Offended and enraged readers voiced their opinions surrounding The Badger Herald's controversial Feb. 13 republication of the recent Danish Muslim cartoons during a expert opinion panel discussion sponsored by the Dean of Students office Tuesday night.
'Intent doesn't always reflect impact,' said Suri Kempe, a representative of the MultiCultural Student Coalition. This publication 'contributes to the xenophobia on campus' and the 'continued harassment of Muslims on this campus,' Kempe said.
'One should say things one believes in,' Kempe said as she highlighted the inherent defaults in offending the Muslim community when publishing a cartoon that originally depicted the tie between violence and the Muslim faith.
Ovamir Anjum, a panelist representing the Muslim Student Association, agreed and spoke in favor of many of the attendees, who voiced their opinions in the form of open questions directed to the panel.
'The cartoons didn't simply insult religious ideals, but the entire [Muslim] community,' he said. 'This burns the opportunity for fruitful debate.'
'We printed this cartoon because others weren't,' said Mac VerStandig, editor in chief of The Badger Herald, as he cited the international 'newsworthiness' of the cartoon's content. 'The idea that truth is dangerous to the people is disgusting.'
Dietram Scheufele, another panelist and UW journalism and life sciences professor, separated disagreement with the cartoon and freedom of speech. 'The only thing that matters in this debate is the process and hearing all sides.'
He spoke of the 'balance of interest' an editor must exert and an editor's job of representing 'all viewpoints.'
Although many argued in favor or in opposition of the cartoons' p
