Islamabad Burning

Protests against the cartoon blasphemers have apparently become daily routine in Islamabad Pakistan. Just in case anyone has been sealed in an airtight media unfriendly container for the past three weeks, the cartoon controversy was sparked by the publication of cartoons in European media. The Duh!merican media was very reticent and opted not to publish the inflammatory material out of prudence (which is not all that criticisable in the long run). Duh!mericans used to be known for their hesitation from taking immediate action - preferring to hit when the anvil is hot. Churchill will tell you a thing or two about that one. Only lately though they had chosen to strike whenever and ignore the anvil - just cook up a WMD or two and let's go. It ain't over till the prisoner is tortured.

But this was not meant to be an anti-duh! post. I would just like to know what the defenders of all the violent retaliation and what the justifiers of all the retribution meted out on the blasphemers have to say about the fact that the protesters in Islamabad are holding the Duh!merican embassy hostage. They are burning the star spangled banner. They are, in other words, burning the flag of the only nation that decided that prudence and religious respect would win over freedom of expression. Ironically, they are burning the flag of that western state that (apart from Malta) is the one which can most identify closely with religious fundamentalism.

In Peshawar the students attempted to attack the embassies of India (multi-ethnic, predominantly Hindu) and Great Britain (former colonial chief around these parts).

But then this was not always about religion wasn't it?

Flags mate. It's the business.