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Pakistan's Internet censorship

US cartoonist disavows 'Draw Mohammad' Facebook page

Thursday, 20 May, 2010 | 10:51 PM PST |


WASHINGTON: An American cartoonist whose work inspired the controversial “Everybody Draw Mohammad Page” on Facebook has condemned the effort and issued an apology to Muslims.

Molly Norris, of Seattle, drew a cartoon in April to protest the decision by the US television channel Comedy Central to cancel an episode of the popular show “South Park” over its depiction of the Prophet Mohammad in a bear suit.

In her cartoon, Norris satirically proposed May 20 as an “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day.” An “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day” page quickly turned up on Facebook but Norris, writing on her website at mollynorris.com, said she had nothing to do with it.

“I did NOT 'declare' May 20 to be “Everybody Draw Mohammad Day,” she said, adding that her idea was satire but “was taken seriously, hijacked and made viral.”

“I never started a Facebook page; I never set up any place for people to send drawings to and I never received any drawings,” she said.

“The vitriol this 'day' has brought out, of people who only want to draw obscene images, is offensive to Muslims who did nothing to endanger our right to expression in the first place,” she said.

“I apologize to people of Muslim faith and ask that this 'day' be called off,” she said.

The “Draw Mohammad” page has led to Facebook being blocked in Pakistan and sparked angry protests and condemnation from the foreign ministry, which denounced the “publication of blasphemous caricatures of our holy prophet.”

The Facebook page on Tuesday had drawn over 89,000 fans — and a slew of crude photo-shopped pictures and caricatures.

Among the dozens of pictures and drawings submitted to the Facebook page are depictions of a man in Arab garb engaged in sexual acts, blowing things up or portrayed as a pig, an animal considered unclean by Muslims.

The purported creator of the Facebook page said meanwhile that he started it to stand up for “freedom of expression.” “We didn't really know that this would expand so extremely,” the man, who would be identified only as “Andy,” said in a voice-only interview with the US television channel MSNBC.

“We know that the fight for freedom of expression, freedom of speech can't be stopped by a country like Pakistan censoring the Internet,” he added.

The Facebook page itself calls for “creative and funny depictions of Mohammad” and says “there is no need to make hateful and totally respectless depiction of him.”

“We are not trying to slander the average Muslim, it's not a Muslim/Islam hatepage,” the page says. “We simply want to show the extremists that threaten to harm people because of their Mohammed depictions, that we're not afraid of them.

“That they can't take away our right to freedom of speech by trying to scare us to silence,” it says.

There was no immediate reply to a message sent by AFP to “Andy” at an email address provided on the Facebook page.

Meanwhile, a rival Facebook page called “Against 'Everbody Draw Mohammad Day” started to oppose the caricature page had drawn some 100,000 fans.—AFP


DAWN.COM | World | US cartoonist disavows 'Draw Mohammad' Facebook page
 
Breaking news on TV Channels that the culprit behind the heinous crime of making cartoon images of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) has publicly apologized to the Muslim world, claiming that it wasn't his idea in the first place.

but i think a trial should be held aginst him...as this is a third insult to this religion in western media.....
 
no,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

he must be forgiven....
This will increase the respect of ISLAM in his eyes and eyes of all Islam haters..........

and many may convert to ISLAM.

In Quran Allah Subhan-o-taela said to Sahaba-e-Rasool PBUH that Do not speak louder than how loud your Prophet speaks.. lest you would loose your Amaal and you wouldn't have even clue about it.

What do you think this explains? The person who tries to redicule our beloved Prophet by engaging whole world should be tolerated and forgiven??? - HELL NO!
 
no,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

he must be forgiven.
This will increase the respect of ISLAM in his eyes and eyes of all Islam haters.

and many may convert to ISLAM.

well said buddy !! honestly I feel the same.
No offence but already people look at Islam with a view as a violent religion and do not know the true teachings of Islam...sparing her will increase respct for Islam and also the image of Islam in non muslims will change for better.
 
well said buddy !! honestly I feel the same.
No offence but already people look at Islam with a view as a violent religion and do not know the true teachings of Islam...sparing her will increase respct for Islam and also the image of Islam in non muslims will change for better.

Err.. wrong choice of words here. "Constructively engaging" would be better.
 
WHy flickr is blocked? It's amazing.







BTW, today I'm thinking what would happen if we were the same country. I mean, BD will never ban these sites but PK is doing that.

Okay FaceBook is blocked for some reasons but why other sites too? There must be a conflict between BD and PK if we would be the same country, and if PK would try to establish those rule on BD.


flickr is not gone it was a glitch in the system it's confirmed by other members flickr was only down for a short while
 
but i think a trial should be held aginst him...as this is a third insult to this religion in western media.....

Any wonder why some physcos end up making negative headlines.

These kinds of events provides fuel to the extremists and likewise.
 
@ KAK,


You cannot understand what does it means to be a Muslim if you are not a Muslim. We value Prophet of God more than we value our lives. Holy Prophet PBUH himself said that your faith is not complete (you won't be Momin) unless I become the person who you love more than anything in your life.

The excuse of this act in the name of freedom of expression is NOT accepted. No we do not let anybody, let it be even yet another Muslim to say anything in the honor of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Every single person who participated in this contest has crossed the line of respect and must be treated the way we treat such peoples. We want Molly Dead and every single person who participated in the contest MUST be hanged.
 
Any wonder why some physcos end up making negative headlines.

These kinds of events provides fuel to the extremists and likewise.

brother totally agree to you...maybe these incidents are publicity stunts,....as the danish cartoonist's wife was seen in a reality show openly supporting her husband calling his work as art...
hell of a art
 
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