Debbie Schlussel: Hmmm . . . Why No Christian Riots Around the World Over This?
We all know--or should--about the years of international Muslim rioting and violent outrage over Mohammed cartoons published in a Danish newspaper. We've all seen the signs they held several years ago at a London rally, screaming (and threatening): Behead Those Who Insult Islam.
Given that, I'd like to point out that this particular set of "artwork" did not inspire anything of the kind by a certain religious group--or any religious group. Yes, a museum chief is in criminal legal trouble over it, but there aren't murders of nuns and other violence in response. In fact, there's barely a peep about it from Christians around the world:
Russian prosecutors brought criminal charges against an outspoken Moscow museum director Tuesday, saying a modern-art exhibition he staged incited religious hatred and offended human dignity.The case against Yuri Samodurov, director of the Andrei Sakharov museum, is viewed as a test for artistic freedom under Russia's new president, Dmitry Medvedev, whose speeches frequently call for strengthening individual rights.
The exhibition, called "Forbidden Art," was staged in March 2007 to gather works rejected by mainstream Moscow galleries. Art on display included a painting of Jesus with Mickey Mouse's head superimposed and an icon of the Virgin Mary and Jesus hewn from black caviar.
The Russian Orthodox church denounced the works as blasphemous. Though legally separate from the state, the Russian Orthodox Church enjoys strong support from the authorities.
The Rev. Vsevolod Chaplin, a spokesman for the Orthodox Patriarchy in Moscow, said he thought the exhibit was designed to provoke the faithful, the Interfax news agency reported. "Any normal person will react negatively if that which is most dear to him is ridiculed and insulted," he said.
If a court finds Mr. Samodurov guilty, he could receive a maximum five-year jail sentence.
Mr. Samodurov, a Kremlin critic who has supported anti-Putin opposition statements, said he thought his prosecution was part of a wider Kremlin campaign to snuff out dissenting voices. "The government is trying to take control in all spheres," he said. "It is an attempt to build a society that is totally loyal to the government."
Not that I condone the man going to jail for this very offensive display. But contrast that with what'd happen to the museum sachem if this were Mohammed with Mickey Mouse on his head or a falafel bust of Mohammed.
He'd be dead or facing a lifelong fatwa calling for his death.
Posted by Debbie on May 14, 2008 11:51 AM to Debbie Schlussel