A little over a year ago, when the DI ran a cartoon that propagated negative stereotypes of Jews, many of us from both the Jewish and non-Jewish communities condemned the cartoonist, the paper and the editors. The people responsible were reprimanded and the message was sent that the DI acknowledged that it had been an unfortunate mistake. As someone who spoke out against the DI at that time, I was asked by a number of people, “Where were you when (fill in the blank with another ethnic group) was targeted in the paper. My response at the time was that my ignorance of those other transgressions doesn’t mean I have to keep silent when my own group is maligned.Unlike some of those other instances, I am aware of the recent decision by the DI to re-print cartoons from the Jyllands-Posten. That being the case, I cannot keep silent. What possible benefit is derived from splattering these all over the opinions page? We are told that it is so we can make up our minds for ourselves. I say that is patently ridiculous. Not being a Muslim myself, I feel uniquely unqualified to determine whether or not Muslims should be offended by this. It simply is not possible for me to truly see these cartoons through the eyes of the Muslim community. It appears that the DI is simply trying to be incendiary as a thinly masked attempt to spark public debate.
I applaud Chancellor Herman’s sentiment regarding the combating offensive (but free) speech with more free speech. I hope that others will respond in kind. That is a much more positive outlet for dealing with hate than the response of Hamshahr, the Iranian newspaper that is offering a cash prize for offensive cartoons regarding the Holocaust as a response to the Danish cartoons. Responding to bigotry with more hate debases us all. I hope that is something that we all could agree on regardless of race, religion or creed.
Joel Schwitzer
Executive Director
Hillel Foundation at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
