The cartoon controversy’s origins lie in the desire of two editors of a right-leaning Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, to test whether self-censorship and concerns for political correctness regarding Muslims had gone too far in the Danish press and larger society. In particular, the editors were concerned that a children’s author was having difficulty finding someone to illustrate the Prophet Muhammad for a book, presumably because of the offense this would give to Muslims in light of the perception that Islam prohibits images of the Prophet. Flemming Rose, the newspaper’s culture editor, sent a letter to forty-two illustrators on September 19, 2005, requesting that they submit an illustration of Muhammad that would be published in the newspaper. The illustrators were “to draw Muhammad as you see him.” In the end, only twelve artists submitted cartoons or caricatures of Muhammad to the newspaper.

QUESTION: What does this episode reveal about how deliberate provocations to test taboos can escalate into global crises?

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 410