3.31.2006

Borders Becomes a Victim of Terrorism!

Click the title below to read the original article:
Borders, Waldenbooks Won't Carry Magazine
- By CAROLYN THOMPSON, Associated Press Writer
Wednesday, March 29, 2006

(03-29) 16:36 PST Buffalo, N.Y. (AP) --

Borders and Waldenbooks stores will not stock the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine because it contains cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that provoked deadly protests among Muslims in several countries.

"For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority," Borders Group Inc. spokeswoman Beth Bingham said Wednesday.

Well, how nice of Borders! It's all about safety, isn't it?

The magazine, published by the Council for Secular Humanism in suburban Amherst, includes four of the drawings that originally appeared in a Danish newspaper in September, including one depicting Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban with a lit fuse.

Islamic tradition bars depiction of Muhammad to prevent idol worship, which is strictly prohibited.

If you aren't familiar with these cartoons, you can read a nice article about them here at Wikipedia. Now, as for that second bit, about Islamic tradition--read here to find out that it isn't quite so cut and dried as people think. There is another problem here--since when was Borders a bookstore that was run according to Muslim custom? If Borders is so worried about "offending" violent groups, they'd better close their stores tomorrow.

Some people, like said Paul Kurtz, editor-in-chief of Free Inquiry, are quite incensed by this action:

"What is at stake is the precious right of freedom of expression....Cartoons often provide an important form of political satire ... To refuse to distribute a publication because of fear of vigilante violence is to undermine freedom of press — so vital for our democracy."

I partially agree with Kurtz. Cartoons are an important form of political satire, and have been for many, many years. On the other hand, Borders are a private company, and they have the right to sell or not sell what they want. I am sure that Free Inquiry magazine is available at many other bookstores. And this is what Borders' spokesperson points out:
"We absolutely respect our customers' right to choose what they wish to read and buy and we support the First Amendment," Bingham said. "And we absolutely support the rights of Free Inquiry to publish the cartoons. We've just chosen not to carry this particular issue in our stores."
Okay, let me parse this--Borders respects the rights of customers to buy certain publications. They support the rights of Free Inquiry to publish the cartoon. But then they decide that it is less important to sell a magazine that contains these cartoons, than it is to avoid offending people (which is what Bingham really means by just choosing not carry THAT issue.)
It's not really a free speech issue, but it does indicate that for Borders, certain things seem to be more important than that.
Yet as Tim Blair points out, perhaps Borders is chickening out and being inconsistent in their practice of free speech.

I can't figure out just what Borders is afraid of here--are they just being touchy-feely, pat-ourselves-on-the-back-for-being-so-senstive, or are they responding to a genuine threat?

If there is a genuine threat, then perhaps Borders had better police ALL its books for materials offensive to these radical Muslims. And better shut off those Wi-Fi portals in the coffee shops--people might be looking at those cartoons online! Oh no!

Why are they choosing to knuckle under to radical Muslims who live half a world away? If they choose to honor this one custom, it seems inconsistent to not follow ALL of them, or purge their shelves of ANY offensive materials. The gay sex books should be the next to go, of course, since those are offensive to Muslims. Better make sure that Salman Rushdie books aren't sold, either, or any art books that contain historical pictures of Islamic art depicting Mohammed in the past.

But, of course, most people who are offended don't act violently like these radical followers of the "religion of peace," so Borders is playing it safe--more politically safe than physically safe, it appears. Here is what they are afraid of happening in their stores, I guess:

The cartoons, which were reprinted in European and American papers in January and February, sparked a wave of protests around the Islamic world. Protesters were killed in some of the most violent demonstrations and several European embassies were attacked.

Borders, congratulations. The terrorists got a bit of what they wanted out of you.

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