22 April 2010

Muslim group warns 'South Park' creators of death

These Muslims were just trying to be helpful, doing their civic duty by pointing out danger, much like a Mafioso might kindly remind the owner of a shop of the dangers of a late-night fire, or the dangers of falling down stairs. Repeatedly, night after night. By David Bauder for AP:

NEW YORK – A radical Muslim group has warned the creators of "South Park" that they could face violent retribution for depicting the prophet Muhammad in a bear suit during last week's episode. [The Iconoclast] Read more

No freak-out over South Park .... And yet, all of this is beside the point. This crisis is being manufactured by two Muslim converts who have been reduced to sidewalk rants because they are not welcome in any mosque in New York City. By taking a page out of the Islam4UK media-agitation book, they have gained the attention of mainstream media, particularly CNN, who dutifully treat them as representative of Muslim opinion.

.... Despite heavy censoring, episode 201 of South Park, which aired on Wednesday in the US, showed what first was thought to be Muhammad in a teddy bear costume. The person in that bear turned out to be Santa Claus. The joke is not only on Revolution Muslim. The joke is on all of us. [Guardian Cif] Read more

South Park and the freedom to blaspheme .... I don't watch South Park, and likely never will. But I much prefer their attempt at depiction of the Prophet, which is rooted in a simple need to assert their creative freedom, rather than any genuine intent to defame or insult Islam - quite unlike the Danish newspaper cartoons, which were created with only malice in mind. To understand this, compare and contrast the images of the Prophet as a super hero or a bear, versus a dark figure with a bomb in his turban. The real insult to the Prophet is in refusing to make a distinction at all. [altmuslim] Read more