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A symbol of free speech and resistance to violent intimidation is for sale.
"Price of Notoriety: Sketch That Roiled Muslims Is for Sale," by Andrew Higgins for the Wall Street Journal (thanks to James):
AARHUS, Denmark -- Kurt Westergaard is in hiding from Islamic militants who want him dead. Now, the Danish cartoonist says he's ready to part with the source of his travails, a small ink sketch of the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb in his turban.But first there is the ticklish question of price.
"I would like to think that it has some value," says Mr. Westergaard, the 72-year-old creator of one of the world's most famous cartoons and one that inflamed Muslims world-wide. "It is a symbol of democracy and freedom of expression. I think I should have a little money for this," he says.
The drawing is locked in a bank vault while the cartoonist shuttles between temporary havens the Danish secret police have found for him around this blustery port city. His is by far the best known of 12 Muhammad-related cartoons published in September 2005 by Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. But how do you fix the value of something that auction houses won't touch, that museums won't hang on their walls and that still inspires murderous passions?
Two weeks ago, Danish authorities said they had foiled a plot to kill Mr. Westergaard in his home. Seventeen Danish newspapers, outraged and eager to show solidarity, reprinted his drawing. Muslims again took to the streets. Iran and others demanded an apology. "I always had a feeling this cartoon crisis would not end," says Mr. Westergaard. "Now I know." [...]
Some Muslims here want the bomb-in-a-turban drawing destroyed. Salah Suleiman, an activist in a mosque that helped whip up the fury over it in early 2006, delights in the artist's troubles and says no amount of money can save him from God's wrath: "He is living like a rat.... He is living in hell already."
Ah, the voice of love and piety.
Mr. Westergaard's wife, a retired kindergarten teacher, has also suggested destruction, by selling the cartoon to a wealthy Arab who "can then burn it in the central square in Mecca." Mr. Westergaard says he likes the idea of getting money from an oil sheik but would prefer the cartoon stay intact and in Denmark.Mr. Westergaard says he never intended his drawing to rile Muslims, only to mock extremists who push a deformed reading of their faith. But while arguments rage over whether his cartoon is intolerably offensive or an emblem of free speech, there's no doubt of the prominence it has achieved. Though shunned by most major U.S. publications, it has been reprinted widely in Europe, plastered across the Internet and put on T-shirts....
Flemming Rose, culture editor of the Danish paper that first ran the cartoon, compares it to a famous photo of Che Guevara in a beret and to Andy Warhol's pop-art portrait of Marilyn Monroe. "It is a great cultural icon of the 21st century," he says. [...]
Mr. Lerche, the auctioneer, says it's "pure guesswork" what Mr. Westergaard's drawing is worth. A less-famed Muhammad cartoon sold for around $2,900 in an Internet auction, but that was in late 2005, before the global uproar. The artist in that case donated the cash, which came from an anonymous buyer, to earthquake relief in Pakistan.
In an event last year at the Reagan Library in California, Mr. Rose, the Danish culture editor, saw the cartoons' selling power. He autographed posters featuring his newspaper's original cartoon edition, which sold out in minutes for $1,000 apiece.
Money has played a role on the other side of the barricades, too. When Muslims started burning Danish flags and ransacking Danish property in early 2006, extremists joined in a bidding war to get Mr. Westergaard killed. The bounties they offered ranged from a new car to a million dollars.
The cartoonist continued going to work at his small newspaper office, piled with old papers and empty coffee cups. But last November, the danger became real. Denmark's security service uncovered a group it said had diagrams of Mr. Westergaard's house and apparently planned to slit his throat as he slept.
The service offered to send him and his wife on a Caribbean cruise. He declined. "I'm an old man with a stiff neck. I can't bow my head to anyone," he says. Police offered a guard dog. His wife didn't like the idea....
"I'm an old man with a stiff neck. I can't bow my head to anyone." Bumper stickers should be issued.
Posted by Robert at March 1, 2008 9:04 AM
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"Mr. Westergaard says he likes the idea of getting money from an oil sheik but would prefer the cartoon stay intact and in Denmark."
The idea of extorting money from Muslims who are so offended by free speech has merit. Mr. Westergaard will still have the last laugh. The original might be burnt but the idea remains and many people have their own copies of it. The picture will not die. It will live for decades, if not centuries. No matter how much they try, the killers of Islam can't kill an idea. They can't kill a symbol.
That picture and all the other Danish cartoons should be cast in bronze.
Posted by: PMK![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.jihadwatch.org/nav-commenters.gif)
at March 1, 2008 9:19 AM
There is e-bay after all; how else could one purchase this motoon?
Posted by: witness at March 1, 2008 9:42 AM
Mr. Westergaard's depiction of Mohammed is Magnificent! There's honesty in every line and the truth is timeless. I hope he receives a handsome sum for his invaluable work of truth. No matter what becomes of the original, the image will carry on its critical truth-telling mission so long as infidels resist the rising tide of Islamic aggression and supremacy. Hopefully a long, long time to come.
Posted by: alexon at March 1, 2008 9:42 AM
Motoon is for eternity now. Something has been irrevocably killed by the 'idea'. With the passage of time the 'decorations' of the idea are going to multiply creating a 'new Allahha' of 21st century.
Posted by: Kash225 at March 1, 2008 9:45 AM
People, the Geert Wilders fatwa thread has 74 posts, so I'm putting this here:
Someone needs to design a t-shirt with the logo GO GEERT! And, I heart Geert Wilders.
Any other suggestions?
Posted by: darcy at March 1, 2008 9:53 AM
A friend of mine was telling me recently that some guys were considering making a giant hot air balloon with the likeness of the Mohammed Cartoon to be reflective as a symbol of free speech at Hot air balloon festivals,now that would be provocative.
Posted by: Mackie at March 1, 2008 9:58 AM
You know how teddy bears with "Mohammed" written on them were available during that idiocy in Sudan? In fact, I ordered 2.
Now, I want a long-sleeved white "GO GEERT!" shirt! To wear right now!
Posted by: darcy at March 1, 2008 10:08 AM
Darcy--
I like "I Heart Geert."
Nearly an alliteration with the Dutch pronunciation of the G.
Posted by: MarisolJW at March 1, 2008 10:19 AM
"But how do you fix the value of something that auction houses won't touch, that museums won't hang on their walls and that still inspires murderous passions?"
Funny, several museums had no problem displaying the "Piss Christ", a bottle of urine with a crucifix in it. That was so daring, so "provocative". But maybe not TOO provocative, like the Motoon. Then there was the pile of elephant dung, carefully arranged by the "artist", also displayed in various museums. I think a very fine "artwork" could be made by substituting a pile of camel droppings for the elephant dung, and placing the Motoon on top of the pile.
at March 1, 2008 10:27 AM
Darcy,
http://www.iloveanything.com/womens1.asp?gclid=CI_I_JGd7JECFQQqHgodzUpuow
at March 1, 2008 10:30 AM
Darcy--
I like "I Heart Geert."
Nearly an alliteration with the Dutch pronunciation of the G.
Posted by: MarisolJW at March 1, 2008 10:19 AM
Great, Marisol!
What is the Dutch pronunciation of G?
Posted by: darcy at March 1, 2008 10:38 AM
Unfortunately as ebonystone points out,
EBAY will reject it as somebody will object to the posting as a racist item. No other legitimate auction house will carry it, as they will fear that rich arabs will boycott their establishments and radical Muslims will try to extract a price for their rage. The price could be high in life or property. They will have their lives and reputation to consider, after all. So sorry, hope your neck feels better.
It just wont add up to a way to maximize the proceeds from the marketing the piece. Maybe he can talk to Rushdie and market the original manuscript of the Satanic Verses with the Cartoon. The pieces may well increase interest and raise the price if they can get any house to market it.
I'd be interested, but dont have that kind of money to bu something I would have to keep under lock and key.
Posted by: GrimReaperxxx at March 1, 2008 10:49 AM
"Mr. Westergaard says he never intended his drawing to rile Muslims, only to mock extremists who push a deformed reading of their faith."
Did Mr. Westergaard actually say that, or is that wording merely Andrew Higgins' version of journalistic license?
1. If Islam is A religion of peace (or THE religion of peace as the Muslim Council of Britain would have us believe), wouldn't the 'extremists' be really, really, peaceful?
2. A 'deformed' reading of their faith? Wouldn't it be wonderful if journalists were required to provide, as proof, examples of such 'deformations'.
Has Mr. Higgins ever wondered, if only to himself, what it is about Islam that drives its adherents to call for the murder of an elderly cartoonist?
Can an intelligent person really believe the reason is a 'deformed' reading of their faith?
at March 1, 2008 10:52 AM
During WW2, Denmark had probably the best record of any European country in regard to the treatment of its Jewish citizens. Shortly after the start of the Nazi occupation, the Nazis ordered Danish Jews to wear yellow Stars of David sewn on their clothing. Within days, virtually the entire Danish population, including the royal family, was wearing Stars of David. Later, when word leaked that the Nazis were planning the deportation of Danish Jews, a boat-lift was quickly arranged, and the entire Jewish population was transported secretly in one night across the strait to Sweden. (Admittedly, the Jewish population was not large; less than 1000, I think).
Maybe the Danes could show similar heroism now, by forming a volunteer escort for Mr. Westergaard, standing guard around his home, and accompanying him in large numbers wherever he went.
at March 1, 2008 10:58 AM
Surely setting light to an image of the blessed prophet, even an unflattering or satirical image, would be itself an act of sacrilege.
(And don't anyone say Jehovah)
Posted by: The Heresiarch at March 1, 2008 11:29 AM
, an activist in a mosque that helped whip up the fury over it in early 2006, delights in the artist's troubles
one of the most important ideals the West lives by is the right to freedom of speech for ALL not just for Muslims, as activists like Salah Suleiman seem to be working for if he does not like freedom of expression and freedom of speechI suggest you go back to what ever Muslim hellhole that is run under sharia law that he crawled out from personally, I do not like the piss Christ but under our laws the creator of it has a right to create this piece of crap. The same thing applies to the artist who drew the motoon and Muslims like Salah Suleiman do not like it, as I said, they should go back to what ever. Sharia, ridden theocracy hellhole they crawl out from
at March 1, 2008 12:12 PM
Mr. Westergaard should publicly offer the cartoon to the Iranian or Saudi governments for 20 million dollars. If they refuse, mount a publicity campaign charging both governments with with putting a greater value on money than the honor of the Prophet.
True, it's extortion, but who cares?
Posted by: rational at March 1, 2008 12:20 PM
Pronunciation - I think the "ee" is pronounced just as it is in German. Beethoven is pronounsed Baytoven. Graf Spee is Graf Shpay. I could be wrong though about Dutch pronounciation.
I think his name is pronounced Gayrt Villders.
Posted by: Pelayo at March 1, 2008 12:23 PM
Hi, GrimReaperxxx! Haven't seen your posts for a while. Glad you're back! :-)
Posted by: champ at March 1, 2008 12:26 PM
I say pore on the heat. Mo comic book anyone? National Mo depiction day with prizes? Holidays? National insulted because your insulted day?
The more we through it back in their thin skin teeth the quicker this will come to a head, and awakening to the real threat.
Posted by: Im.mad.as.HELL! at March 1, 2008 1:06 PM
"Salah Suleiman, an activist in a mosque that helped whip up the fury over it in early 2006, delights in the artist's troubles and says no amount of money can save him from God's wrath"
And what will save the presumptuous and hatemongering Salah Suleiman and his ilk from God's wrath?
Posted by: Lex at March 1, 2008 1:17 PM
Relentless, grinding, proliferating, morphing aggression that must end in either complete submission or extermination, jihad in microcosm.
Posted by: JTF at March 1, 2008 1:22 PM
Relentless, grinding, proliferating, morphing aggression that must end in either complete submission or extermination, jihad in microcosm.
Posted by: JTF at March 1, 2008 1:23 PM
May he get rich on the drawing and live past 100.
Posted by: traeh at March 1, 2008 1:46 PM
Surely "I'm an old man with a stiff neck. I can't bow my head to anyone" is priceless!
Posted by: FransG at March 1, 2008 1:49 PM
"Within days, virtually the entire Danish population, including the royal family, was wearing Stars of David."
For the record, this is an urban legend. It has even grown since I last heard about it. I think the core of truth is that our king joked about it once.
What is not an urban legend, fortunately, is that the Danish resistance managed to get just about every Jew in the country to Sweden. Except of course Niels Bohr, who was dearly wanted in Los Alamos...
Posted by: Henrik at March 1, 2008 2:07 PM
The website http://www.shopmetrospy.com/ used to sell a t-shirt with this mo-toon on it. I don't know why they stopped; but I do know that they received Muslim hate/death-mail, and now they no longer offer the t-shirt. I tried to contact them to find out why they discontinued the t-shirt and got no response.
Anyone else know why they stopped selling this Mo-toon t-shirt, and where I can get one now?
Posted by: Eyas at March 1, 2008 2:27 PM
and they gave the money for Pakistan earthquake relief? Maybe they should have kept the money in their own country and put it towards damages by muslims. Do you think that the muslims recieving the money were grateful?
Posted by: Borg at March 1, 2008 2:35 PM
But how do you fix the value of something that auction houses won't touch, that museums won't hang on their walls and that still inspires murderous passions?"
If the opening bid started at
$1 million Euros for a piece -- I wonder if the museums would suddenly see the value of something?
Fear? Wonder why the museums did not fear the wrath of the Christians when they showcased the "piss" piece?
Are they trying to say then, that there is something different about islam and Christianity?
So if the two are to be treated differently when showcasing art that relates to one or the other -- then isn't that biogtry?
Doesn't that kind of distinction renforce sterotypes?
Doesn't that violate all the protocol of multiculturism and political correctness?
at March 1, 2008 2:37 PM
@Pelayo. You are quite right about the pronunciation of mr Wilders' name.
Things are getting out of control here in the Netherlands. Our prime minister and many others simply freak out. He gave an official live-press conference on national television to express his "worries". They are actually blaming Wilders now for every possible victim of muhammedan violence in reaction to his movie from wich up to this moment nobody has seen a single scene. In fact it is still possible Wilders is going to tell that with his "threat" of making a movie the other side already made his point.
(some people in the Dutch blogosphere even suggest the movie should just include the reactions to the announcement!). Some two month ago the pm said we were facing a crisis because of Wilders clip. He was criticised for this and at the press conference he angrily said that we were going to experience if he exaggerated or not.
In fact pm Balkenende (sorry but almost as difficult to pronounce as my own last name "Groenendijk") did not explicitly call on Wilders not to make his videoclip (it is a "movie" of just 15 minutes) public but asked him to act responsible in the light of the possible casualties. These casualties include (according to the MSM) the extra casualties among Dutch soldiers in Uruzgan, Afghanistan because now the taliban and Al-queda are even more angry (sic), our export to countries with muhammedan regimes, diplomats and Dutch and other European aid-workers in those countries.
Allmost all dutch media are into dhimmitude-mode but no doubt the polls will predict further support for mr Wilders' party.
I admire Wilders' courage but nothing he says or does looks like aiming to convince people and change the policy of our country. He is giving the jihadists the middle-finger (and so he should) but beside that he only accomplishes more anger from people that are already disgusted with the muhammedanist ideology.
Beside this Wilders unfortunately is well-known for not taking any advice from anyone and not willing to cooperate with people with the same or better qualifications.
For your information as (mostly) citizens of the USA I should add that our pm is not what "traditionally" is called a leftist or liberal in your definition: he is a christian, recently criticised for giving an interview to an American television evangelist in the Dutch equivalent of the White House.
Within days after the butchering of Theo van Gogh on the day Bush got his second term the pm's principal advisor Donner suggested that the obsolete laws on blasphemy should be practiced again. Factually agreeing with the murderer point of view. After the murder the pm visited mosques but not the parents or son of van Gogh.
at March 1, 2008 3:18 PM
"Mr. Westergaard says he never intended his drawing to rile Muslims, only to mock extremists who push a deformed reading of their faith."
This is how amorphously powerful Politically Correct Multi-Culturalism (PC MC) is: even Westergaard's mind has been infected by one of its key axioms ("the problem is not Islam but that tiny minority of extremists who are trying to hijack Islam") -- and continues to be infected by it even at this late stage of the game.
PC MC functions for too many people in the West as an asymptotic retardation of the rational process of thought that normally should move at a relatively brisk pace to the conclusion that Islam itself -- and all the hundreds of millions of Muslims who support it, follow it, and enable it whether actively or passively -- is and are the problem.
Posted by: cantor at March 1, 2008 3:19 PM
I am a little puzzled about the Motoon logic. There are no known real depictions of Mo. Mo-slimes claim they do not worship pictures or idols, except a couple of rocks in Mecca or Medina. If they are going ape-shit about a cartoon, which do not conceivably resemble the old Mo in any fashion or manner, arn't they implicitly worshiping that picture by the virtue of the fact they believe the cartoon truly depicts the ol'MO? They are a little upset, that Motoon depicts ol'Mo wearing some explosives in a turban. Logically they ought to be proud of that, by the fact they are proud of so many innocent and very young two/three years old children have photos taken wearing all sorts of guns/bombs to name a few. I would be real upset to see photos of my two years old carrying guns/Jihad-belt.
Mo was a warrior, and he carried weapons that he used without much mercy, at least that is whats written in Cowran. Its time they should grow-up and get a life and get real.
Posted by: MusHuntCowboy at March 1, 2008 3:32 PM
Given that so many Muslims feel murderous rage about this cartoon and it's affront to Islam, I would have thought that getting the copyright to the cartoon, using whatever petro dollar amount it needs, would be the way to go.
If the Saudis don't offer whatever it takes then I seriously doubt that this muslim rage is not genuine ;-)
PS: my respect for KW for trying to awaken the danish people from their stupor.
at March 1, 2008 5:19 PM
The motoon is a symbol, an idea.
How does one physically burn an idea?
Posted by: DP111 at March 1, 2008 6:29 PM
posted by Pelayo: I could be wrong though about Dutch pronounciation. I think his name is pronounced Gayrt Villders."
Marisol was referring to the sound of the Dutch "G" (not the vowels). I lived in Belgium and had a Dutch collegue named Geert and he pronounced his name: "Huh(air)t". The G sounds like a strong (almost throat clearing) "H" in Dutch.
Posted by: Xero G at March 1, 2008 6:38 PM
Forget the tee shirt idea, I am going to have a 'Geert da man', tattoo across my chest in large block letters. Of course I won't be able to take my shirt off at mosque anymore, it may hurt someones feelings. They never did like me stripping to the waist anyway. I have been thrown out of lots of mosques for disrobing. But that is another story...
at March 1, 2008 6:47 PM
"Within days, virtually the entire Danish population, including the royal family, was wearing Stars of David."
For the record, this is an urban legend. It has even grown since I last heard about it. I think the core of truth is that our king joked about it once.
What is not an urban legend, fortunately, is that the Danish resistance managed to get just about every Jew in the country to Sweden. Except of course Niels Bohr, who was dearly wanted in Los Alamos...
Posted by: Henrik
Sorry to hear that, Henrik. I guess some things are too good to be true. But, as you say, they got the Jews to safety in Sweden.
Posted by: ebonystone at March 1, 2008 7:19 PM
Is there anything in the Motoon which specifically states it's a drawing of Mohammad? Perhaps the inscription on the bomb in the turban? Without identification the drawing could easily be a caricature of any one of dozens of firebrand ayatollahs or terrorist kingpins. And not quite so "offensive".
Posted by: ebonystone at March 1, 2008 7:28 PM
The G sounds like a strong (almost throat clearing) "H" in Dutch.
You mean that phlegm-coughing consonant also prevalent in the Middle East. Seems only the civilized English (and their inheritors, the Americans) lack that percussively guttural sound whose utterers tend to wear like a badge of superiority.
at March 1, 2008 10:05 PM
FransG wrote, "After the murder the pm visited mosques but not the parents or son of van Gogh."
On advice of counsel?
If Wilders is "slaughtered," will the pm have the balls to attend the funeral?
Posted by: Lex at March 1, 2008 10:08 PM
You mean that phlegm-coughing consonant also prevalent in the Middle East. Seems only the civilized English (and their inheritors, the Americans) lack that percussively guttural sound whose utterers tend to wear like a badge of superiority.
The "G" sound my Dutch relatives make has always been a softer one than some of the other languages with a similar sound. It leans closer to an "h" than a "k," but still a little of both. In the flow of the spoken language, its surprisingly unobtrusive.
The Dutch "g" and "ch" are very distinctive. Allied troops were said to have used one example in particular to tell Dutch people from German forces who might have been trying to blend in at the end of WWII. Legend has it that they made them say "Scheveningen."
I've only encountered the attitude you're talking about among a few among American-born classical music types talking about JS Bach or any of his sons. It's tempting to pronounce it "Batch" around them and see what happens. Or offer them a cough drop.
Long story short: I Heart Geert.
Posted by: MarisolJW at March 1, 2008 11:13 PM
Marisol,
Perhaps the Dutch version of the glottal stop represents the liminal transition toward civil discourse.
Posted by: cantor at March 2, 2008 12:33 AM
FransG sez:
the pm's principal advisor Donner suggested that the obsolete laws on blasphemy should be practiced again. Factually agreeing with the murderer point of view. After the murder the pm visited mosques but not the parents or son of van Gogh.
I find that outrageous! I find it mind-boggling that this guy was not driven out of office for his cowardice!
Posted by: sheik yer'mami at March 2, 2008 3:38 AM
I should think Bill Gates should step up to the plate here. He has a well-documented interest in acquiring images, and the dollars to protect this important one, should he buy it.
Besides, it would be a nice payback gesture toward the free world, in which he was able to make his billions.
Posted by: Vee at March 2, 2008 9:07 AM
darcy-
The Dutch "G" is pronounced like the clearing-your-throat-of-a-peanut "ch" sound used in the Hebrew "L'chaim" (To life!) or "Chutzpah" (which Kurt has mucho amounts of).
Geert is thus "CH- air-rt".
KURT W. should have a donation fund set up so that people worldwide can pitch in and buy the MOTOON for the Danish Museum that wants to preserve the original artwork.
A win-win.
Protects the picture and promotes the artist's security.
How will the Islamicists ever erase this image though?:
*~@):~{>
Posted by: profitsbeard at March 2, 2008 12:37 PM
Marlon Brando got it right in "Apocalypse Jihad-Now".
"They train children to strap bombs to themselves and blow-up civilians..... but they won't let them put a cartoon of Muhammad in a magazine because 'IT'S OBSCENE' " .
at March 2, 2008 7:00 PM
Darcy, your wish is my command.
One long-sleeved "I Heart Geert! Long live freedom of speech" T-shirt:
http://www.cafepress.com/antidhimmitude.235408184
Posted by: Lori B. at March 2, 2008 10:42 PM
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