CNN : Anderson Cooper Muslims Threaten To Kill South Park Creators

It's a formula that's generally served "South Park" well, allowing it to score comic points by riffing on hypocrisy while emphasizing a message of libertarianism and tolerance, and it's one that goes back to the show's beginnings, points out former Dallas Morning News TV critic Ed Bark, who blogs at UncleBarky.com. After all, he recalls, the show began as a Christmas short violently pitting Santa Claus against Jesus.

But have they gone too far this time with a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed in a bear suit?

In the beginning, it wasn't so much the religion that bothered observers but the language used by the series' pint-sized cast, he said.

"The most shocking thing back then was, you had little kids exercising a vocabulary that you hadn't heard before [from children]," he said. "I go back to the days when [the sitcom] 'Uncle Buck's' 'You suck' was a major point of contention on a CBS sitcom and everybody went crazy about 'how can they have an 8-year-old kid saying this?' And then 'South Park' ratcheted that way up."

However, the show can still ruffle feathers.

For its 200th episode April 14 -- the beginning of a two-part story that concludes Wednesday night -- "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker decided to go all-in, creating a plot line about free speech in which most everybody the show's ever offended comes back. Among the episode's characters: the Prophet Mohammed, who is first pictured behind a black "censored" bar and later in a bear suit.

That didn't sit well with Revolution Muslim, an Islamic group that objected to Mohammed's portrayal.

According to some Muslim traditions, the visual depiction of Mohammed is not allowed.

"We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show," the group said on its website. "This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality that will likely happen to them."

Islamic group: 'South Park' post a call to protest, not violence

Van Gogh was the Dutch director who was killed in 2004 by an Islamic extremist. Among his works was "Submission," a short film about abuse of women in Islam.

The creator of the Revolution Muslim posting said that the group only wants those offended to be able to voice their opposition in letters to the show's creators and that it did not advocate violence.

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[Patypatpat99]

cant they ever take a joke? they rip asians,blacks,jews and they all dont give a fk except muslims.

[limput2]

Another fact is. Did you know it's illegal to not be muslim in the middle east? MOST of the countries say it's not illegal but the practice is. and they walk into our countries and demand respect of their culture but when we walk into theirs the penalty for not being like them IS DEATH. WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH THAT? HYPOCRITE SHIT? FUCK. I know not all of them are like this and are just born into the culture. BUT DUDE, GROW THE FUCK UP. WOMEN CHILDREN AND POOR PEOPLE HAVE RIGHTS. RESPECT US TOO

[limput2]

Muslim terrorism is really high sure everyone keeps saying that not all terrorists are muslim but we see and hear about it everywhere. bombings around the globe and what not. these are the most active terrorists there are. Middle East, Africa, Europe, South Asia including India, Southeast Asia, and the United States they're everywhere and they're very active. Another fact is they claim to be a noble and peaceful religion. but they condone violence such as stoning and such for very PETTY crimes.

[NYer79]

so, it's okay for cartoonists to go into hiding in their home countries, because they're threatened by immigrant radicals (and the threatening immigrants are protected), but it's not okay to arrest those making public threats of murder and death? This is backward.

[PointBlanc7]

woah. I knew american media was pretty bad. But you'd think they wouldn't be so blatant about it.

[Yemeniboy1996]

@rafaelmoshe we are look at the middle east Yemen is free egypt is free libya tunis jordan and still going

[SpookeyR]

@craw: I don't have a problem with Islam, I have a problem with fundamentalism and religious fundamentalism in particular.

Not religion but, religious fundamentalism is the one main cause of most, and the worst, of the murder, genocide, rape, enslavement, pillaging & brutality that has ever taken place throughout the whole history of the human race.

To be clear, it's not religion & it's not Islam. (Or Christianity, or Judaism, etc.) It's religious fundamentalism!

[SpookeyR]

@tigersforinbreeding: "Islam/Quran is corrupt! Jesus/Peace/Healed/Blessed/Sal­­vation/God!"

Take your religious fundamentalist horseshit and keep it to your fucking self! ...while you are at it, and to be truly safe, why don't you cut off and/or out your sexual organ's so that you can no longer contaminate the rest of the human race?! It just is the right thing to do!

[xxbluejay21]

damn muslims are crazy

[winterstellar]

@Riotstarter77 I'm just making people aware of the fact that the bearded and sheet-dressed demonstrators, activiststs with their "behead all who insult Islam" posters and signs, are just wankers who'll never do anything. I have confronted them repeatedly and they're just tame, little puppets or pussycats.. That's all I'm saying, by god, don't let those sissies scare you, people of England or Europe!: )