A radical Muslim groups is warning Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, that they could face violent retribution for allowing the animated series to depict the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bear suit in last week’s episode.
Muslims consider any physical representations of their prophet to be blasphemous. Before it was taken down, the website revolutionmuslim.com posted a letter addressed to Parker and Stone, and included a picture of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh’s dead body. Van Gogh was shot and stabbed to death in 2004 by a fanatic who was angered by his film about a Muslim woman who rejected Muhammad as a moral guide.
Along with the picture, the statement said, “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”
The website also listed the addresses of Comedy Central’s New York Office, along with Park and Stone’s California production office and it included a link to a Huffington Post article that described a Colorado residence owned by the two men.
At this time, no comment as been issued from Comedy Central or the show’s producers.
Did South Park creators cross the line by depicting the Prophet Muhammad wearing a bear suit?
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Of course it's over the line. How do Matt Stone and Trey Parker not already understand that Mohammed is simply beyond ridicule? Four years removed from the cartoons published in the Netherlands and these comedy writers still don't understand that the Muslim religion should never be mocked, under any circumstances, even if it is in the innocuous form of protraying Mohammed in a big stuffed fluffy, very huggable, teddy bear outfit. (sarcasm off)
It definitely is not over the line... If any Deity, Prophet, Messiah,or the human beliefs in such beings is so fragile that satire diminishes them in any way, then that fragility is what diminishes them not the ant that critiques the Sun.
God cannot be insulted or defamed, only fragile ego driven humans waste time with such fear based insecurities.
if your God and your Faith is soo week you must kill to preclude insult,, then your faith is without Value, and your heart is full of doubt.Please read this only one passage in the bible,god so loved te earth he gave his only son!
Nonsense.
Yeah-- some extremists do-- and they go into a hissy fit. But why give all that credence to the extremists in the religion?
The fact is-- just as in other religions, Muslims have been making pictures of their holy figures for centuries.
No, it is not crossing the line. It's South Park its always been offending and always has mocked people and situations. People need to lighten up a bit, they act like putting Muhammad in a bear suit is the worst that the show has done. They've done worse.
Freedom of Speech. They already make fun of Jesus, GOD, Satan, Jews, etc. etc. Why not Mohammad? Because they are scared? Its ridiculous.
Its interesting how Muslims are offended by a cartoon bear but support and defend 80yr old men sexually assaulting 8 year old girls in "marriage". What a backwards mentality!
Yup-- remeber the Mohammed cartoon crisis (2005?). 2 embassies were torched-- over 140 people killed because of a few cartoons in Danish paper.
And there were horrendous threats. Here's a video of demonstrators outside the danish embassy in London-- notice what their signs are saying.
Maybe. Given the number of people they've attacked for this sort of thing-- maybe its better to let them impose limits on our free speech by intimidation...?
Are you kidding? The 1st Amendment clearly protects them here. Furthermore, threats of violence for exercising our rights is, at its core, a form of terrorism. I applaud Trey Parker and Matt Stone for having the intestinal fortitude to stand up to these schoolyard bullies who threaten to harm anyone who disagrees with them.
also, I love my own run-on sentence, there. that's what happens when I post stream-of-consciousness thoughts in text form.
Still, Trey and Matt have portrayed Jesus, Moses, Joe Smith, and L. Ron Hubbard in far worse fashion. They're equal-opportunity about the subjects of their ire.
It's time we rejected religious extremism in all its forms and flatly refuse to negotiate. We live in a dualistic society; religion has no place in our civil affairs, and frankly that annoys the people who would threaten — or act out — harm against people with differing beliefs far worse than anything else.
Did they cross the line? What line in a free society? The day we start tolerating Muslim intolerance is the day we start to muzzle free speech in an open society and kill rational debate. What's next? Criticism of their treatment of women will be a death sentence? Let's not go down the road of Europe that so wanted to tolerate their intolerance, that they aid and abet it.
This is America, and here we are supposed to be free.
As a Christian, I find South Park's depiction of my Lord and Savior highly offensive. But I will defend Stone and Parker's right to be offensive because I know my right to worship as I see fit is inexorably tied to their right to satirize my religion.
To those Muslim Americans who are making threats, get over yourselves. If you are going to live in America, you'd better grow a thick skin and learn to deal with offensive television shows.
Well-said. I have to deal with Jack van Impe and Pat Robertson (the net equivalent of the Blind Sheikh and OBL), you have to deal with South Park and House. If you can't deal with a dualistic society, GTFO. Thank you for being a voice of reason from the sea of religiosity.
These people won't issue a nasty Fatwah on you in the local paper.
They will deliver it to your house.
How DARE they! The Muslim religion is the only true religion! Everything else is LIES!
Well, except for the Great Flying Spaghetti Monster....that's also true.
And the Easter Bunny.....mmmm chocolate =d
The great giant spider, what about the Giant spider?
I hope that Matt and Trey do more episodes, and I also hope that other media join them. It would be wonderful if news outlets and journalists refused to bow to this self-censorship. I think it is important to convey the message, up front, that veiled threats will not be an effective form of coercion in American society. These individuals, and people like them, are bullies; and bullies never become less threatening through efforts to appease them.
Have anyone actual seen Muhammad?
What's up with cursing cartoons, what's up?!
Muslims are mocking themselves when they get all flustered and doo doo their pants by not being able to take a joke. The joke is on them as my religous comic book transcribes that Mohammad was a drug smuggler, a grave robber, and a pretend womanizer who refused to come out of the closet. I hope that Matt and Trey would do an episode mocking the mockery of these revolutionmuslim radicals who think that they can live here and take our 1st Amendment Rights and threaten us with their whining....If Comedy Central won't air it then maybe Matt and Trey should move to HBO......the courts allow immoral fools to immorallly disrupt funerals of dead soldiers returning home, but let these Muslim clowns attack our free speech....Not
As a Muslim, i am offended when any prophets are made fun of...In our belief, it is forbidden to portray the Prophet Mohamed, therefore out of respect people of all faiths should respect us and others...why do we keep seeing people disrespecting our prophet over and over again...why do we give chances for people to retaliate even though i disagree with them...btw the Prophet Mohamed has been ridiculed during his time but never retaliated for that...dealing with religion is a very sensitive issue that needs to be addressed with care in order to avoid violence, anger, alianation just out of respect...May God help us all!!!
Yes, South Park is a comedy show mocking all kinds of famous figures ( In good or bad taste )...However, I believe in boundary's and as such common courtesy and respect should be given towards people(s) religious reverence. Violence threaten or warned is over the top (4 Me), But, In the same breath crossing certain boundarys R 2...You don't have 2 be religious 2 be respectful of religion.... I have a question: Is Provoking considered Provocative Nowaday...? At the end of the day,,, I think its all about selling, "I.E., Capitalism"....!!! But 2 what end R we willing 2 go 4 the sale.
It's gotta be about making dollars, otherwise, there's just no sense in provoking or inflaming any group of people... Sharing one's point of view / opinion with the express purpose of educating is one thing,,, but 2 mock and or make fun of is another..... So far as i'm concerned...!!!
Yes we Muslims take our religion so seriously that it is actually very sacred to us and not up for being portrayed as "comedy". Muslim means one who submits to the will of god and prophet Mohamed (peace be upon him) as well as all the other prophets (such as jesus peace be upon him and moses peace be upon him) were sent here from god (the creator of the heavens and the earth) as a guide on how to live. We love them, we study their lives, we try and emulate them and send peace upon them daily...so if you want to understand why we become enraged at such things then study islam. No matter how many media outlets support this type of ridicule of Islam it will only fan the flame....we will never accept this type of ridicule..NEVER!
No. South Park has made funny comments about Christ also.
No. It's a cartoon. It's not reality. The fanatics, all fanatics, need to get over themselves and shut up.
All religion is equal in the belief in higher power that is responsible for the creation of life... equally all religion is subject to the skepticism & ridicule of non-believers.
I don't mean just Atheists or Agnostics, anyone who doesn't believe in your religion is non-believer. If you're Christian you don't believe in Judaism, if you're Jewish you don't believe in Islam, if you're Muslim, need I keep going? That's the problem with all religion... I'm right & all others are dead wrong. And some people take that to the extreme.
Religion is absolute & tends to leave no room for open-mindedness or rational thought. I mean seriously, "if you draw a picture of our prophet you must die!" Whether you are a devout Muslim or not, if you don't see how ridiculous that rationale is, then you're what's wrong with the world.
We as human beings fight over the most ridiculous things. Most people think their religion brings meaning & justification to their lives. I tend to think it has the opposite effect, it divides us, it polarizes us, & it emboldens intolerance.
There are so many problems in the world that effect everyone, the environment, poverty, economic prosperity. Why can't we focus on the bigger picture & stop fighting over who's god/religion is better?
@!$%# the profet muhamed!! he waw just a @!$%#ing @!$%# anyway!! @!$%# all muslin!! infidels?? nobody is an infidel, we are just sane people!!
@!$%# the profet muhamed!! he waw just a @!$%#ing @!$%# anyway!! @!$%# all muslin!! infidels?? nobody is an infidel, we are just sane people!!