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Everybody Draw Mohammed Day was an event held on May 20, 2010 in support of free speech and freedom of artistic expression of those threatened with violence for drawing representations of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. It began as a protest against censorship of an American television show, South Park, "201" by its distributor, Comedy Central, in response to death threats against some of those responsible for two segments broadcast in April 2010. Observance of the day began with a drawing posted on the Internet on April 20, 2010, accompanied by text suggesting that "everybody" create a drawing representing Muhammad, on May 20, 2010, as a protest against efforts to limit freedom of speech.

U.S. cartoonist Molly Norris of Seattle, Washington, created the artwork in reaction to Internet death threats that had been made against cartoonists Trey Parker and Matt Stone for depicting Muhammad in an episode of South Park. Depictions of Muhammad are explicitly forbidden by a few hadiths (sayings of and about Muhammad), though not by the Qur'an. Postings on RevolutionMuslim.com (under the pen name Abu Talha al-Amrikee; later identified as Zachary Adam Chesser) had said that Parker and Stone could wind up like Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was stabbed and shot to death.

Norris said that if people draw pictures of Muhammad, Islamic terrorists would not be able to murder them all, and threats to do so would become unrealistic. Within a week, Norris' idea became popular on Facebook, was supported by numerous bloggers, and generated coverage on the blog websites of major U.S. newspapers. As the publicity mounted, Norris and the man who created the first Facebook page promoting the May 20 event disassociated themselves from it. Nonetheless, planning for the protest continued with others "taking up the cause". Facebook had an "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" page, which grew to over 100,000 participants (101,870 members by May 20). A protest page on Facebook against the initiative, named "Against ‘Everybody Draw Mohammed Day'", attracted slightly more supporters (106,000 by May 20). Subsequently, Facebook was temporarily blocked by Pakistan; the ban was lifted after Facebook agreed to block the page for users in India and Pakistan.

In the media, Everybody Draw Mohammed Day attracted both support from commentators who felt that the campaign represented important issues of freedom of speech, and the need to stand up for this freedom, as well as criticism from other commentators who found the initiative crass, juvenile, and needlessly offensive.

Reception

Support

The idea for the May 20 protest received support from Kathleen Parker, an opinion columnist for The Washington Post: "Americans love their free speech and have had enough of those who think they can dictate the limits of that fundamental right. Draw to any heart's discontent. It's a free country. For now." The idea also received support from prominent bloggers and bloggers on prominent websites, such as Michael C. Moynihan at Reason magazine's "Hit & Run" blog, who encouraged his readers to send him their drawings. Moynihan stated he planned to select some of his favorite depictions of Muhammad from the protest movement, and then add them to the Reason.com website. Moynihan commented, "In the South Park episode that started all this, Buddha does lines of coke and there was an episode where Cartman started a Christian rock band that sang very homo-erotic songs. Yet there is one religious figure we can't make fun of. The point of the episode that started the controversy is that celebrities wanted Muhammad's power not to be ridiculed. How come non-Muslims aren't allowed to make jokes?" Moynihan posited that the decision of Comedy Central to enact self-censorship of the South Park episode would have the impact of worsening the situation.

Maayana Miskin of Arutz Sheva characterized the movement as "a mass protest". Writing for The American Thinker, Ethel C. Fenig described the protest movement as a cause for freedom of speech. Westword commented positively on the protest idea, "Sounds like an idea we'd like to frame." The editor of Family Security Matters, Pam Meister, discussed the protest movement from the perspective of freedom of speech, and commented, "... I realize that in a free society, someone is always going to be doing or saying something that will offend somebody somewhere. I also realize that more free speech, not censorship, is the answer." Andrew Mellon of Big Journalism wrote in favor of the protest movement, commenting, "The bottom line is that the First Amendment guarantees free speech including criticism of all peoples. We are an equal-opportunity offense country. To censor ourselves to avoid upsetting a certain group (in a cartoon no less) is un-American." Mario Roy of La Presse discussed the incident, and noted, "it is likely that institutions will apply more and more self-censorship. Fearing a possible threat, nothing is worse than the fear of fear."

Writing for The American Spectator, Jeremy Lott commented positively about the protest movement: "While the suits at Comedy Central and Yale University Press have been cowed, people across the country have decided to speak up and thereby magnify the offense a thousandfold." Helge Rønning, a professor at the Institute of Media and Communication at the University of Oslo, said the offense to Muslims was outweighed by freedom-of-speech concerns. "Indignation from those who claim the right to engage in criticism of religion is as important as the indignation that comes from the Muslim side," he told the NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation). "I think that this is an attitude that goes deeper than whether these drawings are blasphemous or not." Vebjørn Selbekk, a Norwegian editor who was threatened in 2006 after he reprinted Danish cartoons of Mohammed in his publication, supported the May 20 protest. "I think maybe this is the right way to react—with humor, and also to spread this number, so it isn't only a few who sit with all the threats and all the discomfort associated with defending our freedom of speech in this area," he said. In an analysis of the protest movement and surrounding controversy, staff writer Liliana Segura of AlterNet noted, "In a democratic society where free speech is vigilantly protected, it is perfectly reasonable to call out censorship, particularly when it springs from some form of tyrannical religious extremism."

Criticism

Law professor and blogger Ann Althouse rejected the Everybody Draw Mohammed Day idea because "depictions of Muhammad offend millions of Muslims who are no part of the violent threats." James Taranto, writing in the "Best of the Web Today" column at The Wall Street Journal, also objected to the idea, not only because depicting Mohammed "is inconsiderate of the sensibilities of others", but also because "it defines those others—Muslims—as being outside of our culture, unworthy of the courtesy we readily accord to insiders." Bill Walsh of Bedford Minuteman wrote critically of the initiative, which seemed "petulant and childish" to him: "It attempts to battle religious zealotry with rudeness and sacrilege, and we can only wait to see what happens, but I fear it won’t be good." Janet Albrechtsen wrote in The Australian, "As a cartoon, it was mildly amusing. As a campaign, it's crass and gratuitously offensive." Writing for New York University's Center for Religion and Media publication, The Revealer, Jeremy F. Walton called the event a "blasphemous faux holiday", which would "only serve to reinforce broader American misunderstandings of Islam and Muslims".

Franz Kruger, writing for the Mail & Guardian, called Everybody Draw Mohammed Day a "silly Facebook initiative" and found "the undertone of a 'clash of civilisations'" in it "disturbing", noting that "it is clear that some feel great satisfaction at what they see as 'sticking it to the Muslims'." The Mail & Guardian, which had itself published a controversial cartoon of Mohammed in its pages, distanced itself from the group, noting that it "claimed to be a protest against restrictions on freedom of speech and religious fanaticism, but had seemingly become a forum for venting Islamophobic sentiment." Hugo Rifkind, writing for The Times, called the Facebook initiative a "grubby project": "... there’s something here that makes me twitch. I think it’s the 'everybody'. It’s the 'everybody' of a man at the back of a mob, trying to persuade other people to get lynching. If a cartoonist wants to satirise Islam by drawing Mohammed, I’m on his side all the way. But among the 13,000 pictures on the EDMD Facebook page, you have Mohammed as a dog in a veil, Mohammed as a pig and Mohammed as a monkey. That’s not resistance, but picking a fight. Issuing a death threat against somebody who drew a picture isn’t my thing, but this isn’t either." Bilal Baloch, writing for The Guardian, called the initiative "juvenile" and "an irresponsible poke-in-the-eye", while at the same time criticizing the Pakistani government's response, and calling on "Pakistan's internet community to engage in an organised and compelling dialogue: if not with the offenders, then most certainly with the rest of the world that is watching."

In Pakistan, an editorial in Dawn, the country's oldest English-language newspaper, said that there was no doubt that the Facebook initiative "was in poor taste and deserving of strong condemnation", adding that it was "debatable whether freedom of expression should extend to material that is offensive to the sensibilities, traditions and beliefs of religious, ethnic or other communities." However, the editorial called the Lahore High Court's decision to block Facebook a "knee-jerk reaction", saying that "many users feel, and rightly so, that they can decide for themselves what is or is not offensive, and choose not to access material that is repugnant to their beliefs" and that the block might "have played right into the hands of those who think nothing of displaying or publishing material that denigrates their beliefs. By reacting the way we do we only harm ourselves and, in the process, even become a subject of derision."

Analysis

The protest movement and incidents surrounding the censorship of the South Park episode were discussed on the National Public Radio program, Talk of the Nation, where commentators including Ross Douthat analyzed the phenomenon of Norris withdrawing from the cartoon. Stephanie Gutmann of The Daily Telegraph wrote that she had joined the Facebook group, and commented that if the 2010 Times Square car bomb attempt was found to be related to the South Park episode "200", "this sort of protest will be more important than ever". Writing for The Faster Times, journalist Noah Lederman noted that Norris' cartoon, "was her way of supporting the show’s creators and the First Amendment." Writing for Financial Times, John Lloyd commented on the decision by Norris to withdraw from the protest movement, and noted, "Molly Norris proposed a 'let’s everyone draw Mohammed day' – then, apparently appalled by her own audacity, backed quickly away."

Writing for Religion Dispatches, Austin Dacey compared the protest movement to Martin Luther: "Forget the South Park dust up; forget Everybody Draw Muhammad Day. If you want to see truly shocking anti-religious cartoons, you have to go back to the sixteenth century. Near the end of Luther’s life, his propaganda campaign against Rome grew increasingly vitriolic and his language grotesquely pungent." Dacey argued, "The debate over cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad is often framed as a clash between free speech and religious attitudes. But it is just as much a clash between conflicting religious attitudes, and the freedom at stake is not only freedom of expression but freedom of religion. For while Luther was surely engaging in offensive speech, he was also exercising a right of freedom of conscience, which included the right to dissent from Catholic orthodoxy."

In an analysis of the protest movement for the Daily Bruin, journalist Jordan Manalastas commented, "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day is a chance to reinstate offense and sincerity to their proper place, freed from terror or silence. ... The proper (and, at the risk of looking jingoistic, American) way to combat bad speech is with better speech. To silence and be silenced are the refuge of cowards." In an analysis of the protest movement for Spiked, Brendan O'Neill was critical of the concept of "mocking Muhammad," writing, "... these two camps – the Muhammad-knockers and the Muslim offence-takers – are locked in a deadly embrace. Islamic extremists need Western depictions of Muhammad as evidence that there is a new crusade against Islam, while the Muhammad-knockers need the flag-burning, street-stomping antics of the extremists as evidence that their defence of the Enlightenment is a risky, important business."

Several editorial cartoonists quoted by The Washington Post blogger Michael Cavna were critical of the Draw Mohammed Day idea or declined to participate, although all supported the right of cartoonists to depict Mohammed if they chose to. The president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists opposed involvement because "something like that can be too easily co-opted by interest groups who, I suspect, have an agenda that goes beyond a simple defense of free expression." Other cartoonists quoted in the article called the event "childish and needlessly provocative" or demurred because they dislike "choreographed punditry".

Tarek Kahlaoui, an assistant professor of Islamic Art at Rutgers University, who previously had made comments on Middle Eastern politics in Arabic and English on Al-Quds Al-Arabi and on Middle East Online, and who also writes a weekly column in the Qatari newspaper Al-Arab. In an article on Global Expert Finder, analyzed the reasons behind Islamic aniconism, pointing out that despite aniconism the depiction of Muhammad is not wholly forbidden in Islam, and so in principle it should be possible for non-Muslims to draw him as well, although stating: "What should be an issue, however, are all possible implications between visual representation and bigotry". He also defended the first amendment of the U.S. constitution in the way that it's an important right of all Americans.

Threat on Molly Norris's life

On July 11, 2010, it was reported that Yemeni-American al-Qaeda cleric Anwar al-Awlaki had put Molly Norris on a hitlist. In the English-language al-Qaeda magazine Inspire, Al-Awlaki wrote "The medicine prescribed by the Messenger of Allah is the execution of those involved", and was quoted as saying

The large number of participants makes it easier for us because there are more targets to choose from in addition to the difficulty of the government offering all of them special protection ... But even then our campaign should not be limited to only those who are active participants.

FBI officials have reportedly notified Norris warning her they consider it a "very serious threat".

Norris has since changed her name and gone into hiding. According to the Seattle Weekly (her former employer), this decision was based on "the insistence of top security specialists at the FBI.". According to another source, however, the FBI warned her of threats but did not specifically encourage her to go underground.

Gallery

Images and media related to "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day"

• Video of an individual drawing a cartoon on paper.
• "Mohammed (in the style of Mondrian)"
• Stick figure image cartoon, advocating for peace.
• Stick figure depiction, by Flickr user from Victoria, Canada.
• Depiction in stick figure format, by individual from New Port Richey, Florida.
• "Mohammed at night", – Black background with no depiction of a character, simply text at the bottom.
• Depiction, including Jesus and the Flying Spaghetti Monster.
• "This is prophet Mohammed", drawing by an individual from Moscow, Russia.
• Depiction, in style of Ultra Marines from Space Marines of Warhammer 40,000.
• "Burning Mo", a stylistic representation making reference to the Burning Man.
• Drawing, by an individual from York, Pennsylvania.
• Depiction, by a woman from Missouri.
• Depiction drawn on a lined notebook.
• Depiction by a Flickr user from Barrie, Canada.
• "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day 2010", by a Flickr user.

See also

• Blasphemy Day
• Boobquake
• Criticism of Facebook
• Depictions of Muhammad
• Flying Spaghetti Monster
• Freedom of speech versus blasphemy
• International Holocaust Cartoon Competition
• Israeli antisemitic cartoons contest
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
• Lars Vilks Muhammad drawings controversy
• Piss Christ
• MillatFacebook
• Streisand Effect
• 2010 Qur'an-burning controversy

References

1. "Life of slain Dutch film-maker". BBC. November 2, 2004. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
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5. ^ Moynihan, Michael C., "First Annual Everybody Draw Mohammad Day", blog post, April 23, 2010, "Hit & Run" blog, Reason magazine website. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
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7. Miskin, Maayana (April 25, 2010). "Censorship Sparks 'Everybody Draw Muhammad Day'". Arutz Sheva. www.israelnationalnews.com. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
8. Fenig, Ethel C. (April 26, 2010). "Today is 'Draw Mohammed Day'". The American Thinker. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
9. "Why is Denver's tax money going to Dallas?". Westword. Denver Westword, LLC. April 29, 2010. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
10. Meister, Pam (April 27, 2010). "Exclusive: 'Draw Mohammed Day' – A Gratuitous Offense or a Legitimate Stand on Freedom of Speech?". Family Security Matters. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
11. Mellon, Andrew (April 25, 2010). "Coming May 20: Everybody Draw Mohammed Day". Big Journalism. bigjournalism.com. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
12. Roy, Mario (April 27, 2010). "La nouvelle censure". La Presse (in French). www.cyberpresse.ca. Retrieved May 6, 2010.
13. Lott, Jeremy (April 27, 2010). "The Nation's Pulse – The Humorless Veto". The American Spectator. Retrieved May 3, 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
14. Vold, Henrik Brattli, "Alle skal tegne Muhammed", article, NRK (Norsk Rikskringkasting AS—Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), April 26, 2010, in Norwegian (Selbekk: "og jeg synes kanskje dette er den riktige måten å reagere på – med humor, og også å spre dette på flere, så det ikke bare er noen få som blir sittende med alle truslene "; Rønning: "Jeg mener nok at indignasjonen fra dem som hevder retten til å drive religionskritikk er like viktig som den indignasjonen som kommer fra den muslimske siden. Jeg tror at dette er en holdning som går dypere enn hvorvidt disse tegningene er blasfemiske eller ikke,"), Google translation. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
15. Segura, Liliana (April 26, 2010). "Right-Wing Attacks on South Park Censorship Ignore America's Wars in Muslim Countries". AlterNet. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
16. Althouse, Ann, "'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day' is not a good idea.", blog post, April 24, 2010, "Althouse" blog. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
17. Taranto, James, "Everybody Burn the Flag/If we don't act like inconsiderate jerks, the terrorists will have won!", opinion article, The Wall Street Journal, April 26, 2010. Retrieved April 27, 2010.
18. Walsh, Bill (April 28, 2010). "Respect for Religions". Bedford Minuteman. GateHouse Media. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
19. Albrechtsen, Janet (May 5, 2010). "South Park gag makes a mockery of freedom of expression". The Australian. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
20. Walton, Jeremy F. (April 28, 2010). "Who's Afraid of the Free Speech Fundamentalists?: Reflections on the South Park Cartoon Controversy". The Revealer. New York University's Center for Religion and Media. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
21. Kruger, Franz (May 28, 2010). "Why draw the Prophet?". Mail & Guardian. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
22. Sapa (May 31, 2010). "M&G regrets cartoon offence over prophet". The Daily Dispatch. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
23. Rifkind, Hugo (May 25, 2010). "This is a poor way to draw attention to intolerance". The Times. London. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
24. Baloch, Bilal (May 22, 2010). "Pakistan Facebook ban not the answer". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
25. Staff (May 21, 2010). "Facebook furore". Dawn. Retrieved May 30, 2010.
26. Douthat, Ross (April 26, 2010). "You Can't Portray Muhammad On TV". Talk of the Nation. National Public Radio. Retrieved May 2, 2010. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
27. Gutmann, Stephanie (May 3, 2010). "Facebook group says make May 20 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day'". The Daily Telegraph. UK. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
28. Lederman, Noah (May 4, 2010). "South Park, Mohammed, and the First Amendment". The Faster Times. thefastertimes.com. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
29. Lloyd, John (May 8, 2010). "Hard men and high drama: life imitating art?". Financial Times. Retrieved May 9, 2010.
30. ^ Dacey, Austin (May 12, 2010). "Satire is Religion – The debate over cartoons and prophets is not just about free of speech; it's about freedom of religion". Religion Dispatches. www.religiondispatches.org. Retrieved May 13, 2010.
31. Manalastas, Jordan (May 17, 2010). "Cartoonist criticized for creating 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day' should have defended her right to First Amendment". Daily Bruin. www.dailybruin.com, University of California, Los Angeles. Retrieved May 17, 2010.
32. O'Neill, Brendan (May 19, 2010). "Mocking Muhammad: a shallow Enlightenment". Spiked magazine. www.spiked-online.com. Retrieved May 18, 2010.
33. ^ Michael Cavna, THEIR TURN: 12 top cartoonists offer their take on 'Draw Muhammad Day', The Washington Post blog Comics Riff (May 20, 2010).
34. Tarek Kahlaoui, Rutgers University
35. "Tarek Kahlaoui". The Expert Database. May May 17, 2010. Retrieved July 14, 2010. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
36. Tarek Kahlaoui (May 17, 2010). "Drawing the Prophet Muhammad is not the issue". Global Expert Finder. Retrieved January 27, 2011.
37. ^ "Cleric Anwar al-Awlaki puts 'Everybody Draw Mohammed' cartoonist Molly Norris on execution hitlist"
38. ^ "'Everybody Draw Muhammad Day' Advocate Rattled by Death Threats"
39. On the Advice of the FBI, Cartoonist Molly Norris Disappears From View - Page 1 - News - Seattle - Seattle Weekly
40. Westneat, Danny (September 18, 2010). "Terror threat to Seattle cartoonist should draw response". The Seattle Times.

External links

• archive of Facebook page
• Allahpundit. It’s on: “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” set for May 20, HotAir.com, April 23, 2010.
• May 20th ‘Everybody draw Mohammed Day’, Jason, The American MAXIM, April 23, 2010.

• Use mdy dates from August 2010
• 2010 controversies
• Censorship in Islam
• Criticism of Islam
• Editorial cartooning
• Freedom of expression
• Islam-related controversies
• Depictions of Muhammad
• Satire
• South Park
• Unofficial observances
• Works about censorship
• Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
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