The guys who make TV's South Park cartoon could be killed for depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad in a bear suit! A New York-based Islamic website, revolutionmuslim.com, warns the creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker could suffer like Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh (murdered by a radical Islamist in 2004, for making a movie featuring a beaten naked Muslim woman covered in writings from the Quran): "...they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh...this is a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them." The anti-South Park post includes audio from a sermon in which the speaker says assassination is justifiable punishment for those who defame Muhammad!!
Freedom of expression is such a fundamental part of Western society, that many have difficulty understanding a nation or a movement without that cornerstone. To our minds, that freedom allows South Park to poke fun at politicians, nationalities, religions, gays... anything the authors think might raise a laugh with its audience. But that can also raise the ire of those who don't have that same freedom, or indeed that same sense of humour – that may hold as "sacred" the very topic of a satirical cartoon. However, should creators of this type of product have to avoid particular subjects for fear of retaliation? Conversely, should they be capable of writing humour without resorting to this sort of antagonism?
But is Muhammad in a bear suit really worthy of assassination? Is everything about our diverse humanity off-limits to humourists, in case someone somewhere is upset?
Should we all just lighten up and laugh at ourselves a bit more?
And, final question: who killed Kenny...??!!
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