THE
      CADRE
      e
      2
     
    
   
   
    
     
      FEBRUARY
      22,
      2005
     
    
   
   
    
     
      But
      I
      Digress...
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Ray
      Keating
     
     
      Editor
      in
      Chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      past
      two
      weeks
      have
      been
      rife
      with
     
     
      extreme
      reactions.
      On
      the
      local
      front,
      the
     
     
      reaction
      to
      The
      Cadre’s
      printing
      of
      the
     
     
      Muhammad
      cartoons
      was
      extreme.
      While
     
     
      the
      university
      administration
      had
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      right
      to
      ban
      distribution
      of
      The
      Cadre
      in
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      buildings
      it
      owns,
      and
      the
      Student
     
     
      Union
      seemingly
      had
      a
      right
      to
      demand
     
     
      that
      The
      Cadre
      turn
      over
      remaining
      issues
     
     
      of
      the
      paper
      as
      The
      Cadre’s
      legal
      owners,
     
     
      both
      reactions
      were
      knee-jerk
      and
      ill
     
     
      advised.
      Sending
      the
      UPEI
      Police
      to
      the
     
     
      offices
      of
      The
      Cadre
      to
      confiscate
      the
     
     
      papers
      was
      certainly
      extreme,
      as
      was
      the
     
     
      assistant
      manager
      of
      campus
      security’s
     
     
      Allen
      Weale
      telling
      a
      staff
      member
      to
     
     
      ‘put
      down
      your
      pen
      and
      paper’
      when
     
     
      questioned
      about
      their
      actions.
      The
     
     
      university
      administration
      has
      sent
      the
     
     
      message
      that
      students
      may
      only
      engage
     
     
      in
      debate
      on
      issues
      which
      are
      deemed
      to
     
     
      be
      inoffensive
      to
      all.
      The
      Student
      Union,
     
     
      in
      statements
      to
      the
      press,
      referenced
     
     
      calls
      from
      the
      university
      administration,
     
     
      upset
      parents
      and
      Island
      Muslims.
      When
     
     
      I
      last
      reviewed
      the
      Student
      Union
     
     
      Constitution,
      none
      of
      these
      people
      were
     
     
      their
      constituents.
     
    

    
     
      All
      of
      us
      at
      The
      Cadre
      are
     
     
      respectful
      of
      the
      fact
      that
      the
      cartoons
     
     
      are
      offensive
      to
      some
      people.
      We
      are
      also
     
     
      keenly
      aware
      of
      the
      situations
      that
      have
     
     
      arisen
      in
      other
      countries
      as
      a
      result
      of
     
     
      some
      people’s
      reaction
      to
      the
      cartoons.
     
     
      Please
      notice
      that
      I
      didn’t
      say
      that
      the
     
     
      cartoons
      or
      the
      printing
      of
      them
      caused
     
     
      this
      unrest.
      Cartoons
      are
      simple
     
     
      inanimate
      objects.
      They
      may
      be
      funny,
     
     
      silly,
      offensive,
      annoying
      ot
      nasty,
      but
      any
     
     
      unrest
      that
      comes
      about
      in
      reaction
      to
     
     
      them
      is
      caused
      by
      people.
     
    

    
     
      The
      Muslim
      community
      in
      Prince
     
     
      Edward
      Island
      is
      a
      perfect
      example
      of
     
     
      how
      people
      should
      react
      when
      they
      are
     
     
      opposed
      to
      something.
      They
      used
      the
     
     
      media,
      sent
      e-mails,
      made
      phone
      calls
     
     
      and
      had
      meetings.
      No
      one
      burned
     
     
      anything
      down
      or
      blew
      anything
      up;
      as
      it
     
     
      should
      be.
      Clearly,
      The
      Cadre
      was
      within
     
     
      its
      legal
      rights
      to
      print
      the
      cartoons.
      This
     
     
      is
      a
      Fundamental
      Freedom
      guaranteed
      in
     
     
      Section
      2b
      of
      the
      Charter
      of
      Rights
      and
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Pree
      do
      ni
      ss
     
     
      Having
      said
      this,
     
     
      for
      us
      it
      didn’t
     
     
      come
      down
      to
      a
     
     
      Charter
      issue.
      It
     
     
      came
      down
      to
     
     
      who
      owned
      what.
     
     
      The
      university
     
     
      owns
      the
     
     
      buildings
      we
     
     
      distribute
      in
      and
     
     
      they
      denied
      us
     
     
      access
      to
      do
      so.
     
     
      The
      Student
     
     
      Union
      owns
      The
     
     
      Cadre,
      and
      they
     
     
      denied
      the
     
     
      students
      access
      to
      the
      paper.
     
     
      Obviously
      the
      fear
      based
     
     
      reaction
      on
      campus
      pales
      in
      comparison
     
     
      to
      the
      reaction
      in
      some
      areas
      of
      the
     
     
      world
      to
      the
      printing
      of
      these
      cartoons.
     
     
      I
      reviewed
      the
      headlines
      on
      the
      subject
     
     
      as
      I
      sat
      down
      to
      write
      this:
      “Cleric
      Offers
     
     
      Reward
      for
      Killing
      Prophet
     
     
      Cartoonist”...
      “Indian
      State
     
     
      Government
      Official
      Offers
      Reward
      for
     
     
      Beheading
      of
      Cartoonist”...
      “Cartoon
     
     
      Protests
      Leave
      15
      Dead
      in
      Nigeria”...
     
     
      the
      reactions
      are
      clearly
      disproportionate
     
     
      to
      the
      offense.
      Reports
      have
      come
      to
     
     
      light
      that
      attempts
      were
      made
      to
      deal
     
     
      with
      the
      issue
      in
      the
      Danish
      legal
      system
     
     
      when
      the
      cartoons
      were
      originally
      run.
     
     
      These
      attempts
      failed
      and
      some
     
     
      Muslims,
      unwilling
      to
      accept
      defeat
      in
     
     
      the
      legal
      system
      as
      the
      end
      of
      their
     
     
      recourse
      began
      to
      circulate
      the
      cartoons
     
     
      in
      the
      Middle
      East.
      This
      was
      the
      match
     
     
      that
      set
      off
      the
      powder
      keg,
      not
      the
     
     
      original
      publication
      of
      the
      cartoons.
     
     
      These
      violent
      clashes
      are
      not
      the
      actions
     
     
      of
      the
      average
      Muslim.
      The
      people
     
     
      involved
      here
      are
      extremists,
      unwilling
     
     
      to
      recognize
      that
      in
      the
      western
      world,
     
     
      we
      enjoy
      both
      freedom
      of
      expression
     
     
      and
      freedom
      of
      (or
      from)
      religion.
      The
     
     
      vast
      majority
      of
      these
      extremists
      are
     
     
      coming
      from
      countries
      that
      do
      not
     
     
      separate
      church
      from
      state.
      We
      do.
      Any
     
     
      religion
      that
      expects
      us
      to
      respect
      their
     
     
      beliefs,
      must
      also
      respect
      our
      freedoms.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Respect
      cannot
      be
      gained
      through
     
     
      violence
      or
      threat
      of
      violence,
      this
      is
     
     
      simply
      acquiescence.
      True
      respect
      may
     
    
   
   
    
     
      only
      be
      earned.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      recognize
      that
      many
      (if
      not
     
     
      most)
      Muslims
      are
      offended
      by
      these
     
     
      cartoons.
      We
      did
      not
      intend
      to
      further
     
     
      offend
      them,
      but
      we
      did
      intend
      to
      shed
     
     
      light
      on
      the
      reasons
      behind
      the
      unrest,
     
     
      something
      which
      could
      only
      be
      done
     
     
      with
      the
      complete
      context
      provided
      by
     
     
      the
      cartoons
      themselves.
      Suggesting
      that
     
     
      we
      should
      describe
      them
      rather
      than
     
     
      printing
      them
      is
      not
      really
      any
      different
     
     
      than
      suggesting
      that
      a
      chemist
      should
     
     
      accept
      the
      findings
      of
      another’s
     
     
      experiment
      without
      further
      study
      simply
     
     
      because
      it
      caused
      an
      explosion
      the
      last
     
     
      time
      the
      experiment
      was
      conducted.
      We
     
     
      would
      not
      make
      this
      suggestion.
      We
     
     
      would,
      of
      course
      suggest
      that
      the
     
     
      experiment
      be
      conducted
      with
      care
      and
     
     
      attention.
      Our
      care
      and
      attention
      came
     
     
      in
      the
      form
      of
      the
      words
      accompanying
     
     
      the
      cartoons;
      words
      which
      never
      reached
     
     
      the
      readers
      because
      of
      the
      actions
      of
      the
     
     
      administration
      and
      the
      Student
      Union.
     
    

    
     
      Take
      note,
      that
      which
      you
      may
     
     
      say
      or
      do
      is
      now
      determined
      by
      the
      court
     
     
      of
      public
      opinion
      rather
      than
      the
      law
      of
     
     
      the
      land.
      If
      we
      allow
      ourselves
      to
      be
     
     
      cowed
      by
      fear
      of
      extreme
      reprisals
      such
     
     
      as
      this,
      we
      have
      already
      lost
      a
      significant
     
     
      portion
      of
      our
      freedoms.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PEI.
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
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