Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists Blog
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May 12th, 2006 Comments When I first talked to Brian Gable about the Western Standard and proposed starting this blog to gauge support, I told him that the outcome would be around 50/50 and that we wouldn't garner enough support to do anything. Looking at the results thus far, I'd say I was correct. We have eleven votes tallied and just about half say no while the other half say yes. I didn't need 50% plus one to get a mandate. I was looking for a clear majority. I didn't get it. If we polled the remaining cartoonists in our association the results would be the same. I was involved heavily in the Cartoonist's Rights Network debate on whether the Danish cartoonists should receive the Award for Courage. I followed the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists debate as well. Both debates mirrored our result. Cartoonists are split over this issue. And perhaps it shouldn't be surprising, both sides have valid arguments. - Michael de Adder (The Halifax Daily News) _________________________________________________________ May 11th, 2006 Comments Put me down as being against sending money to the Western Report Defense Fund. - Theo Moudakis (The Toronto Star)
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I , like many cartoonists and non-cartoonists, spent a lot of time trying to grasp the repercussions of the Danish cartoon crisis. The original cartoon contest in the Jyllands-Posten may have been absurd and questionable in taste, but events since have been more clear cut. Clearly we are dealing with issues that curb press freedoms. It is that black and white. Our world will be one where we can offend christians, jews, hindus, scientologists, and unitarian universalists equally, but not muslims. The Western Standard's Human Rights Complaint affects us all. Similar complaints can be made against us for drawing cartoons that offend. Heather Reisman could have dragged Anthony Jenkins in front of a Human Rights tribunal making those same arguments. Heather Reisman would have paid nothing, Anthony Jenkins on the other hand would have to pay for his defence. No matter what you may think of the Danish cartoons and the Jyllands-Posten, this crisis has come home to roost. I say we help the Western Standard in any way we can. - Michael de Adder (The Halifax Daily News) _________________________________________________________ May 9th, 2006 Related news items: 12 terrorists hunt Danish cartoonists _________________________________________________________ May 8th, 2006 Media Advisory - Ezra Levant and Eric Margolis to debate the issue of freedom of expression in new evening series Behind the Spin: Fraser @ Spoke
TORONTO, May 5 /CNW/ - Ezra Levant, publisher of The Western Standard,
and Eric Margolis, foreign correspondent and columnist, The Toronto Sun, will
debate the rights and responsibilities surrounding the issue of freedom of
expression in our society on Monday, May 8, in a new evening series in
Toronto, Behind the Spin: Fraser @ Spoke.
In 2004, Levant co-founded The Western Standard, a Calgary-based news and
views magazine. Before The Western Standard, he was an active member of the
Reform and Canadian Alliance parties, where he served as a senior advisor to
leaders Preston Manning and Stockwell Day.
Margolis is a contributing editor to The Toronto Sun chain, writing
mainly on Middle East, South Asia and Islamic affairs. He also writes for
Dawn, Pakistan's leading newspaper, and for the Gulf Times in Qatar and
Khaleej Times in Dubai. Margolis is affiliated with several organizations
including the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London and the
Institute of Regional Studies based in Islamabad, Pakistan.
Behind the Spin: Fraser @ Spoke is co-hosted by The Fraser Institute
and The Spoke Club. It offers a unique opportunity to discuss an array of
issues with individuals whose work informs public debate and the evening news.
Topics of discussion will include media bias, reforming Canadian health care,
ending the CRTC, and probing the media's power to shape our culture. The
five-evening Behind the Spin 2006 series will include speakers David Gratzer,
Andrew Coyne, Lydia Miljan, John Duffy, Michael Coren, and Marni Soupcoff.
Date: Monday, May 8, 2006
Time: 5:30 pm-7:30 pm (Program from 6:00pm - 6:30pm)
Location: The Spoke Club
4th Floor, 600 King Street West, Toronto
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Cartoonist “Nikahang Kowsar” has been sentenced to four months imprisonment According to ILNA reporter, court branch no. 1083 of Tehran headed by Judge Husseinian, after hearing complaints of suers and lawyer defending Iranian Cartoonist Nikahang Kowthar, has issued its ruling. Mr. Kowsar was cartoonist of banned newspapers of Iran in recent years. His accusations are insulting Mohammad Taghi Mesbah Yazdi head of Imam Khomeini Training Institute, insulting Ali Larijani, Head of IRIB (Iranian Official Radio & TV), and other dignities and high ranking clergy and officials of the establishment. Although, Nikahang Kowsar was not present in the court but his lawyer defended him. _________________________________________________________ May 6th, 2006 Cartoon controversy to be debated by feature panel at CAJ conference in Halifax May 14
OTTAWA, May 5 /CNW/ - The Danish cartoon controversy that sparked riots around the world will be the subject of a featured panel discussion at the Canadian Association of Journalists' national conference in Halifax May 14. Cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad appeared in some publications around the world, angering Muslims. Some publications in Canada reprinted the cartoons, but most refused. "This controversy forced journalists everywhere to ask tough questions about freedom of expression and its limits," says Paul Schneidereit, CAJ president. "These panelists represent a number of differing, passionately-held points of view, so it's an event well worth attending by all those who care about these important issues." The panel will feature Western Standard publisher Ezra Levant; Dr. Mohamed Elmasry, national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress; Bruce MacKinnon, award-winning editorial cartoonist of The Chronicle-Herald; and Metro Toronto news editor Saleem Khan. Bob Howse, chief editorial writer of The Chronicle-Herald, will moderate the panel. The panel discussion will be held at the CAJ's national conference at the Delta Halifax hotel on May 14, starting at 10 a.m. Online registration is available at www.caj.ca. The Canadian Association of Journalists is a professional organization with more than 1,500 members across Canada. The CAJ's primary role is to provide public-interest advocacy and quality professional development for its members. _________________________________________________________ May 4th, 2006
Comments I support the ACEC making a financial contribution to the Western Standard Defence Fund, not because I share their editorial viewpoint ( which I generally do) , but rather for the reasons that Guy Badeaux has so clearly enunciated. As a group, we cannot allow a political correctness chill to turn us all into illustrators of safe, generic pap. A contribution ( within our means-I defer to treasurer Guy ) will like a 'shot across the bow' signal our resolve as editorial cartoonists to comment on the social and political issues of the day in a provocative way that reflects our individual viewpoints regardless of whether they are on the left or right. - Jim Bradford _________________________________________________________ May 3rd, 2006Cartoonists Rights Network Country/Topic: Denmark
Country Date: 28 April 2006
Country Source: Cartoonists Rights Network (CRN)
Person(s):
Target(s): journalist(s)
Type(s) of violation(s): death threat
Urgency: Threat
(CRN/IFEX) - According to a 24 April 2006 Reuters UK release, comments recently attributed to the al Qaeda leader raised the general level of threat against the 12 Danish cartoonists who had produced the controversial cartoons for the "Jyllands-Posten" newspaper. Speaking in the context of the cartoons, bin Laden was quoted as saying, "Heretics and atheists, who denigrate religion and transgress against God and His Prophet, will not stop their enmity towards Islam except by being killed."
The Reuters report also quotes bin Laden as saying, "The insistence of the Danish government to refrain from apologizing and its refusal to punish the criminals and take action to prevent this crime from being repeated . . . shows that the notions of freedom of speech have no roots, especially when it comes to Muslims."
On April 24, Al Jazeera reported that among other things on the tape, bin Laden had said, "Those that have wronged the prophet should be handed over to al-Qaeda for judgment."
Bin Laden's latest radio message had a long list of accusations against the West and he announced that civilians in the West would not be direct targets of al-Qaeda operations.
This new threat against the 12 Danish cartoonists represents a significant escalation of risk for the cartoonists, coming as it has from the mouth of the al-Qaeda leader. To date, nearly 50 people around the world have been killed in demonstrations condemning the cartoons. Most of these were in Nigeria where Moslems attacked Christians because of the cartoons.
CRN condemns in the strongest terms bin Laden's specific targeting of cartoonists for assassination.
_________________________________________________________ May 2nd, 2006Comments
Mike, We're doing several things at the AAEC convention this June to address this very issue. We'll be having a panel of people from each of three different religions who want us to be nicer to all religious people. That will be followed with a general discussion among our members about what we should be doing. Also, the Cartoonists Rights Network has been having a vigorous e-mail debate among our board members across the globe, some of whom say any support for the Danes means we we are insulting Islam but more difficult than that, some say that any support for the Danes could put our affiliates in Muslim countries at risk. Other members, including me, argue that no religious group can dictate what we draw. - Signe Wilkinson (The Philadelphia Daily News) _________________________________________________________
The following was sent to the Association of Canadian Editorial Cartoonists Blog from Tony Namate, a cartoonist living in Harare who knows first hand what it's like to have his freedoms curbed. Freedom of speech must rank as the most misunderstood
and over used of rights in the world today.
Some years ago I came across a cartoon in that bible
of satire, MAD magazine, which I think sums up the
dilemma that we find ourselves in with regard to the
Danish cartoons.
It was a cartoon of an American tourist at a South
American border post. I can't remember how it had
started, but one of the captions went something like:
"Because I am American!"
I support the freedom of Danish Cartoonists to draw
cartoons on any subject and the publishers' right to
publish them. But is recklessness the same as freedom?
Most of the political cartoons I draw about the
situation in my country have a high degree of
restraint for obvious reasons.
Freedom of speech is not the same everywhere.
It really depends on where you are exrcising that
freedom from.
If I go to America today I can draw the kind of
cartoons that would have me trown in jail in my own
country.
A few months ago the Moslem leaders here appeared on
state television thanking local cartoonists for not
drawing cartoons based on the Danish cartoons furore.
If I had drawn anything related to the Danish cartons
and published it here, I wouldn't be writing this e-mail.
In the case of my situatuion, the ruling party would
have unleashed their party thugs dressed as Muslims (I
kid you not) to deal with me. For a long time now, the
government have been looking for an excuse to put me
out of commission.
In local lingo, it would be killing two birds with one
stone!
At the same time, reckless exercise of free speech has
cost the lives of innocent people. Is it really worth
it? How broad are these freedoms? Would the Jewish
lobby defend the rights of Palestinian or Iranian
cartoonists if they were to draw cartoons of Jesus
flying Israeli jets and bombing Palestinian children?
I can draw a cartoon of Bin Laden,because he is not
Mohammed, he is a terrorist. I support cartoons that
fight terrorism, not those that fight other people's
religion. Drawing Mohammed is a no no for me.
If freedom of speech leads to the death of several
innocent people, is it worth it?
Dialogue is the best way forward.
- Tony Namate(Harare)
_________________________________________________________ Comments Yet MORE hyperlinks....
Lest the ACEC feel we are treading on the very edges of unprecedented
groundbreaking action by supporting the right of Canadians to publish
potentially offending images I refer you to a story which ran earlier this
year about a Compass poll which asked over two hundred random Canadian
journalists how they felt about the decision taken by the vast majority of
media outlets not to publish the cartoons:
Globe & Mail
I've also included the actual survey which breaks down the questions and
responses in a very informative way and provides a pretty comprehensive
picture of how the journalistic community in Canada feels about this issue:
Compas Poll
- Brian Gable(The Globe & Mail)
_________________________________________________________ Comments Actually, I think this debate is not at all ridiculous but necessary. And good on Brian for raising it. And I don't think it's about political correctness but respect and, more importantly, about what it is we do for a living. Do we offend people for the hell of it or do we offend those and their supporters who deserve it?
There is no law prohibiting Levant from publishing the cartoons. He has the right in Canada and he did. So
I agree with those who say this is not a free speech issue. Was it responsible speech? Well, that's something Levant's going to have to deal with because, just as he had the right to run them, his detractors have the right in Canada to take him to the Human Rights Commission.
We're not talking about a court of law. It's not like the Bierman case. So... until a lawyer can tell us for sure a Levant loss will adversely effect us then, with all due respect to my colleagues on the other side, I strongly recommend we reject any financial or moral support for the Western Standard. If the Raelians want to take us to court then that's a fight I'll consider. But I don't believe this is our battle. We don't do what the Levant does. We don't afflict the afflicted or comfort the comfortable.
- Bob Krieger (The Province)
_________________________________________________________ Marvin Kurz (B'nai Brith Canada) _________________________________________________________ Related news items:
Anti-Islam Cartoons and Muslim Rage
American Muslims React to the Danish Cartoons
The press just doesn't get religion
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April 30th, 2006 Comments I think it is time to put and end to this ridiculous debate and stop political correctness run amuck at the pass. While we may put our head in the sand by claiming we would have been more tolerant and abstained from doing such «offensive» drawings, the fact remains that we are talking about, at most, two drawings that show poor taste. The rest of the batch mostly make fun of the paper that commissioned them. While it may be proscribed by some Muslims to draw their Prophet it is not illegal to do so in Denmark, nor yet in Canada for that matter. While we may deplore the fact that Ezra Levant may have published the cartoons for publicity's sake, the fact remains that an unfavourable judgement will have dire consequences for our profession. Who knows, for instance, if the time will not soon come when Raelians will claim that a representation of their leader in a caricature is an affront to their core beliefs. The only difference is that they don't have millions of followers protesting in the streets.
- Guy Bado (Le Droit)
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