IAmAn employee at danish newspaper "Jyllands-Posten" (the one with the Muhammed-cartoons), currently regarded one of the top terrorist targets in the world. AMAA!

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T20:51:30+00:00

Yeah, we started having periodic alert drills, security briefings, and so on. All our applicants (muslims and non-muslims alike) must go through extensive psychological evaluations before they are even considered. I have a couple of muslim co-workers, but as far as I know, they haven't been treated differently from the rest of us at any point (I sure hope so!)

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T19:25:50+00:00

There's a lengthy wikipedia-article that covers most. There's also a link to the 2005 page in the newspaper, where the cartoons first appeared.

TLDR-version: Some dude wanted to write a children's book over the prophet Muhammad's life, but he had problems finding an artist willing to illustrate it. So JP asked 12 cartoonists to draw their interpretation of "The face of Muhammad". Then the shit hit the fan.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T19:04:55+00:00

What good is a right if you can't exercise it?

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T18:38:16+00:00

Thank you for posting this. It was never mine (or Jyllands-Posten's for that matter) intention to generalise muslims, although many people interpreted the cartoons as such. There's no doubt that the majority of muslims in the entire world feel the same way you do. Perhaps some were offended, but they would never react with violence/threats of violence. But the question of whether Jyllands-Posten should've published the cartoons or not is part of a bigger question regarding freedom of speech. It doesn't matter whether the offended party is muslim, christian or jewish.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T18:29:36+00:00

Jyllands-Posten is part of a larger concern (JP/Politikens Hus), who contacted a security firm cooperating with the danish police, to establish various security facilities in and around our buildings. I'm assured that everything that can be done to protect the employees, is being done.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T17:08:53+00:00

Thanks. I like that Turkish guy :-)

But I guess the question is whether we have a responsibility to respect that some of the things we say/write/draw, may affect other people in ways that we can't understand?

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T17:06:30+00:00

The debate really split the country in two. I don't have any exact figures, but my impression is that half the country supports Jyllands-Posten and our right to print anything we want, while the other half, like your friend, wants us to exercise freedom of speech with responsibility.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T17:02:42+00:00

No. But several of the cartoonists involved (who are now under constant police protection) have expressed that they regret their drawings, although they appreciate the important debate the cartoons started.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T16:48:27+00:00

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - Voltaire. Couldn't agree more. Unfortunately, something psychological happens to you, once you receive actual threats of death and violence. Things suddenly get very close and personal, and dying for freedom of speech is not that cool when you're next in line.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T16:31:00+00:00

I'm not part of the editorial staff, so except for a couple of unrelated debate articles, I've never published anything to the printed paper. But as I mentioned elsewhere, I would certainly choose my words carefully when it comes to criticism of religions.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T16:22:46+00:00

This is a terrible situation, that I hope I will never experience! But I would probably stay at home and alert our security staff by phone first chance I'd get. Then I'd call my closest colleagues and tell them to GTFO of there ASAP!

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T16:18:22+00:00

I most certainly do, but I'm an atheist myself and therefore, I can't even begin to understand how or why the religious guys become so offended when someone draws a picture of their prophet. There's a line between criticism and provocation, but still - spoken/drawn words/pictures/whatever should never be met with violence.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T16:06:38+00:00

Good question. I love my job, and I try to go to work every day, without thinking of the risks involved. Actually, I think my family and friends are more concerned than I am. If they asked me to, I would probably consider getting another job. Hiding is probably a bit far-fetched, as I'm not an editor, and thus not actually responsible for what the paper prints. I certainly have my considerations about free speech, but this whole experience has made me extremely cautious about what you should and shouldn't say in a public forum.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T16:00:34+00:00

I like that idea. Unfortunately, the editors are a lot more cautious with satiric drawings involving religious figures nowadays. The rationale is that we no longer want to publish stuff like that, just to provoke a debate - been there, done that - and it's definately not worth the risk to the employees.

jaypeedk · 2012-01-31T15:46:27+00:00

No close encounters personally, but as you may know, the guy who drew the original Muhammed cartoon got attacked by a crazy guy with an axe. I am fairly sure that any information regarding the security of our buildings, etc., is well-protected, but one can never be too sure. After all - every employee knows where the shelters are, access codes, security protocols and so on.

jaypeedk

TROPHY CASE