Whether we should be outraged at art is almost as old as art
The question of whether or not to be outraged at works of art is almost as old as art itself — after all, when Muslims attacked Christian churches at the time of the Crusades, they erased the faces of icons and frescoes, not simply as an act of wanton destruction, but because in the Islamic tradition one does not depict figures and faces and so these images were offensive to their beliefs.
Champions of contemporary art are not alone in arguing for free speech, but free speech is easier to argue for when you’re not the one being offended. This came to the fore in 2005 when violent protests erupted after the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten printed cartoons showing the prophet Mohammed.
