Followed the “cartoon” controversy quietly. A few things worth noting…
The entire “movement” was most definitely created and supported by right-wing Islamic radical elements. This article from Truthdig spells it all out nicely.
…when you take a closer look at the social and political contexts of these collective expressions of rage, certain patterns emerge that suggest a more manufactured phenomenon.Syria is a perfect example, and the one that I know best, having spent the past year living and studying there. This is a country where absolutely nothing happens in public without the express authorization of the government. That’s what makes life in Syria both incredibly safe—it has one of the lowest crime rates in the Middle East and almost no domestic terrorism problems—and incredibly oppressive. Any time there’s a “demonstration” or a “rally,” or even a picnic involving more than one person, the government bureaucracy has to sign off on it.
So how was a gang of youths able to congregate on one of the premier avenues of the capital, destroy the Danish and Norwegian embassies and trash several other Western-owned buildings in the course of a long day? Damascus is a remarkably well-policed city, with government security drones (Mukhabarat) stationed on nearly every street corner, automatic rifles slung across their shoulders. These guards especially cluster around foreign embassies and the fashionable Abu Roumaneh district, where most of the destruction occurred; yet no clashes between protesters and guards have been reported.
We are left with two possible explanations: either all of Damascus’ top-priority guard posts were abandoned at the same time—all of the Mukhabarat stepped out for a daylong cigarette break—or the guards were complicit in the demonstrations-turned-riots. In light of the Asad regime’s proven readiness to defy the international community in the most blunt fashion, one could further presume that Syria’s security agents were not only complicit in this violence but actually helped coordinate it, focus it and contain it from behind the scenes to achieve some higher policy goal. Apparently the U.S. State Department has come to the same conclusion.
What is so interesting about this entire issue is that it really shines a light upon the fact that the GWOT is a culture war between right-wing elements – Christians and Muslims. It’s a right-wing war. Wingers fighting wingers.
Note how many on the right are literally trying to guilt the media into showing of the cartoons, knowing full well that doing so will only further flame the fire of anger and hatred. They cloak it, of course, in the “free speeach” argument. Smoke and mirrors. IN the end, it is the reason most outlets have not reprinted the cartoons, and why most broadcasters have avoided them as well.
To right-wingers like Michelle Malkin, it’s all about stoking the hate. The fact that the newly rechristened “Long War” is at it’s core right-wing Christian extremeists from the West fighting right-wing Muslim extremists from Middle East can not be over emphasized.
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