As Muslims continue to celebrate their holy month of Ramadan by fasting during daylight hours and feasting at night (and by rioting over the pope's quoting a medieval Christian theologian's observation on Islam's spread by force, some optimistic results from last year's Muslim riots over the publication of some Danish cartoons mildly mocking Islam are now evident.

No, no, no Muslims aren't sorry for the riots or the deaths.  They're still angry over the cartoons——angrier maybe. 

As the British newspaper, The Guardian, a paper usually hostile to America and sympathetic to the rioters noted, publishing the cartoons, "a provocative exercise in free speech" (sic!), increased the popularity of the paper and its editor Fleming Rose, helped re—elect the Danish prime minister while Danish exports rose. 

While Danish milk products were dumped in the Middle East, fervent rightwing (sic)Americans started buying Bang & Olufsen stereos and Lego. In the first quarter of this year Denmark's exports to the US soared 17%. The British writer Christopher Hitchens organised a buy—Danish campaign. Among the thousands of emails sent to Rose was one from an American soldier serving in Iraq. "He told me he was sitting in Iraq, watching a game of football and drinking a can of Carlsberg," Rose said.

Rose is not the only person to have prospered from the crisis. Re—elected last year, Mr Rasmussen last week became Denmark's longest—serving Liberal prime minister. Danish troops are still in Iraq and Afghanistan. More than this, his sceptical line on immigration appears to have been vindicated as other EU countries follow suit.

Hmmm, good to know freedom is still good for business and society.

Ethel C. Fenig   10 03 06