khn0602 ; 2006-02-25 クアンタン・ホット・ニュース Kuantan
Hot News 06
KHN060224: Cartoon （風刺戯画・報道の自由） 各紙 2006-2-24
NST, The Star, 読売新聞
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WE APOLOGISE. UNRESERVEDLY. Feb 24: NST 注：（１面全てと４面を使った謝文）
Obviously, we
misjudged how different people would react to Wiley Miller Non
Sequitur syndicated cartoon published by the New
Straits Times last Monday.
We have written to the Internal Security Ministry in response to
its letter asking us to show cause, explaining the processes
involved and how the cartoon came to be published.
It is a process involving the human factor, and humans err.
We told the ministry the same thing we are telling you that we
may have misjudged how different people would react to the
cartoon, which, as we have pointed out to the authorities, was
NOT one of the 12 produced by Danish cartoonists that outraged
Muslims throughout the world. It was a totally different cartoon.
It was wry humour by an artist whose work is syndicated in more
than 700 newspapers, including those in Islamic countries, and
whose strip has run in the NST since 1998. （注：以上１面全て、他の記事無し）
There was no
caricature of the Prophet Muhammad at all in that cartoon; nor
was there any derogatory comment made about the Prophet or Islam.
Perhaps, in more ordinary circumstances, such a cartoon would not
have received more than a passing mention.
Yet, these are different times.
The Muslim world was outraged by the blasphemy of the Danish and
European newspapers.
When the Sarawak Tribune and Guang Ming Daily
reproduced pictures depicting the caricature of the Prophet, the
Government acted firmly and suspended both newspapers. Their
editors and publishers were held accountable.
In the case of
Wiley Miller's cartoon in the NST, there was no caricature of
Prophet Muhammad at all. NONE.
And that is why we believed it was inoffensive. But just as we
have received letters and emails, many from Muslims, saying they
could not see what the fuss was all about, there are also those
who feel strongly about this.
They include some members of the Cabinet, including newly
appointed Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin; NGOs,
former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his son Datuk
Mukhriz Mahathir, the Opposition Parti Islam se-Malaysia, and
others who have called the NST office to register their protest.
But again, we want to make very clear: There was no caricature of
the Prophet published in the NST.
We have always been sensitive to religious feelings. In fact, the
NST is the most multiracial newspaper in the country because we
have a very good mix of Malaysians working with us at all levels.
No other
newspaper can boast of that racial and religious make-up.
Hence, that makes us more sensitive to each other's feelings and
allows us to respect each other's beliefs to a greater extent
than an organization dominated by one racial or religious group.
When the caricature controversy began, our editors and section
heads were instructed not to even think about reproducing any of
the caricatures.
In the case of
the Wiley Miller comic strip, the sub-editor in charge let
through the cartoon because it bore no caricature nor words
offensive to Islam.
Unfortunately, one blog and some media, including Zainuddin's
RTM, highlighted the cartoon and came to the verdict that the NST
had mocked the Prophet and Islam. From there, the issue took a
life of its own.
The NSTP on Tuesday lodged a police report against the blog for
inciting religious hatred against the NSTP.
But on our own part, as we said in our editorial on Tuesday, the
NSTP and its editors must be held accountable if they are deemed
to have crossed the boundaries which make this multiracial and
multi-religious country of ours a peaceful haven.
We cannot afford to have any media inciting racial and religious
hatred, especially an institution like the New Straits Times
Press.
In fact, while
we apologize for hurting the feelings of those who have made
statements and police reports against us, we will also abide by
any action the Government decides to take against the newspaper
or its executives.
On February 3,
on its Mandarin news on Channel 2, Radio Television
Malaysia (RTM) screened reactions to the offending caricatures.
It showed a man reading a newspaper where a caricature of the
Prophet was printed. The cameras focussed and closed up on the
caricature THREE times for a total of 28 seconds.
A reader, who felt that the Wiley Miller cartoon was inoffensive,
emailed us and informed us that the RTM clip, shown over
two-and-a-half minutes, actually showed the offending caricature
of the Prophet flanked by two veiled women.
We obtained copies of that news programme and we have forwarded
them to the Internal Security Ministry to depict how, through
human error, such things can get onto even the Government’s own news channel, which was managed by
one of the country's most experienced journalists, Datuk
Zainuddin Maidin himself, who was then Deputy Minister of
Information.
It was not Zainuddin's fault. Should he, or his then colleague
Datuk Donald Lim, or the then Information Minister Datuk Abdul
Kadir Sheikh Fadzir, be penalised because they were, in effect,
in charge of RTM at that pertinent time?
NO. We strongly believe they should not be penalised.
People might
argue that CNN, an American station that showed the same clip but
"pixelled out" the caricature in respect for Muslim
sensitivities, and RTM, being a television station in a Muslim
country, should have been even more careful.
But the fact is, human error happens. RTM did not deliberately
screen the caricature. They would be mad to do it.
Neither did the NST deliberately publish what it deemed an
inoffensive cartoon. The NST never intended to hurt any feelings.
At least one religious scholar has told the NST that the cartoon
was not offensive but could, if different people wished, be
interpreted differently.
But we stand corrected. We should have been more sensitive “human error or not.” So again, we apologise.
And again, we
will willingly accept any action deemed fit by the Government.
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PM: We'll wait
for report before deciding on NST Friday February 24, 2006. The Star. （注：４面の下段）
SEREMBAN: The
question of whether the Government will be lenient to the New
Straits Times (NST) for printing a cartoon considered
offensive to Muslims does not arise, said Datuk Seri Abdullah
Ahmad Badawi.
The Prime
Minister said: We must wait and see what is in the report before
making a decision.
He was speaking
to reporters yesterday after attending a cheque presentation
ceremony involving Felda Sendayan settlers.
Abdullah, who
is Internal Security Minister, was asked to comment on NST's
publication of the cartoon and whether there would be leniency
towards the newspaper.
"We have
rules and if I suddenly give my views about it, then habis-lah
(it would not be right), " he added.
In Putrajaya,
former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad called for the NST
editor to be suspended for being insensitive.
"I think the NST editor should be suspended for two to three
months, " he told reporters at his office here.
"Even if the newspaper is not suspended, the editor should
be suspended because the person does not seem to understand the
feelings of Muslims."
Dr Mahathir
said the newspaper was insensitive at a time when stories related
to the caricatures of Prophet Muhammad were widely reported.
"It should be sensitive because it knows this story. It is
not something out of the blue. We know this matter is sensitive,
so why publish it? he said. It shows its lack of understanding of
the sentiment of the Muslims."
He said NST's
move in reprinting the cartoon strip and urging the public to
take a re-look at what it had printed showed that it did not
understand the sensitivity of the matter.
When it was pointed out that the Government could only take
action against the newspaper and not the editor, Dr Mahathir
replied: Everybody knows the Government controls the paper.
He said the
Government should treat all newspapers equally.
BBC information chief Datuk Md Alwi Che Ahmad said NST should not
have permitted the publication of the cartoon when the issue
about Prophet Muhammad caricatures was subsiding.
Umno Information Chief Tan Sri Muhammad Muhammad Taib expressed
support for any firm action taken by the Government against those
who ridicule Prophet Muhammad.
"Everyone should respect the
feelings, racial sentiments and religions of the multi-racial and
multi-religious population in Malaysia and not indulge in veiled
action that can undermine the racial solidarity that has been
built up from well before independence, " he said.
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＜新海峡時報＞料須解釈 指忽視首相告戒 東方日報 Feb
23 （注：２面下段）
未決定＜新海峡時報＞命運。 星洲日報 Feb 24（注：４面全て関連記事）
不対付＜新海峡時報＞。首相：毫無保留道歉有誠意 南洋商報 Feb
25 （注：３面全て関連記事）
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仏週刊紙が風刺漫画掲載、６倍の売り上げ
（2006年2月23日 読売新聞）
フランスの週刊紙「シャルリー・エブド」は８日発売の特別号で、「原理主義者に弱り果てたムハンマド」の見出しで、両手で顔を覆いながら、「愚か者に愛されるのもつらい」と嘆く預言者の風刺漫画などを掲載、通常の６倍の約４２万部の売り上げを記録した。
フィリップ・バル社長（編集最高責任者）（５３）に掲載に踏み切った理由などを聞いた。（パリ 島崎雅夫）
――なぜ掲載したのか。
「法治、民主主義の骨格を成す『表現の自由』が、中東イスラム諸国などの反発で危機に直面した。デンマーク紙のムハンマド風刺漫画を転載した独、伊など欧州マスコミと連帯し、表現の自由の重要性を訴えたかった」
――イスラム教侮辱との批判があるが。
「イスラム過激派は、欧州の法治、民主主義体制を壊すことに挑戦している。過激派の伸長は欧州に混乱をもたらし、イスラム教徒が欧州で同化する上で障害になる。欧州の民主主義を守るにはイスラム教の侮辱もやむを得ない。ただ、風刺は過激派の危険性を問題としたもので、イスラム全体への批判ではない」
――キリスト教など他宗教だったら風刺しなかったのでは、との指摘がある。
「キリスト教やユダヤ教は欧州の民主主義を否定していない。もしイスラム教過激派と同様、民主主義のあり方に挑戦すれば、当然、風刺する。差別ではない」
――風刺の精神とは。
「正義だ。欧州各国は政教分離のために長年、闘ってきた。宗教が国家より高い位置を占めれば、この原則が崩れてしまう。歴史認識が正しいと思えば、たとえ批判を受けても、風刺で堂々と主張しなくてはならない」
――中東などのイスラム諸国で反発が強いが。
「各国政府がこの問題を政治的に利用して混乱を拡大させている。事前届け出が必要なシリアやイランなどでデモが起きているのが証拠だ。デンマークの過激派がより挑発的な風刺漫画を中東で配布し、問題を複雑化させている」
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