MIDDLE EAST: Another cartoon controversy in the making

A satirical painting of Islam's holiest shrine, the Kaaba, in an art exhibition in Germany, has angered Muslims around the world. Threats of violence forced Galerie Nord in central Berlin last week to temporarily close down the show of works by Danish artists.

In February, the reprinting of Danish cartoons depicting derisively Islam's prophet Muhammad sparked protests in Denmark and other countries, a reminder of the massive deadly demonstrations of angry bearded men protesting the same caricatures across the Muslim world in 2006.
 
This time protesters objected to a poster showing Muslim devotees walking around the Muslim holy shrine with speech bubbles saying, "Zionist occupied government."

The poster, one out of 22, is titled "Stupid Stone."

The artists are Jan Egesborg and Pia Bertelsen of the group Surrend. Their stated aim is "to make fun of the world’s powerful men and crazy ideological conflicts."

The Kaaba is an ancient shrine in Mecca's Grand Mosque that Muslims face to pray and the holy site of pilgrimage for Muslims around the world.

The artists said they were satirizing a recurrent conspiracy theory in the Arab world that Jews dominate global politics.

The gallery reopened its doors to visitors after beefing up its security.

Islamonline, a Dubai-based website that aims to promote a "positive" image of Islam, said the artists were ignorant of Islam's true spirit:

What they fail to understand is that Muslims respect heavenly religions; Christianity and Judaism, and have nothing against their followers. Most Muslims in the Middle East oppose the Israeli occupation, not Jewish people who lived with them for centuries in peace and harmony.

— Raed Rafei in Beirut

Art: A work from an exhibition in Berlin that aims to make fun of political ideologies, including the dogma popular in the Middle East that Israel controls everything. Credit: Galerie Nord website

Comments

[Michael Ellegaard]

Regarding the burning of our flag ( Dannebrog ) i can not expres my anger enough towards those primitive and respectles people from the middeleast. The law in Denmark makes it kriminal to burn other countries flags in desrespect, becourse we are a civiliced people - witch we can not say about the islamic world. All we did was a cartoon drawing witch - by the way - was funny and had a bit of sarkasm in it , and suddenly we have deadh threats comming from all over the muslim world , in the name of a socald profet muhammed . If thats the true face of islam , i wonder what could happen , if i showd them a cartoon drawing of my old dog , named Muhammed the second ? www.fritdk.dk

[Kim Kennedy]

"Commissioned by Zionists" That's hilarious.
He's (the cartoonist) idea was to show what is seen of Islam in Our part of the world. And the reactions doesn't change that point of view. On the contrary.
Respect is something to gain. You don't just have it.
People who believe, shold be respected for their beliefs. Religion not.
A group of angry people waving a book over their heads crying out, it's the word of God or a Prophet.
Against another goup of people crying the same things out, with another book in thier hands.
It' so stupid that it demands cartoonists and all the satire in the world.
People can believe whatever they want.
That's the law in Denmark. And all kinds of religion is allowed. No matter how stupid they are.
They are even protectet against being ridiculed in public.
(Though I'm against that, -but it keeps me from doing it)
Muslim organisations drew the original printing paper to court for ridiculing their religion (imaging they can do that - try that in Saudi), but case was dismissed.
The religion was NOT ridiculed.
What true Prophet or religion needs a group of longbearded men to defend it?
99% of them have never even seen the drawings.
Muhammed have been pictured for centuries.
Danish journalist went to the Middle East to ´show these drawings to some muftis and imams, that encouraged to demonstrations. I saw a mufti on TV that laughed at them. - and found some of them insulting too.
But had never even seen them before.
A picture of a man wearing a pig costume was thought to an attempt to make fun of Muhammed.
That picture, was from a farmerfestival in France. Picturing a frenchman! And had nothing to doo at all with the drawings.
This is all about something entirely different.
Social, cultural and spirtual depravisme.
All caused by religion.
Religion can be militant and violent.
As I have read the Koran, people who is that, have misunderstood the meaning/idea.
Using the letters instead of the spirit is misinterpretating the pupose of the book.
As it is with the Bible.
Both books are so full off meaningless things that is useless in our world today.
Are these drawings inproper?
Perhaps, but that's only if they are intended used to riducule a religion.
Though Islam deserves to be ridiculed, as Christianity, as Judaism and so on, the followers does not.
Respect in what people believ in! That's important.
Everybody have their right to believe whatever they want.
Danish law is very clear on these matters, and will never bent for a book, faith or persons that puts religion above above the law.
Believe whatever YOU want, but the truth today, in Denmark, is the law. Made by poeople for people.
Burning Danish flags i part of the world insults me.
What have Our flag done?
(It's, by the way some 500 years older than the Koran, and the worlds oldest)
But I don't start burning Korans or people for that.

[Bob]

Where are the suicide bombers when we need them

[Jack]

Extremists need to catch up with modern society ... you don't kill people because their opinions ... you challenge them with your own insight ... and you don't make pointless paranoid accusations (Zionist conspiracy??? ... get real!).

Extremists (Muslim and and any religion for the matter) need to get some sense or jump off a cliff so that the world can finally be at peace. We can do without those psychos chanting death threats and burning effigies in the streets ... don't they have something more constructive to do?

[Emmanuel St John]

I think you will find that the said Danish artists have been commissioned by a Zionist to poke fund at the Muslim faith.