few weeks in cartoonists’ no-fly zone.

Last week, a few Western cartoonists drew their own Muhammads. None have yet had their hands cut off, despite his face. Most of us tap-danced around the edges of the prohibition. But it’s no coincidence that Chip Bok’s pixilated pic, which comes closest to crossing the line, is a real riot.