Danish Cartoons to be Unveiled at UC Irvine

UC Irvine, which has had a history of radical Muslim activity (also here) will be hosting an "unveiling" of the Danish cartoons as part of a panel discussion. Needless to say, free speech is often unwelcome when it comes to Islamic issues (h/t Little Green Footballs):

The cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked mass demonstrations across the Middle East and Europe are causing unrest on a smaller scale here after a student group announced plans to "unveil" the drawings at a panel on Islamic extremism.

The panel, which will take place Tuesday at the University of California, Irvine, has prompted angry reaction from several Muslim groups, including the school's Muslim Student Union. Another group, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, was invited to participate in the panel but is boycotting it, said Sabiha Kahn, spokeswoman for CAIR.

The debate surrounding the student panel follows incidents at other campuses, including Harvard University and the University of Illinois, where student newspapers published the Danish cartoons of the Muslim prophet with a bomb in his turban.

"To have a negative portrayal of the Prophet Muhammad is a slap in the face and we have an obligation to defend our prophet against slurs on his reputation," said Marya Bangee, a sophomore at UC Irvine and a member of the Muslim Student Union. "They're trying to draw a link between Islam and terrorism and that's what we've been trying all along to stop."

Organizers insist the panel is aimed at promoting dialogue about the cartoons, which have gone largely unpublished in the American media for fear of offending Muslims.

Of course, I doubt anyone in attendance will be seeing these cartoons for the first time. If you've been paying attention at all, you've probably seen them in numerous places. There is already tremendous pressure on the organizers to cancel the event or remove their sponsorship.

One of the essential elements of any form of humor is there must be a kernal of truth in order for it to be funny. If the Muslims wish to stop humor at their expense, all they need to do is prove that there is no truth behind the themes in the cartoons. Sadly for them, the riots and deaths and threats against the cartoonists which have attended the cartoon kerfuffle make any efforts to do that a complete waste of energy.