Did they know?

Submitted by Sidda (United States), Feb 7, 2006 at 15:33

I agree that it is unwise to poke a stick into a hornets' nest. I suspect, though, that this reaction took Denmark largely by surprise.

I think that they, like a lot of people, bought into the "it's just a handful of extremists" way of thinking. Thinking, "sure, you've got your random nutters around like the guy who killed Theo Van Gough, but it's an anomaly." Unfortunately, they got a rude awakening. The problem is much worse than a "few extremists." It's millions of dangerous people.

Now, there is no going back; to give in now would be seen as capitulation by the Muslim masses and only embolden them to demand other concessions.

---

Note: Opinions expressed in comments are those of the authors alone and not necessarily those of Daniel Pipes. Original writing only, please. Comments are screened and in some cases edited before posting. Reasoned disagreement is welcome but not comments that are scurrilous, off-topic, commercial, disparaging religions, or otherwise inappropriate. For complete regulations, see the "Guidelines for Reader Comments".