The moral of the story is that people will continue to draw cartoons of our beloved Prophet in the future whether we like it or not.

For these reasons, it is important for global Muslims to understand the some of the top reasons that people decide to publish these inflammatory cartoons.

In summary his reasons include:

• To generate irrational violent responses
• Illustrate that Muslims are opposed to free speech
• Show the world that Muslims have no sense of humor
• Show how Islam and the West are at odds with each another
• Trying to lure and incite Muslims to respond violently to fuel Islamophobia

The one reason he doesn’t cite (but should have), is that in the Western world, the artist has the right to draw what they want – not to demonstrate Muslims being opposed to free speech but simply exercising a right one already has. I’m on record as saying, just because one has the right to do something, doesn’t mean it’s the right thing to do, but we cannot discount that Western artists have the RIGHT to do it, even if we disagree with it and that should be respected as well.

The anti-establishment publication, which says its cartoonists are atheists who are interested in satirising all religions, claimed it was publishing a profile to learn more about the prophet. “Before you can have a laugh about a character, it’s better to know him,” Charb told AFP. He denied the special edition was an act of provocation.

Let’s start 2013 out by throwing oil on a fire.

I have yet to find a news report that identifies which French cartoonist the cleric is singling out.

Citing they have a legal right to free speech, the French magazine “Charlie Hebdo” published a new round of cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Mohammed after a week of deadly protests by Muslims offended at a 14 minute film that mocks their prophet. The French government has had to shut down schools, embassies and send out riot police to guard the “Charlie Hebdo” offices.

From a CNN article on WPTV’s site, Charlie Hebdo journalist Laurent Leger defends the magazine:

“The aim is to laugh. We want to laugh at the extremists – every extremist. They can be Muslim, Jewish, Catholic. Everyone can be religious, but extremist thoughts and acts we cannot accept,” Leger said.

“In France, we always have the right to write and draw. And if some people are not happy with this, they can sue us and we can defend ourselves. That’s democracy. You don’t throw bombs, you discuss, you debate. But you don’t act violently. We have to stand and resist pressure from extremism.”

Other developments:

• France prohibits demonstrations against the magazine (Huffington Post) – which makes me wonder – why is the free speech of the magazine protected, but not that of those who want to protest it.
• The White House says it has no problem with the magazine’s right to print, but questions their judgment (National Post)
• Protests continue in Hong Kong, Turkey, Greece, Saudi Arabia, Iran and Bangladesh (Pakistan Today)

From Huffington Post:

The prime minister said freedom of expression is guaranteed in France, but cautioned that it “should be exercised with responsibility and respect.”

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius defended freedom of expression, but warned that Charlie Hebdo could be throwing “oil on the fire” and said it’s up to courts to decide whether the magazine went too far.

“Freedom of expression can be limited by court decisions. If there is a case of overstepping, it’s up to individuals or groups to bring it to the courts, which will say whether the law … was respected,” he said after a Cabinet meeting.

I’m all for free speech and would caution against any censorship, but I with the right to free speech is also the responsibility to do so judiciously. Not sure the magazine is doing so in this case.

Details on the allegedly offensive tweets were unavailable, but they apparently urged participation in “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day,” a campaign launched two years ago that Muslims worldwide have denounced for encouraging depictions of Islam’s prophet, which adherents consider blasphemous.

The campaign led a Facebook user to set up a Facebook page to promote May 20 as “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” to support freedom of expression. A Pakistani court ordered the page blocked two years ago when it was created.

From the Washington Post:

The trial will be the second major criminal process involving the controversial cartoons over the past year.

Early in 2011 a Danish court declared a Somali man guilty of terrorism for breaking into the home of a Danish cartoonist who had caricatured the Prophet. Wielding an ax, the man entered Kurt Westergaard’s home in the northwestern town of Aarhus, though the cartoonist managed to avoid injury by locking himself inside a panic room.

The Somali man was eventually sentenced to nine years in prison.

This hasn’t been the first attack. In 2010, he was attacked by protestors during a lecture and was head-butted. Later that week two men were arrested for an attempt to burn his home resulting in Lars going into hiding. He was also the target of

Last year, American Colleen LaRose (AKA “Jihad Jane”) is plead guilty in an alleged plot to kill Lars.

From MSNBC:

Prosecutors said the Norwegian cell first wanted to attack Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, whose 12 cartoons of Muhammad sparked furious protests in Muslim countries in 2006, and then changed plans to seek to murder one of the cartoonists instead.

Bujak, an Iraqi Kurd, said the paper and the cartoonist were indeed the targets, but described the plans as “just talk.”
Prosecutors had to prove the defendants worked together in a conspiracy, because a single individual plotting an attack is not covered under Norway’s anti-terror laws.

University atheist society president forced to resign after cartoon of Muhammad having a drink with Jesus is posted on Facebook

The controversy is over a recent Jesus and Mo comic. The bi-weekly strip has been running since 2005.

And here’s the offending cartoon.

UPDATE:

I was contacted by the author of Jesus and Mo who alerted me that the image shown above was not the actually cartoon that forced the resignation of the Atheist Society President. The image at the heart of this story is from the cover art for Jesus and Mo’s 2nd volume collection. I don’t think it changes the absurdity of the story, but in the interest of accuracy I’ve posted the offending art below.