Cartoons

[elfboy]

Was is all this crap i keep hearing on the news about cartoons. i only keep hearing bits, i dont know the fullstory

[bill barlow]

Some perfectly harmless cartoons were printed in a Danish newspaper and then a few other European papers. Some Muslims were offended.

[elfboy]

is that it!

suppose its racist then!

[Playbill]

Just before this (actually for last few dozen years) Arab papers printed vicious anti-Jewish and anti-Western cartoons. Millions of people in Europe and America went on rampages and burnt down Muslin buildings and Arab newspaper offices.

I think that last sentence was a what's known as an exaggeration.

[andy-hughes]

It's a little more complex than that.

A Danish newspaper has printed some cartroons which depict the prophet Mohamed, in one he is shown with his turban in the shape of a missile.

The problem is, Moslems are forbidden from representing Mohamed in drawings - it is deeply offensive to their faith as it is seen as trying to encourage believers to worship Mohamed as an idol - that is what the fuss is about - not that the cartooms are irreverent, but that they are offesnive simply by drawing Mohamed, regardless of the context.

Westerners may find the concecpt of offence in this instance difficult to understand, but it is very real to devout Muslims.

Sadly, as with most things, extremists on both sides have got the wrong end of the stick - some extreme Moslems have demontsrated here, and in Norway some embassy buildings have been torched. The situation has not been helped by Moslem extremists calling for the decapitation of Westerners, or other publications re-printing the cartoons, and some others which show Mohamed as an animal - simply adding to the controversey.

It's not 'just cartoons', it is offense to another faith, and just because Western people don't undestand that offence does not minimise it for Muslims around the world.

People herre are flippant about it being 'PC', and 'our country' and so on, but a little understanding and tolerance - on both sides - would calm things down all round.

[andy-hughes]

Sorry playbill - we cross-posted there. My response was to bill barlow's answer rather than yours, which was not on site when I wrote my answer.

[Playbill]

That's OK andy-hughes, I was not sure if the original posting was meant to require a serious answer, and you supplied that.

[Lonnie]

These cartoons were also printed in an Egyption paper, but I don't recall any riots there.

[Drusilla]

Actually Andy, the Koran does not forbid pictorial representation of the prophet, Mohammed. There are many pictures of the prophet, particularly in Turkey, though his face is often obscured by fire.
Moslems do not like iconography, like crucifixes, in their religion, though many Moslems break their own rules by adopting the crescent as a symbol of the Moslem faith on their flags. Strictly, they should not do this.

[bill barlow]

I think we have to ask the question how do all these rioters know the cartoons are offensive? They have not been published in this country so have they gone out off their way to be offended??

[Zen]

http://www.therockalltimes.co.uk/2006/02/13/offensive-ca rtoons.html

Read all about it here.

[Caity]

I'm sorry to be blunt Drusilla but that is utter nonesense. It is forbidden to draw the prophet, which is mentioned in the koran. its an undisputable fact. there are many branches of islam, just like christianity has its catholics and protestants, islam has its shiaa's and sunni's. however every single branch of it would unanimoulsy agree that it is forbidden to dipict the Prophet (p.b.u.h) in pictures. And just because its done in turkey, doesn't make it ok. bill barlow, a muslim doesn't have to look at the pictures to know its offensive. and in egypt the newspaper editor was sacked, and i do actually recall there being riots everywhere, maybe you ought to watch the news more often Lonnie.

[keyvan]

You regard the one with evil horns on his head and the one with a bomb as his turban �innocent� ? or the one that says: prophet!

I have nothing against the �religion� to be discussed and criticised! Or the character and deeds of the prophet! But this is not what these cartoons intend to do!

But if you who are clueless come and then by a bunch of seemingly funny/innocent cartoons not only insult what is to be respected in a religion but in reality confirming the prejudices against a religion and a mass in an ignorant way it is NOT considered as �critique�! That danish newspaper that published this didn�t intend to evoke, but rather to provoke! There is a common theme to each and that is to ridicule the prophet, not to critique Islam! It could have easily stated �Islam suppresses women� or even �The prophet suppressed women� and leave out the �prophet is daft and dumb� but it didn�t! Sure these may dispute the dilemma that he should not be portrayed riding a donkey, but do they criticise a �religion�?