Muslims Picket 'Philadephia Inquirer' After It Runs Cartoon

editorsandpublishers.com ^ | Feb. 7, 2005 | E&P Staff

[summer]

NEW YORK -- On Saturday, the Philadelphia Inquirer became one of the first major U.S. papers to carry a drawing featuring Muhammad -- with a lit bomb stuck in his turban -- that have sparked riots abroad. On Monday, more than two dozen Muslims offended by that decision picketed the newspaper.

"It's disrespectful to us as a people," Asim Abdur-Rashid, an imam with the Majlis Ash'Shura, an umbrella group for mosques in the Delaware Valley, told the Inquirer for a story today. "It's disrespectful to our prophet to imply that he's a prophet of violence."

The group may call for a boycott and a further protest on Friday if the newspaper does not apologize.

Amanda Bennett, The Inquirer's editor, and Carl Lavin, a deputy managing editor, talked with the protesters outside the building.

"Neither I nor the newspaper meant any disrespect to their religion or their prophet," Bennett said in her paper. "I told them I was actually really proud of them for exercising their right to freedom of speech."

But Bennett stood by the decision to publish the cartoon, saying it "is one of the things newspapers do to communicate directly with people" about issues important to all communities.

She told The New York Times, "There's been a whole history of newspapers publishing things that people would find controversial and offensive. My view is that we need to publish it for a good news reason, we need to publish in context and we need to explain to readers why we did it."

Few U.S. newspapers have reprinted the cartoon. The New York Times, in an editorial today, noted that it had not carried any of the cartoons and "much of the rest of the nation's news media have reported on the cartoons but refrained from showing them. That seems a reasonable choice for news organizations that usually refrain from gratuitous assaults on religious symbols, especially since the cartoons are so easy to describe in words."

Some newspapers have carried links to the cartoon images on their Web sites, however.

In an e-mail to the San Francisco Chronicle, "Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau declared he would never use images of Muhammad. "Nor will I be using any imagery that mocks Jesus Christ....I may not agree with their reasons for dropping any particular strip, in fact, I usually don't, but I will defend their right and responsibility to delete material that they feel is inappropriate for their readership," he said.

"It's not censorship, it's editing. Just because a society has almost unlimited freedom of expression doesn't mean we should ever stop thinking about its consequences in the real world."

Poynter Institute faculty discussed the journalistic issues relating to the controversy in a roundtable (read the transcript or download the 21-minute podcast).

E&P Staff (letters@editorandpublisher.com)

[lilylangtree]

Yes, Yes, and more Yes! People should wake up and smell the manure that this islamic fanatics are shoveling. They're truly the threat to stable govts.

[Cyclopean Squid]

I agree wholeheartedly with you both. This is a moderate response--let's hope it stays that way.

[July 4th]

Picketing: okay. Beheading: not okay. Arson: not okay.

[WOSG]

Trudeau is a putz. He mocks Republicans like Bush, Reagan, Quayle, etc. regularly and whines about the 'censorship' of those who wanted to relegate it to editorial pages. He's become an unfunny trite, liberal.

He's not willing to trash terrorists and islamic radicals the way he trashes Republicans? Coward.

[Criminal Number 18F]

It's disrepectful to imply that he's a prophet of violence, and if you don't stop, we'll get violent.

While the protesters in other nations have pretty much said that... "Don't offend us or we'll burn your embassy and behead your citizens," or threats to that effect, there's no indication that this guy in Philadelphia is saying that. He is protesting the cartoon.

I seem to recall Catholics protesting at an art gallery over some Christian blasphemy or other, and at movie theaters over movies that were insulting to Jesus Christ.

I don't see a problem with peaceful protest. I also perfectly understand Trudeau's comment: he does not wish to make cartoons that directly mock founders of major religions. It's his strip and he can put anything he pleases in it, and as he points out, the papers that run it can choose to or not to -- it's a free country.

Now, the day I find myself in agreement with Garry Trudeau and an imam is a jolly rare occasion, indeed. And a cynic could say that the imam would rather burn down the newspaper but hasn't enough followers yet, so he daren't say it. But let's just keep an eye on him and his crowd, and as long as they behave like Americans, which they are doing, we shall treat them as any other Americans and support their right to complain.

Let's judge American Muslims on what they do, as individuals, not on what Muslims in other countries are doing. You can think anything you like; it's only when you act on what you think that you have the possibility of committing a crime.

d.o.l.

Criminal Number 18F

[EQAndyBuzz]

"NEW YORK -- On Saturday, the Philadelphia Inquirer became one of the first major U.S. papers to carry a drawing featuring Muhammad -- with a lit bomb stuck in his turban -- that have sparked riots abroad. On Monday, more than two dozen Muslims offended by that decision picketed the newspaper.
"

Why don't the west just declare war on radical Islam and call it the Crusades of the 21st century?

Then we start using alternative sources of fuel and relegate the Arab world back to the 700's.

[ariamne]

And its not surprising the left aligns itself with Islam; they both embrace cultures of death.

[Revolting cat!]

Letter to the editor in this morning's Wall Street Journal (reprinted without permission):

I'm a Danish journalist with Weekendavisen,
a newspaper that has published Mohammed cartoons. 
The question about defending freedom of speech is a matter 
for the whole West, including the U.S. Therefore, I believe 
Mr. Schwammenthal should have mentioned that the U.S. State 
Department has criticized Jyllands-Posten, the magazine 
that first published the cartoons. Also, it should be 
mentioned that every major American network and newspaper 
have chosen to censure the Mohammed cartoons.

At least we have seen a lot of solidarity in Europe, where 
the cartoons have been published in major newspapers in 10 
countries. Will the Wall Street Journal show a similar kind 
of solidarity?


Jesper Vind Jensen
Copenhagen

[Wasanother]

The only way to beat these clowns are to show them we aren't afraid of them because no matter what our God likes us better than their God likes them.

[fhlh]

"It's disrespectful to us as a people," Asim Abdur-Rashid,

why do the letters F and U only come to mind after I read this?

[WOSG]

Thanks for the link.

Here's a good one:

http://www.cagle.com//news/Muhammad/images/ALLIE.gif

[toldyou]

Scroll down for Feb.5th cartoon.........


http://bagnewsnotes.typepad.com/bagnews/

[RogueIsland]

I am disappointed that more newspapers have not stepped up to the plate to support the Danish newspaper that started it all. Many people in the world enjoys freedom of expression.

I think Mark Steyn said it best. They have refrained from printing the cartoons out of respect -- out of respect for their ability to locate the Executive VP's house in the suburbs and firebomb it.

[WOSG]

"Why don't the west just declare war on radical Islam and call it the Crusades of the 21st century? "

If the muslim world cant handle the heat of free press, might as well. But tke note, this whole row erupted because of a deliberate attempt by Iran to provoke muslim reaction.
These were published some time ago, and only when the Iranian govt pumped up the fearmongering on it did the riots start.

A clear plan to provoke antagonism to distract from the Iran's nuclear program.

[SandwicheGuy]

What kind of sense does it make to rebut an implication that he's a "prophet of violence" with violent protest?

And we have the money quote of the day!

[winner3000]

(That seems a reasonable choice for news organizations that usually refrain from gratuitous assaults on religious symbols)

I like that word "usually"! That word allows the New York Times to publish gratuitous assaults on Christianity.

[toldyou]

"Profile, arrest, deport or eliminate as appropriate."

We wish!

[OB1kNOb]

It's disrespectful to us as a people," Asim Abdur-Rashid,...."

Being respectful to a muslim is like being nice to a pit bull. Sooner or later someone's gonna get mauled.

[houeto]

And a cynic could say that the imam would rather burn down the newspaper but hasn't enough followers yet, so he daren't say it.

mmm...after my last two years studying things islamic, that would be me. In some places in the USA where they have reached 'critical mass' they are loudly making the call to prayers 5 times a day over loud speakers. In some places in the USA where they have reached 'critical mass' they are demanding 'private' times at public pools so that their women can go swimming. If you think their increasing numbers in the USA intend to assimilate, you aren't paying attention IMO.

[ladyjane]

Trudeau wouldn't want *his* cartoons censored.

He's a liar if he says he doesn't insult others' religions.

Last December he had a cartoon insulting Creationists.

December 18, 2005.

He is a snotty little liberal kid whose grandfather made a ton of money treating patients with TB.