The Justice

I realize that the reason the cartoons were published the first time differs from the reason they are included in Prof. Klausen's book. This book is meant for academic purposes and is meant to document the whole controversy behind the cartoons. People could argue that removing the cartoons from the book makes it harder to understand the controversy behind it and ultimately decreases the value of the book. The people who are so curious to see the cartoons, though, should just look for them online where information is not regulated by publishers. It's not necessary to have the cartoons in the book in order to describe the turmoil; a written description of them is sufficient.

To have a cartoon of an Arab dressed up as a terrorist is one thing, but to draw a cartoon of Islam's holiest figure in such garb is taking it too far. That's just the ultimate way of saying that all Muslims are terrorists, which is absolutely not true. This is abusing freedom of speech. As a Muslim, I wouldn't buy a book that contained such images no matter how neutral the book. Now that the book won't have these images, I might buy it after all.

Brandeis' Imam (Islamic chaplain) Talal Eid gives another good reason for Yale's decision to remove the images. Brandeis promotes ideals like peace and social justice. But imagine, says Eid, what people would think if a professor from a nonsectarian Jewish university like ours publishes a book with these offensive cartoons. What would that do for Brandeis' image? He thinks that this book being published by the Brandeis professor could tarnish Brandeis' image of a peace-promoting organization focused on tolerance and multiculturalism.

Ultimately, yet reluctantly, Klausen accepted Yale's decision to remove the cartoons. No matter how wrong people think Yale's self-censorship is, I believe Yale made the appropriate decision. Sometimes freedom of speech needs to be regulated just for the sake of peace.

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