I feel like people are tip-toeing around this, but what if Islamic terrorists start researching who's adding images of the Prophet to Wikimedia sites, determine who they are, and start killing them? Or worse, going after their families, friends, acquaintances, and other innocent people?
Wikipedians deal with edit wars and online "whining," not live-and-death decisions. They don't take reasonable Muslims seriously, but what if bodies start falling when unreasonable Muslims come into the equation? In all seriousness, are Wikipedians truly prepared to die for "information must be free?" When Anonymous planned a war against the Mexican drug cartels, the cartels responded by hanging the mutilated and tortured bodies of hackers around cities with signs saying "This is what happens to hackers who cross us" or something like that around their necks. Don't think I'm being hyperbolic or overly morbid. People have died for something as "silly" as posting depictions of the Prophet Muhammad and online anonymity cannot always protect you.
It's a dark and morbid hypothetical, but one I think Wikimedians really need to consider when dealing with these kinds of issues. (IMG:
smilys0b23ax56/default/stepcarefully.gif) (IMG:
smilys0b23ax56/default/fear.gif) (IMG:
smilys0b23ax56/default/unhappy.gif)