Super Muhammad Bros.

Choice: Draw something for Draw Muhammad day or not.
I choose to draw. Why? Not to antagonise, as some will say, but to send a message to those who insist that we submit to their taboos, even if it goes against one of our most cherished principles. When the Danish cartoons were first printed, people actually lost their lives to those who were willing to follow through with threats of violence. Since then many media groups have been reticent to publish anything that might be considered even only slightly offensive.
Threats of violence unless a demand is met are called terrorism, and there is a good reason governments tend not to negotiate with terrorists. I hate using the word Terrorist because it has become so over used that its starting to lose its meaning, but what else can one call such threats of violence? By submitting to these threats and creating a system of self-censorship we have kowtowed to terrorist demands and entered into self-imposed subordination. This is a dangerous place to be and we must defy such demands. I understand that the cartoons may offend the sensibilities of some people, but when and where was this guarantee for never being offended granted?

So we must draw Muhammad. We must draw Muhammad to demonstrate that we take our freedoms seriously and that we will not be intimidated by violent thugs. To let them know that Your taboos are not mine. I do not draw Muhammad with the intent to offend nor do I draw Muhammad to incite hate or violence. So what if someone was to die because we choose to draw a cartoon? Are we responsible? No. The responsible party is the person who chose to act. I cannot indirectly incite violence. Incitement is a direct and explicit act, done with intent. If we are to redefine incitement to mean an indirectly prompt to action without intent, then we must prosecute women for inciting their rapists and prosecute victims for inciting their killer. Only a direction to act can be called incitement. Drawing a cartoon saying, Kill all Jews is incitement; drawing a cartoon of Muhammad with a bomb in his turban is not. Its a reaction; a satirical response to a current event. While confrontational, it is not incitement to violence. Lets place the blame where the blame actually lies; at the feet of the thugs who murder over cartoons. What we must not do is pack up shop every time someone shouts at us that what we are writing, drawing, singing, offends them. So to that end I will use my particular skills to render my protest at the demands against my free speech.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• mohammad
• muhammad
• south
• park
• cartoon
• protest
• may
• 20th
• draw