Editor,
A U.S. cartoonist now hides from Muslim threats. The U.S. government has told her to hide rather than hunt down Islamic organizations that support the fatwah death edict against her.
Seattle Weekly editor-in-chief Mark D. Fefer announced in Wednesday’s issue that Molly Norris’ comic would no longer appear in the paper.
Her satirical “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” sparked death threats, and Fefer wrote that the FBI advised Norris to move, change her name and wipe away her identity because of the religious edict threatening her life.
“She is, in effect, being put in a witness-protection program — except, as she notes, without the government picking up the tab,” Fefer wrote. “She likens the situation to cancer — it might basically be nothing; it might be urgent and serious; it might go away and never return, or it might pop up again when she least expects it.”
Norris’ cartoon inspired a Facebook page that caught the attention of authorities in Pakistan, who responded by banning the social networking site.
Most Muslims regard any depiction of the prophet, even favorable ones, as blasphemous. If that is a problem for most Moslems, then the Western world has a serious issue on its hands, a clash of existentiality.
The Facebook page encouraged people to post images of Mohammed to protest threats against the creators of the American TV series “South Park” for depicting the prophet in a bear suit during an episode earlier this year. Although the Facebook page was taken down by its creator, references to the page and to Norris’ cartoon remain online.
Norris wrote in a post on her website that she meant her work only to be a commentary on the “South Park” controversy.
“I made a cartoon about the television show ‘South Park’ being censored,” she wrote. “I never started a Facebook page. I apologize to people of Muslim faith and ask that this ‘day’ be called off.”
She declared May 20 as “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day,” and it depicts a group of colorful animated objects under the headline: “Will the real likeness of the prophet Mohammed please stand up?!” The cartoon says it’s sponsored by “Citizens against Citizens against Humor.” That fictional group now has its own website featuring cartoons and comments.
Welcome to the religion of “peace.” It’s fair to say that its version of peace looks more like Islam is dominant and everything and everyone else is submissive. Not exactly the “peace” that you and I grew up with, is it? Let’s be real instead of perpetually deluding ourselves and ignoring the pink, serial-killing elephant in the room.
Lastly, I would appreciate if Muslims who identify as “moderate” would speak up about and against such things. How come their voice is rarely, if ever, heard? Surely there is no diminishment of the 1.5 billion Muslims in this world? Are they afraid their peaceful co-religionists will turn on them, or is the term “moderate” very misleading in Islam?
Jake Shalette
Community member
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