“We protest against the rising wave of xenophobia towards Muslims across Europe and the gratuitously offensive caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which have been reprinted in many newspapers around the world.”, the Muslim Council of Britain stated.
Several leading British Muslim organizations already announced their participation at the jointly organized protest. The Muslim Council of Britain is the UK's representative Muslim umbrella body with over 400 affiliated national, regional and local organisations, mosques, charities and schools.
“This rally will aim to help British Muslims to express their feelings peacefully and will call upon the newspapers concerned to recognise and apologise for the enormous offence and needless distress they have caused to millions of Muslims across the world. We believe that the editors of these papers have shown huge insensitivity and an indefensible lack of judgement in this matter,” said Sir Iqbal Sacranie, Secretary-General of the Muslim Council of Britain.
According to Bob Garfield, from the American Onthemedia research project, “the cartoons were first published in the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten in September, and one depicts the prophet with a bomb-shaped turban. Muslims were shocked to see the images. It is against tradition to depict the prophet in any way. Throughout the Muslim world, there have been boycotts of Danish goods and demands for more apologies from the Danish Prime Minister. This week, papers throughout Western Europe reprinted the highly controversial images. Arms have been raised and death threats issued.”
Susan Caskie, from WNYC Radio, a public radio station in new York city, says: “It started last September when a Danish children's author, Kare Bluitgen, was complaining in Danish papers that he had been writing a children's book about the life of the Prophet Mohammed and he couldn't find any illustrators. It's forbidden in Islam to depict Mohammed, even in a favorable manner. So, Jyllands-Posten issued a kind of a challenge to cartoonists in Denmark, and they got 12 cartoons, some of which were very inoffensive; others, like you mentioned the one with the turban as a bomb, more offensive.”
Comments
Hide the following 5 comments
Violence used to dispute Message of Violence
09.02.2006 19:28
So, after verifying that his life insurance premiums were paid up, the editor expressly requested cartoons of Muhammad from every cartoonist with a Danish cartoon syndicate. Out of 40 cartoonists, only 10 accepted the invitation, most of them submitting utterly neutral drawings with no political content whatsoever.
But three cartoons made political points.
One showed Muhammad turning away suicide bombers from the gates of heaven, saying "Stop, stop -- we ran out of virgins!" -- which I believe was a commentary on Muslims' religious justification for violence. Another was a cartoon of Muhammad with horns, which I believe was a commentary on Muslims' religious justification for violence. The third showed Muhammad with a turban in the shape of a bomb, which I believe was an expression of post-industrial ennui in a secular -- oops, no, wait: It was more of a commentary on Muslims' religious justification for violence.
In order to express their displeasure with the idea that Muslims are violent, thousands of Muslims around the world engaged in rioting, arson, mob savagery, flag-burning, murder and mayhem, among other peaceful acts of nonviolence.
Muslims are the only people who make feminists seem laid-back.
The little darlings brandish placards with typical Religion of Peace slogans, such as: "Behead Those Who Insult Islam," "Europe, you will pay, extermination is on the way" and "Butcher those who mock Islam." They warn Europe of their own impending 9/11 with signs that say: "Europe: Your 9/11 will come" -- which is ironic, because they almost had me convinced the Jews were behind the 9/11 attack.
The rioting Muslims claim they are upset because Islam prohibits any depictions of Muhammad -- though the text is ambiguous on beheadings, suicide bombings and flying planes into skyscrapers.
The belief that Islam forbids portrayals of Muhammad is recently acquired. Back when Muslims created things, rather than blowing them up, they made paintings, frescoes, miniatures and prints of Muhammad.
But apparently the Quran is like the Constitution: It's a "living document," capable of sprouting all-new provisions at will. Muslims ought to start claiming the Quran also prohibits indoor plumbing, to explain their lack of it.
Other interpretations of the Quran forbid images of humans or animals, which makes even a child's coloring book blasphemous. That's why the Taliban blew up those priceless Buddhist statues, bless their innocent, peace-loving little hearts.
Making the rash assumption for purposes of discussion that Islam is a religion and not a car-burning cult, even a real religion can't go bossing around other people like this.
Catholics aren't short on rules, but they couldn't care less if non-Catholics use birth control. Protestants don't make a peep about other people eating food off one another's plates. (Just stay away from our plates -- that's disgusting.)
But Muslims think they can issue decrees about what images can appear in newspaper cartoons. Who do they think they are, liberals?
Anny H
New Reich slugs seem to be leaving their trails everywhere recently!
10.02.2006 00:16
New Reich slugs like "Annie H" are leaving their foul racist trails all across boards like this. Their tactics are familiar to anyone who has studied the propaganda programs of the Third Reich. The "sh*t-stirrers" (those that commisioned and published the racist cartoons) are no where near as important as those that VERY PUBLICALLY seek to negatively comment on whatever the muslims do in response.
Amusingly, "Annie H" lists the contents of the placards that 'her' own people created, all in the same hand, and all carefully posed by people VERY different from the rest of the crowd, for the benefit of reproduction in the British press.
Of course, "Annie H" would like you to forget that EVERY piece of 'evidence' produced by Colin Powell at the UN was a lie, almost every piece faked for him by Blair's own people. You see, "Annie H" and the rest of her New Reich chums have a record of NEVER EVER telling the truth, and creating concocted materials whenever they feel they will get away with it for long enough to achieve their plans.
Every detail that "Annie H" and her New Reich chums told about the death-squad murder in the underground was a lie- a familiar pattern.
But let's be honest here. Does "Annie H" really try to hide 'her' desire for the coming genocide of the muslims, any more than smirking Nazis in the 1930's really tried to hide their intentions for the jews? NO! They say it loud, and they say it proud, and they hope that just as with Hitler and his death camps, we'll just sit back and let it happen all over again.
twilight
no gods no masters
10.02.2006 00:44
Jews portrayes as s bloodthirsty vampires with hooknoses in arab media every day. but no one arab country get any dead-threat or flag-burning or violent demonstration...
jesus has been portayed :
1 fucking with maria magdalena in one italian film by Scorsese,
2. as a marxist-leninist-anarchist in another italian film be P.P.Pasolini
3. as a gay on many artist exhibition
but no one christian has burned italian flags neither dead-threated or beat film-makers or italian embassy..for that 'blasphemy'
Long live Free Speech !
Long Live YjyllandsPosten.
antifa
A coin has two sides...
10.02.2006 05:54
Nick Griffin and Abu Hamza are two sides of the same coin. Same agenda, same methods. All genuine anti-fascists should go to Trafalgar Square Saturday 1pm. Let the Islamofascist scum know what you think of them.
Remember - nazis come in all shapes, sizes and colours. See through the sheep's clothing.
Big Brother
Homepage: http://www.cia.gov
At last a representative protest
10.02.2006 15:29
Of course anti-war views are likely to be exprressed. And that's good. Isn't free speech really about about speaking out against the powerful, against the warmakers - doesn't that take rather more courage than poking fun at ethnic minorities?
http://www.respectcoalition.org
(Editors - I know this is a link to Respect, boo hiss, but that's because they're the only website with details of the MCB/MAB protest)
Mr Spoon