Arsalan Iftikhar is an international human rights lawyer and Contributing Editor for Islamica magazine; an international contemporary affairs magazine headquartered in Los Angeles and with editorial offices in London, Amman and Cambridge, Massachusetts.  Read more...
 
Washington Post 'On Faith': What Would Muhammad Do?

Date Posted: May 19, 2010 

By Arsalan Iftikhar
Attorney and Founder of TheMuslimGuy.com

In light of the recent
South Park cartoon controversy surrounding 'depictions' of the Prophet Muhammad, some brainiac cartoonists around the world have decided to declare May 20 to be 'Everybody Draw Muhammad' day.

According to the
Los Angeles Times, Seattle artist Molly Norris started the day rolling when she 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.
 

"I am Mohammed and I taste good," said the pasta box in the cartoon. On top of the cartoon images (but no longer on her Web site) was an announcement explaining the rationale behind the event. Norris now denies that 'draw Muhammad day' was here idea. 

As I wrote in a recent CNN column on the South Park controversy, as an American Muslim civil rights lawyer and proud First Amendment freak, I can honestly say that I love both my Prophet Mohammed and cartoons like South Park. In any free democratic society, the concept of free speech can only be combated with more free speech, not censorship. If the creators of "South Park" choose to depict the Prophet Mohammed, that is their First Amendment right, and they should be able to do so freely without any threats of physical violence and retribution. 

Read the entire column at: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/patheos/2010/05/what_would_muhammad_do.html

 
 
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