Swedish artist Lars Vilks who drew a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog was interrupted by protesters yesterday, Tuesday, during his lecture at Uppsala University on the limits of artistic freedom in the world of art. He told the Associated Press that he was attacked by a man who leaped from the front row and head-butted him. An Uppsala University spokeswoman, Pernilla Bjork, said Vilks was showing a provocative film with sexual content to the crowd when the attacker ran up and hit him in the face with his fists. The police later said the attacker was stopped before he could reach Vilks and that the artist may have bumped into plainclothes officers who briskly escorted him from the room. Police said three protesters were detailed. See Video below of the melee.
Methinks Lars Vilks considers himself a hero. a champion for freedom. I don't. Bare with me. If an artists drew a picture of Jesus on the body of a dog, or the picture of an obviously Jewish person on the body of a dog, or the picture of an African-American on the body of a dog, or the picture of an ordinary Arab on the body of a dog -- what in the Hades would be so heroic about that? Of course one could argue that any artist should be able to draw whatever he wants without fear of death threats or violence, and that is Vilks's cause. Well, no death threats yes. No violence, okay. But there are some things one doesn't do, unless one wants to provoke a violent reaction. One doesn't insult some ones mother, some ones flag, some ones religion, unless one expects a punch in the nose. Mr. Vilks is provoking a punch in the nose. But should he be punched in the nose? No. He should be criticized and then ignored.
Also, there is no excusing these angry violent demonstrators. Do they think for one moment that God is so weak -- or is it that their faith in God's power is so weak -- that their faith can be damaged by whatever a foolish person draws? Do they see Vilks as a threat to their religion? Silliness. The strong don't bend themselves out of shape, when they hear a barking dog. Barking dog? Vilks? But he is one who thinks he's brilliant? Barking isn't brilliant, it is what dogs do.
Okay, one may ask: shouldn't the dog be free to bark? If he is afraid to bark, then what does that say? Barking dogs will bark, that is what barking dogs do. And the strong aren't afraid of the barking of a barking dog.