Van Gogh Murder Fallout

The murder of Theo van Gogh has sparked some legitimate concerns among artists who are critical of Islam but the Reuters report is brief and rather superficial. Irshad Manji is quoted as saying that she doesn’t “share her schedule,” and the obligatory reference to Salman Rushdie is made, but there is little in the way of analysis. The article also cites notorious hatemonger Oriana Fallaci, and a Pakistani emigre author who sounds almost hopeful when he says, “When my book is published I will be in trouble.”

Elsewhere, reader Isabella M. writes in from the Netherlands with a link to this article by Rene Los in De Standaard in which the hallowing of van Gogh’s name that has been taking place over the last few days gets a reality check. “[He was] the caricature of what he was condemning,” Los says. “He demanded tolerance for his own intolerance.” (You can run the article through an online translator here.)

And, to complicate matters even further, eight mosques and a Muslim school in Holland have been burned in an apparent retaliation for the murder of van Gogh. The situation appears to be escalating, with churches now being torched as well.
Related: previous post.