Creators of 'Everybody Draw Muhammad Day' drop gag after everybody gets angry

"Everybody Draw Muhammad Day?" 

As South Park's Sheila Broflovski would say: "What, What, WHAT?"

The outcry from Comedy Central's decision to censor an episode of South Park with depictions of Muhammad last week led a cartoonist and a Facebook user to fight back. That is until they realized it might be controversial, apparently.

In declaring May 20th to be "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day," Seattle artist Molly Norris created a poster-like cartoon showing many objects -- from a cup of coffee to a box of pasta to a tomato -- all claiming to be the likeness of Muhammad.

Such depictions are radioactive as many Muslims believe that Islamic teachings forbid showing images of Muhammad.

"I am Mohammed and I taste good," says the pasta box in the cartoon. On top of the cartoon images (but no longer on her website) was an announcement explaining the rationale behind the event.

"In light of the recent veiled (ha!) threats aimed at the creators of the....

...television show South Park (for depicting Mohammed in a bear suit) by bloggers on Revolution Muslim's website, we hereby deemed May 20, 2010 as the first annual "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day," the original artwork reads.

On Friday, Norris told a radio talk show host in Seattle that she came up with the idea because "as a cartoonist, I just felt so much passion about what had happened..." noting that "it's a cartoonist's job to be non-PC."

That passion, it appears, has lessened. And fast. 

Her stark website today reads: ""I am NOT involved in "Everybody Draw Mohammd [sic] Day!"

"I made a cartoon that went viral and I am not going with it. Many other folks have used my cartoon to start sites, etc.  Please go to them as I am a private person who draws stuff," she writes.

It went viral, however, because she was the one who passed it around. Sending it to people like Dan Savage, a popular Seattle-based blogger and nationally syndicated sex advice columnist.

Once it became a national story she reeled back, asking Savage -- in an email he provided to The Ticket -- if he would "be kind enough to switch out my poster" with another one -- a much tamer version which has no images attributed to Muhammad.

"I am sort of freaked out about my name/image being all over the place," her e-mail reads.

He didn't change it, nor did he post the tamer version. Besides, after Savage posted it, many other sites picked it up including The Atlantic and Reason.

When asked about her change of heart, Norris told The Ticket that she didn't intend for the cartoon "to go viral."

Then why did she send the cartoon to the media in the first place?  "Because I'm an idiot," Norris replied.

"This particular cartoon of a 'poster' seems to have struck a gigantic nerve, something I was totally unprepared for," she said.

She doesn't appear to be alone.  The creator of a Facebook page dedicated to the day has bowed out as well.  Jon Wellington told the Washington Post (before abandoning ship) that he created the page because he "loved [Norris's] creative approach to the whole thing -- whimsical and nonjudgmental."

While he was still associated with his own event he said: "To me, this is all about freedom of expression and tolerance of other viewpoints, so I hope you'll help make this a sandbox that anyone can play in, if they want. I don't think it'd be right under the circumstances for me (or anyone) to censor inflammatory posts *ahem*, but let's be welcoming and inclusive, mmkay?"

Apparently the posts weren't "welcoming" enough, as on Sunday morning he announced his departure from the cause. "I am aghast that so many people are posting deeply offensive pictures of the Prophet," he writes. "Y'all go ahead if that's your bag, but count me out."

Did he think people were going to post flattering images?

That's what Facebook user Douglas Armstrong wondered too.  "You created an event inviting people to submit pictures of Mohammed," Armstrong wrote.  "And apparently you're so new to the Internet that you didn't foresee what would happen?"

Although Wellington had abandoned his cause, he apparently was sticking around to answer questions.  To Armstrong's question, Wellington responded: "I guess I had more faith in human nature than was warranted."

Another user, Paul St. George, had little patience for Wellington. "If you're not going to attend your own event then take it down dumbass and quit boring us."

Related items:

Muslim group warns 'South Park' creators after Muhammad scene

Jon Stewart says Comedy Central censors South Park for 'safety reasons'

Muslim threats to 'South Park': Did Comedy Central cave in to knucklehead extremists?

-- Jimmy Orr

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Photo: South Park's Sheila Broflovski. Credit: South Park screengrab

Comments

[Marka in the Keys]

There are more guts in my elder generation than in these zero-tolerance/Neville Chamberlain babies of today. Now these cowardly lion cubs of media might know what the fear of communism during the cold war felt like. Amazingly and enfuriatingly, this generation is weak in the face of totalitarians who threaten them. They fight easy targets on the right, but cringe in the face of real threats. I guess that goes with men being reduced to metrosexuality and believing the only real freedom to defend is the right to privacy in sexual matters. Ironically, Mohammed and his followers are not likely to give them that.

[mary]

Know Islam. No Peace.

www.thereligionofpeace.com
www.jihadwatch.org
www.citizenwarrior.com
www.actforamerica.org

Read America Alone by Mark Steyn
Read While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer

Wake up, folks.

It's Islam vs. everybody in the world.
Get it?

Even brave Hollywood is weak-kneed?
Will our granddaughters war burqas?

[Modemac]

These fracas about the Forbidden Muhammad Cartoons have come and gone, and come and gone, and come and gone yet again since the initial outbreak in 2005. The new "South Park" hoopla is only the latest incident, and there are likely to be others. It's a shame that so many idiots ruined this, because there was more intended here than simply "let's insult the Muslims."

If you've seen the original twelve Forbidden Muhammad Cartoons, you know that a couple of those drawings were especially intended to insult Islam. In particular, the most popular and re-posted of those cartoons is an image of Muhammad with a bomb for a turban, complete with lit fuse. But two of those cartoons are actually meant as satire with a purpose, and it is these cartoons that say more than just simply insulting Muslims. One of these cartoons depicts a group of enraged Muslims rushing down the street, swords drawn, until they are stopped by the Prophet, who holds up his hand and says, "Relax, friends, at the end of the day it's just a drawing by an infidel in Denmark." Another picture in the group shows a cartoonist, at his desk at night, looking over his shoulder in fear as he secretly draws a picture of the Prophet. Both of these cartoons speak volumes, as they are making a point worth saying.

However, the fury over these drawings doesn't take that into account, and this is what I find offensive. The tradition of not depicting Muhammad in a drawing or painting was originally to be a gesture of respect for the Prophet. It was not meant to be an ironclad law that should never be broken, ever, no matter what the reason. That's the line that has been crossed; in fact, the line has been crossed so far that "respect for the Prophet" has long since been left behind. The idea of a drawing of Muhammad somehow being equivalent to blasphemy -- again, no matter what the reason -- is idiocy, and it is idiocy being used to whip the masses into a frenzy so that they become blind followers, ready to attack whatever target they are chosen to attack. Hundreds, if not thousands of people worldwide have been rioting over this, even to the point where people are being killed over it. People have been MURDERED over a bunch of stupid DRAWINGS. That isn't just idiocy...that is INSANITY.

And it is this insanity that deserves to be mocked. The "South Park" episodes took a shot at this when few others dared to. This in itself made it worthwhile to support something like "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day," because it's more than just doing it to offend Muslims. It's a gesture of support, an easy gesture that anyone (almost) can do. But unfortunately, far too many people were short-sighted and only saw it as a way of provoking Muslims, not as a genuine protest. And so, once again, people have been outraged, upset, and sent into a rage over what, at the end of the day, amounts to no more than drawings by infidels.

[ucl2]

Look like the liberal progressive bloggers are digging themselves deeper into a hole. Guess these people are to inmature to understand liberty and freedom come with responsibility. Speech used irresponsibly have ignited wars between countries, started riots, and created hostility. The problem with blantantly insulting every culture on a regularly basis(masking rudeness, bitterness, and hate in the name of comedy) is you never know when you might go to far. This situation being a prime example. Our world leaders painstakingly go out of their way choosing their words wisely so they won't unintentionally offend another country's culture and values to prevent the possibility of disrupting the delicate balance of world peace. Hollywood on the other hand gets a free pass to offend whoever however they want(under the free speech banner). Obviously, these young producers, writers, and liberal progressive bloggers, are not mature and wise enough to understand the delicate balance of free speech.

[Eyesrolling]

Guess what? The terrorists have won.

[MrJM]

IT'S A TRAP!

[Paul Cortese]

Freedom isn't free cynical liberals!

Make fun of the Christian's God, He loves you and forgives you for your ignorance.

What's more, His followers will be hurt but will love you and pray for you so you can pretend to be strong and proud and free to speak your mind and ridicule and not be afraid.

But ridicule non-forgiving peoples and you risk having to lose your life or limb for your freedom - imagine that! Tough boys!

Why don't you learn your lesson and not ridicule anybody that CAN'T hurt you - instead of now suddenly respecting only those you now fear.

Aint Jesus grand? Compare, and feel the love. Love back?

[Daddy-O]

As someone once said, "Let’s face it, it’s fun to be subversive, especially when it’s fashionable and safe."

Loser.

[WTF?]

So its okay to trash any other religion or Americans but not anything MUSLIM or MUHAMMAD????? What about freedom of speech??????? What has happened to the USA??

[Ishrahm AlJayouse]

Lunatics are found in all castes and creeds.

[Afghan Whig]

It's sad to see how American protestor's spines turn to jello once their activism requires actual bravery.

[Bill C]

The point of having something like draw Mohammed day is to say that satire is a part of our tradition. That the threat of violence or the fact that some satire will offend and is not funny is beyond the point.

We all agree that everyone should be free to ridicule and be ridiculed and that the only proper response is more free speech. If Norris and Wellington backed out because of politically correctness or fear of violence then they have become self parody and deserve the ridicule that they will surely receive. All people who believe that we should stand up to bullies need to continue Draw Muhammed Day explaining to Muslims that this is not meant as an affirmation of the right of self expression. No one is immune from comment in our society.

[Joe]

Cowards

[Susan]

I'd like to know why so many people are outraged that someone dared "dishonor" the prophet Mohammed, but no one seems to care that a Muslim group threatened to murder someone for their creative expression and free speech? Why is it the rest of us are expected to be tolerant, but Muslim groups can be completely intolerant? Other religions get poked fun at all the time, and no one thinks anything of that. Members of those other religions may protest, but none threaten to murder anyone like Muslim groups do. No matter how much some Muslim groups may want it, the U.S. is NOT under Shariah law. I wish they would quit acting like it is. Threatening someone's life is hateful and evil. Those who do it, no matter what group they are a part of, should be the ones catching all the heat, rather than someone who was merely exercising their right to free speech. Or do we even really have free speech in this country any more?

[Lawrence Person]

The big problem with this article is that he fails to ask Norris and Wellington the single most obvious question about their change of heart:

Have you received any death threats from Islamic extremists?

[Jeff]

It was a good idea.

[Herrengürtel]

I find this really funny. Everybody knows what south park is about. There is no need for censoring. I laugh about it all night. Comic for adults with a certain sense of humor.

[Vaclav Havel]

Profile in courage?

[Mo]

What a coward! Why should she be afraid? After all, isn't Islam a religion of peace? So what is she afraid of?

[JonB]

Cowards!

[Kaffir_Kanuck]

They just don’t get it. Muslims are so full of themselves an all infidels are scared shitless by their religious gangsterism. By treating them differently than how others are treated, especially by Islam, we give them the acknowledgment they require to continue exercising religiously sanctioned violence or threats there of. It is time to send them a message that they’re not above the law when it comes to freedom of expression, Prophet be damned.

[Mark]

They're doing it wrong. The only way to do this is for everyone to print out images of the Big Mo and start pounding them into every telephone pole in existence. Put the pictures up on public spaces, on walls, in subways, leave them on buses, in cabs, on the table in your diner, in your classrooms, your doctors office, in public restrooms. Leave an image of the Big Mo everywhere you go.

[Harvey Lambert]

It's a cherry, not a tomato.

[Ronald]

THE TITLE IS MISLEADING:

She didn't drop the facebook page because of Islamic Extremists, she dropped because of all the VIOLENT hate that was being spewed against ALL MUSLIMS. Read the article before you comment. www.loonwatch.com

[Curmudgeon]

The organizers who are backing out don't get it. The impossibility of every being singled out for death threats is what "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" was supposed to address. To this point, Islamic death threats work because they're directed at only a few people and those people inevitably make the reasonable choice to save their own skins by bowing to the threat.

[Valerie]

For all those who are calling these people cowards and blaming "today's society" for their inability to stick by the protest, how about you all send us a link to your websites and blogs? Show us all of the ways in which you are calling on these groups who threaten (and deliver) death to people like these journalists and cartoonists. Unless you are willing to have your real name, location and occupation spread all over the internet attached to something that might get you killed, you are all hypocrites.

[Gene]

"Creators of "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" drop gag after everybody gets angry"?

Interesting that I saw nowhere in the article above a specific reference to anyone getting angry. Were there some death threats that were not reported in the piece? Otherwise, why assume the rest of us in the U.S. were offended by this idea? After all, the term "everybody" gives the impression of a consensus opinion against this idea. Somehow, I don't think there was national outrage against the "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day".

[John Smith]

Hollywood should be making movies depicting Muhammad. Unless of course, standing up for free speech is not really part of their agenda.

[Jersey Dave]

Just go with it and everyone do it, the whole point is the psycho stalker types (religious fundies with their shorts in a twist) deserve to be mocked.

This is the US and if they don't like freedom of speech that is their problem and not that of artists.

[jack]

I'm a muslim and proud of it.
I would not make fun of Jesus because he is our prophet too.
We were taught to respect other people's religion- Christian, Jews, Buddha, Hindu, etc.
For those who do not read and study AL Quran & Hadis, please do not simply interpret them and listen to your 'radical' priest who call Islam is an Evil Religion, etc.
Amid all the tension after 9/11, War of Terror in Afghanistan, Iraq etc. why do you think Islam is the fastest growing religion and many Americans willing to leave their comfort lives and converted to Islam?
So, I hope that we can stop all this nonsense and childish attitude and move on.
Unless, we can go on having this 'draw Muhammad Day' but why not having 'Respect Hitler day', 'Kill Buddha day', etc..for the sake of 'freedom of speech'? WTF

[scinfidel]

Islam is the religion of peace, if you disagree they will kill you.

[Marko]

We need to carry on the day, mainly to thumb our noses at the extremists. However, I wish to remind all participants that your targets are the radical fringe of Islam, maybe 1%, maybe less. If you lump all Islamic peoples with the radicals, the radicals are half-way to winning, for the first targets of the radicals are other Muslims, whom they would like to isolate from the rest of society.
Yes, the Koran tends to invite the kind of intolerance and mania that the radicals act out. But the majority of those who are of the faith are not interested in conquest, but mainly in living their lives with dignity and respect. For them the Koran is not a book of conquest but a book of how to live their lives. Many, probably most of those who came to America came for freedom from the oppression that is carried on in the name of their faith back in the Middle East.
That having been said, let's have at it, but point our sharpest barbs at the fringe, not the mainstream.

[Warren Nicholson T. Fernando]

If you guys can't make fun of Islam then you might as well stop making fun of Christianity and other religions as well. The fact that Comedy Central backed down from this incident and not the creators of South Park shows that Comedy Central are a bunch of "Cultural Bullies" who ridicule only those who won't do them harm. I guess the joke wears thin on this one.

[Max Deployment]

Is this where I sign up for a fatwa?

[David]

Someone's threatened her. Either that or she's just a horrendously wishy-washy freak.

[Verballistic]

The intimidation against "South Park" is only the tip of the iceberg...censorship is only a minor strategy of Muslim extremists who are trying to bring Sharia Law to the West, including the U.S. There are numerous everyday examples of "creeping Sharia" AKA "stealth jihad"...here are just a few:

* Muslim cab drivers at the airports in Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota are now EXEMPT from having to transport blind passengers with seeing-eye dogs, because Islam considers dogs "unclean".

* Somali refugees working at factories in Nebraska, Colorado and Tennessee have demanded and RECEIVED 5 ISLAMIC PRAYER BREAKS per day, totaling more than an hour of time missed from work, while NON-Muslim employees (mostly Hispanic) are forced to take up the slack during their absence.

Unless Americans stand up to this subtle but brazen strategy of stealth Jihad, the U.S. will become more and more like much of Europe, with Muslims living in "no-go zones" where police wont go and autonomous "Sharia courts" are set up in local jurisdictions. The stealth Jihad employed by such groups as CAIR differs from Islamic terrorism ONLY in the means used to reach a common goal, the terrorists use violence, while the stealth Jihadists employ political means to establish the SHARED goal of a GLOBAL Islamic caliphate governed by Sharia Law.

[I.Forsgate]

Typical left-wing COWARDS!

[Tarek]

Here's the thing that most people don't get someone on here posted earlier that if someone makes fun of Christians they would be offended but ask God for forgiveness. That is how most Muslims are. As a Muslim I am offended by people depicting the Prophet especially by implying that he is a terrorist or that he condones terror, but when I see it I don't want to take up arms and "kill the infidels." Imagine if a cartoonist in a Muslim country had drawn Jesus burning a cross on an African-American family's lawn I guarantee you it wouldn't sit well with the Christian world and there will be some uneducated people in certain places of the world that will retaliate. Just like those who go out and attack innocent Muslim women.

[nraendowment]

By "Everyone gets angry" you of course really mean "Muslims erupt into standard homicidal rage."

[Marty Riggs]

JACK first, you are factually incorrect. In terms of actual persons, Christianity is, by far, the fastest growing religion in world. Check it out! Second, while Islam may teach respect for other religions (as long as they are subservient to Islam), many practitioners of Islam routinely do not. Quite the opposite, in fact. A casual internet search will turn up hundreds of stories of Muslims disrespecting other religions (esp. Christianity) and its adherents, in many cases killing them, destroying their houses of worship (how's that for respect?) and committing a variety of other atrocities. Having lived among Muslims for years, it is my impression that Islam is really two religions. The first is, in fact, a relatively peaceful one that, by and large, coexists quietly and well with the rest of the world. The second, however, and the more prominent, is one that is an aggressive proselytizer intent on expanding by force of all kinds and totally intolerant of other views. It is their way or the highway! They are perpetually offended by something and use threats and actual violence to silence those who oppose them. The type 1 Muslims (above) with whom I lived were among the most honest of people. They were proud of their religion and practiced it faithfully. I even went to mosque with friends occasionally. They were, for the most part, exemplary citizens and demonstrated no wish to "convert" me by force, only by their fine example. Unfortunately, over the course of 20 years and a series of governments, the attitude and temperament of the nation, as a whole, slowly changed to being more militantly Muslim and less tolerant of others. Those who join Islam (as opposed to being born into it) generally are seeking purpose and structure in their own lives. This is especially true in the U.S. where, it seems, there are no such things as identifiable common societal standards any more. Much like the young men/women who join the US Marine Corps seeking purpose, structure and discipline, Islam, with its plethora of teachings regulating every aspect of one's life, proves attractive to persons desiring such qualities in their lives. Respect is a two-way street. If Muslims show it, they will receive it. So far, that hasn't happened. When they go to a non-Muslim land, they insist that that land -- to which THEY came of their own accord -- must now conform to their beliefs and practices or else. In America, we (still, at least) generally have freedom of speech, which entitles everyone to make an ass out of themselves, including by making childish statements and cartoons which some find offensive. Christians have lived with and tolerated countless blasphemous and profane acts, resorting only to peaceful protest in some extreme cases. Sure, we all wish society were a little more "civil" and polite, but it isn't. Being occasionally uncomfortable is part of the price of admission to this country. Live with it!

[Bob]

Wow. Such courage. Can you say "dhimmitude"?

[ctmom]

Ah, nothing like having the courage of your convictions. Not.

[George]

Looks like the terrorists have won.
America is officially bowing down to their threats. They are scared .
Until everyone in America media stands up together & exercises their rights & freedoms given under the constitution there will be no freedom of the press or free speech in the country.

[jkp]

Cowards. Every one of them.

There was a time when the left was willing to stand up and battle true oppression instead of whining about health care. But the 60's have burned that out of them.

They lack any confidence in western civilization, and find themselves kowtowing to any dictator, religious nut, or thug that comes their way -- as long as he isn't from western civilization.

[projectshave]

Does anyone remember how people freaked out about burning the American flag? There were protests, death threats, congressional hearings and a Supreme Court case. Look, every group has a substantial number of lunatics. We are surrounded by crazies who are violently offended by any slight. In the case of South Park, it looks like the idiot who made threats is a former right-wing Israeli settler who pretended to convert to Islam so he can raise a ruckus and inflame public opinion against Muslims. And everybody falls for it because you are MORONS!

[Socialist Jew]

A message to anyone who posts a Muhammad drawing - YOU MUST INCLUDE A DRAWING OF JESUS TOO! Preferably a picture of Jesus watching internet porn. What has been overlooked in all this is that "revolution Islam" made their threats not only because of the depiction of Muhammad on the show, but also because of the depiction of Jesus and Moses, both of whom are considered important prophets in Islam!

So if you're really doing the drawing to protest these thugs' threats, AND NOT BECAUSE YOU'RE A BIGOT WHO HATES MUSLIMS, you gotta include everything that pissed them off, which is not only Muhammad, but also the South Park versions of Moses (a sentient computer) and Jesus, who freely admits in the show to watching internet porn in front of children.

And regarding the thugs who made the half-assed threats again South Park, well "thug" may be too generous a term. Who ever heard of this site (run by an American convert) before all this? Has a single figure from the Danish cartoons protests even mentioned this? Hell, has any Muslim 'group' except for this obscure website said anything?

I should also add that an editorial in a Sri Lankan newspaper - one that actually has a substantial readership and advertisers and a print edition, unlike 'revolution Islam' - has advocated banning the South Park episodes in question because of their depiction of Buddha snorting cocaine. So all you non-bigoted Muhammad-drawers out there, if you care about defending the rights of Sri Lankans to see media that insults their religious figures, sharpen up your pencils and draw Buddha at Scarface's desk!

Oh, and you'd better do a drawing of Tea Party activists acting like racists too, because after Marvel Comics published an issue of CAPTAIN AMERICA which implied that a black man would not feel comfortable at a Tea Party rally, the writer of the story, Ed Brubaker, received death threats!

[FEDup]

Everyone who suddenly backed out did so out of fear for their lives. Not all death threats are public, and a reminder to keep a threat silent "or else" comes to mind. She, like Comedy Central, saw the very real threat of being killed for saying or doing anything offensive to Muslims. So of course, not wanting to be butchered in an alley and knowing full well the ability of Muslims to kill wantonly and without mercy...she chose to take the threats seriously, do what she was told, and back off. So did everyone else who suddenly had a change of opinion. I enjoy dogs. Every year, there are a very few dogs who contract rabies and are eliminated due to the fact that they will kill everything in sight and even the tiniest thing will send them into a blind fury of murderous rage. Muslims are a lot like that. The great percentage of them are peaceful people. The rabid ones create a bad impression. The reason they do is unlike dogs who are put down because they represent a danger to society at large, Muslim extremists are allowed to carry on like nothing is wrong. That is why people back off...the rabid dog promises to rip their throats out...and they know nothing will be done to protect them. So if the extremists were treated like the rabid dogs they are, we would have far less of a problem than we suffer from now. They arent cute puppies....they mean to kill you by any means at their disposal, or force you to submit to their way of thinking on the pain of death. Either way, to ignore them is to serve them, hoping you will be killed last.

[Kirk]

Where is the media defending the right to free speech and condemning those threatening violence when they are offended by speech they don't approve of? Or does that only apply to those upset when they hear about a cross in a bottle of urine paid for by the taxpayers? And, to think the leftist hypocrites running newspapers can't figure out why their circulations keep rapidly declining.

[Verballistic]

Response to "Tarek":

Unfortunately amigo, the ones who most frequently attack innocent Muslim women are their own male family members, who often claim to have some sort of "divine mission" to punish female family members for being "un-Islamic". All too often this leads to the death of women deemed by their male family members to be too "Westernized", disingenuously referred to as "honor killings". A handful of these brutal acts have (in recent years) taken place even here in the U.S.: Fort Worth, TX; Peoria, AZ; and Buffalo, NY where male Muslim immigrants took the "law" into their own hands and murdered their wives and/or daughters for acting like "infidels".

Islam has institutionalized the oppression of women since its inception and needs to undergo the same sort of reform other religions have experienced to bring them out of the Middle Ages AKA "Dark Ages".

[johndoe]

Curious. For folks to protest against depictions of Mohammed would imply they know what he looks like. I suspect none do, therefore, how can one claim any drawing is of Mohammed and is therefore something to get upset over?