In 2009, Yale University Press published “The Cartoons That Shook The World” which concerned the 2005 controversy regarding the publication in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten of cartoons depicting Mohammed.
It fearfully, however, refused to include the said cartoons despite the desire by author Jytte Klausen, a professor at Brandeis University, and having permission to do so.
The refusal was based on what the response might be from angry Muslims.
It should be noted that well over 100 newspapers around the world published the cartoons in solidarity with Jyllands-Posten including some in Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
It should also be noted that they can be found on myriad places on the web including here.
Which gets us to the latest. Brandeis, ironically, announced on April 8 that it had withdrawn the awarding of an honorary degree to Ayaan Hirsi Ali due to the fear of what the response might be from angry Muslims. Ms. Hirsi Ali is a native of Somalia and is an outspoken critic of Islam. She was a member of the Dutch Parliament from 2003 to 2006. She had to flee the nation due to the constant death threats she received. She now lives in the United States and is an American citizen.
It is almost as bad to have as cowards those to whom we recognize as intellectuals as it would be for us to have as cowards those who lead our military.
We need a revolution in academia.
