Posted on 11/22/2003 12:26:43 AM PST by ovrtaxt
'B.C.' cartoon seen as slur of Islam
Muslims allege veteran artist Hart made cryptic attack
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com
The Council on American-Islamic Relations once again is demanding an apology for an alleged slur of Muslims, this time asserting a veteran cartoonist has cryptically defamed Islam.
The Washington, D.C.-based group sent out a dispatch to its e-mail list after a "B.C." cartoon last week by Johnny Hart was publicly questioned on a Washington Post Web chat page.
The cartoon shows a caveman entering an outhouse at night, and then saying, from inside, "Is it just me, or does it stink in here?"
|
The Post reader said the cartoon only made sense metaphorically, noting the strip contained a total of six crescent moons, and wondered if it might be a cryptic slur on Muslims.
Ibrahim Hooper, CAIR's spokesman, is sure it's a defamation of Islam.
"I think the reason there might not have been initial complaints is that it's so cryptic," he told the Post. "If you know who the cartoonist is, what he's done in the past, then it becomes clear. Otherwise, it's just an unfunny joke."
CAIR also is demanding an apology from radio counselor Dr. Laura Schlessinger for an alleged "anti-Muslim tirade" on her program this week.
Hart, 73, is known to be a devout Christian who often has communicated religious themes in his strip.
Along with the moons, CAIR's e-mail noted that Hart drew a sound effect – "SLAM" – between two frames to accompany the closing of the outhouse door. The SLAM, which was rendered vertically in the shaped of an I, could be viewed as "Islam," CAIR said.
The group also noted the cartoon appeared on the 15th day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Hart and Creators Syndicate insist, however, the cartoon is just a simple joke that is being misunderstood.
"My goodness. That's incredible," Hart told the Post after hearing of CAIR's claims. "That's unbelievable!"
The cartoonist explained it as a silly bathroom joke. The SLAM simply depicted the caveman walking into the outhouse and the moons indicated it was nighttime. Also outhouses often are shown with crescent moons.
"This comic was in no way intended to be a message against Islam – subliminal or otherwise," he told the Post. "It would be contradictory to my own faith as a Christian to insult other people's beliefs. If you should have any further silly notions about malicious intent from this quarter, you can save yourself a phone call."
Several years ago, Hart drew protest from Jewish groups for an Easter Sunday strip that showed the candles of a Jewish menorah flickering out one by one alongside one of Jesus' last utterances. It culminated with the menorah turning into a cross and the words "It is finished." Hart insisted the cartoon was meant to honor both Judaism and Christianity.
The Post interviewed a number of analysts who believed Hart's outhouse strip was an intentional defamation of Islam.
Marshall Blonsky, professor of semiotics at the New School in New York, said for one thing, people don't slam outhouse doors.
An expert in the interpretation of signs and symbols, Blonsky said he didn't get the joke, and the cartoon makes sense only in light of the religious interpretation.
The paper also interviewed six leading cartoonists, who all admire Hart. Five of them thought the religious interpretation probably was right, including Berkeley Breathed, creator of "Bloom County" and "Opus," and Jef Mallett, creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon "Frazz."
Only Doonesbury's Garry Trudeau sided with Hart.
"We cartoonists are simple folk. We don't write on that cryptic a level," he told the Post. "Leave Johnny alone."
Blonsky opined that when it comes to artistic criticism, it is a mistake to give much weight at all to the artist's stated intention.
All that matters, he said, is the way people interpret it. Therefore, even if Hart intended no offense, the offense is there.
As WorldNetDaily reported, CAIR and another Muslim group demanded an apology last year from Pulitzer-prize winning political cartoonist Doug Marlette for his depiction of a Middle Eastern-looking man behind the steering wheel of a nuclear-bomb laden truck under the headline, "What would Muhammad drive?"
The cartoon shows a Ryder rental truck like the one used by convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh.
Marlette told WorldNetDaily he would not apologize, though he had received thousands of e-mails from angry Muslims, with some threats of death and mutilation.
Obviously, not a damn thing.
This is so ridiculous.
Oh......of course; that's easy.
He teaches in one.
Me too. I don't want all the folks who are about to get this by email to have to strain their eyes! LOL
The locking mechanism was usually a hook and eye on the inside so the occupant could retain privacy.
Meaning that if a booger eating moron takes insult at something that you say or do due to his or her own stupidity YOU are reposonsible for that insult? Yeah, right, like those idiots who got the Washington, DC politician fired for using the word "nigardly!" Hell, it should have been the entire school board that was fired for the stupidity and ignorance of the "graduates" of the school system!
As WorldNetDaily reported, CAIR and another Muslim group demanded an apology last year from Pulitzer-prize winning political cartoonist Doug Marlette for his depiction of a Middle Eastern-looking man behind the steering wheel of a nuclear-bomb laden truck under the headline, "What would Muhammad drive?"
Gee... Where could he have gotten the idea for a political cartoon depicting a "Middle Eastern-looking man" driving a car bomb? Where did that crap start? Hmmm??? Sure, McVeigh did it, but did he have help from certain ME terrorist groups? More importantly, where did he get the idea? It's not like we haven't been hearing about car bombs since before the Lebanese civil war!
Marlette told WorldNetDaily he would not apologize, though he had received thousands of e-mails from angry Muslims, with some threats of death and mutilation.
"If you don't apologize to us, and publicly admit how nice and peaceful we are, we're going to find you, and chop you into little pieces, before killing you!!!!" Yeah, that would certainly get me to wax on and on about how peaceful you people are...
Mark
What you said is humorous to me but if I were to analyse your statement to death it would lose it's humor. Cartoon strips are meant to be looked at, chuckle then go on your way. If someone is looking for something sinister they will find it.
=====================
I grew up with an out house complete with crecent cut in the door. It had a system to automaticly drop the lid when the door was opened -- SLAM-- and a spring to pull the door shut --- SLAM. The fraud of a prof knows not of what he speaks.
Every once in a while, I get ready to post something, and on the way I find one like this that leaves me nothing to say....
Thanks!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.