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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.

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.
2. Cite error: The named reference erases was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
3. Cite error: The named reference figure was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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
• Social networking services
• Internet activism
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