Many student groups participated in “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” without too much trouble. Yes, there was controversy and disagreement, but no real threats. On the other hand, Molly Norris, the cartoonist and creator of “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day,” hasn’t been so lucky:
But on the insistence of top security specialists at the FBI, she is, as they put it, “going ghost”: moving, changing her name, and essentially wiping away her identity. She will no longer be publishing cartoons in our paper or in City Arts magazine, where she has been a regular contributor. She is, in effect, being put into a witness-protection program—except, as she notes, without the government picking up the tab. It’s all because of the appalling fatwa issued against her this summer, following her infamous “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day” cartoon.
People, this is why standing up against ridiculous religious beliefs is so important. Molly Norris suggested people draw a cartoon, and she now has to change her whole life so she won’t be murdered.
A religion that reacts in such a way does not deserve respect or politeness. People have every right to believe whatever nonsense they want, but they do not have the right to force those beliefs on others. Muslims should not expect everyone to refrain from drawing Mohammed just because they don’t want to. Hindus should not expect everyone to stop eating beef. Jews should not expect people to stop working on the sabbath. Catholics should not expect people to treat their crackers like they’re the body of Jesus.
Now, I don’t go out looking to start confrontations, so I’m polite to an extent. If my Jewish friend is coming over for dinner, I’ll take their dietary needs into consideration. But the second Jews start threatening and murdering human beings for eating pork, I will not blink an eye before organizing a national Bacon Week.
I’m always asked why atheists need to be so organized if they’re not a religion. Well, this is why. I want to live my life without being policed by religions I don’t believe in. And if I have to choose between potentially offending someone vs. oppression and bodily harm, I’m going to lean toward the option of pissing people off.
I think you should organise a worldwide bacon week anyway. You’ll have my full support!Mmmmmm bacon.
Jen, you are my hero. (I don’t say this only because I have a major crush on you, either.) (Although I do.)
I agree, bacon is the candy of the meats. So delicious.On a more serious note: It’s bullshit. That poor woman shouldn’t have to do that and it’s sicking that she has to because she fears for her life.
baaaaaaaaaacon.
I think a lot of us have a crush on her, or are secretly in love with her, or traveled to Seattle just to stalk her…Wait, what?
Bacon covers Jews and Muslims. Awesome. Would love to find an offensive meat for all religions. Problem is the Christians have gone soft on all their rules. (the vego ones are eaily covered!)
I read about this story on the International Blasphemy Day Facebook page. It is horrible that this poor woman has to live in fear. What’s worse is that she’s in a witness protection program except that there is NO program (just her hiding and changing identities) and she gets no cash from the feds.I hope some secular group is donating money to this woman.http://laughinginpurgatory.blo…
Prudence is a virtue. I admire her though for being so courageous.
I read this post after listening to an interview on Radio New Zealand (http://www.radionz.co.nz/audio… with Rehanna Ali of the Islamic Women’s Council for NZ. I went to the IWCNZ website to email the link to Rehanna and ask her how it fitted into her argument we had nothing to fear from Islam. I decided not to because of a (irrational) fear of reprisal. This is the problem Islam has: it is the religion of bullies.
This is absolutely obscene. Is there anything we can do to slowly force a change in the islamic world? Even if it takes 50 years I would persist.
This story is humbling, and enraging. Molly Norris is a martyr in the cause of free speech.
I doubt this response will be embraced here, but my first question is, “What was she thinking?” Of course the fatwa is absurd, but was it really unexpected? I think if one wants to make a point, and wants to stir the pot, one should think long and hard about what consequences for themselves, the targeted group, and the world in general, might follow. I feel really bad for this woman. I can’t imagine living every day of my life in fear for my safety. At the same time however, I would never purposely insult a group that includes a small percentage of incredibly insane and violent people. Now I must admit, I don’t know the whole story here. I strongly believe that one day (and probably not in my lifetime) belief in any deity will be considered a mental illness. Until that day, I think non-believers’ time would be better spent fighting to keep the separation of church and state, and keeping intelligent design and other faith-based “theories” out of our classrooms. Purposely pissing people off rarely ends well.
You understand that Jen did Boobquake?That pissed folks off too. She’s lucky that she didn’t get a fatwa on her head.But at no point would I imply she was asking for it.
I’m pretty sure long pork (human meat) is offensive to all major religions, but I don’t think we should all start eating each other. Just sayin’ it fits the criteria.
Shark’s aren’t Kosher, so Shark Week is like a less tasty, more ferocious Bacon Week.I omnomnominate the week containing Francis Bacon’s birthday, January 22 to be Bacon Week. It’s 16-22 this coming January, and contains MLK Day on the 17th.
Yes, it’s sad that her life is threatened and it’s wrong. Just the same as it was sad and wrong that Salman Rushdie had to go into hiding for so long. But, Hindus, as a group, do not expect everyone to stop eating beef. Jews, as a group, do not expect people to stop working on the Sabbath. Catholics, as a group do not expect people to treat their crackers like they’re the body of Jesus. Nor do all Muslims issue fatwas on anyone drawing an image of Mohammed. I have no more love for religions than do you, I think, and I agree with everything you said except for lumping all Muslims together as fatwa issuers. That’s the same as grouping all Christians under the banner of right-wing GOP conservatives. Or labeling all atheists as pissed off religion-hating extremists.Why do any of us feel a need to hate some other group of people? Are humans such insecure beings that they have to hate others in order to feel good about themselves? I’ve lived long enough to see blacks, Asians, Irish, Italians and Hispanics spend time in the limelight of most hated group. Now it’s Muslims. And that, too, is sad. Jen, I’m also surprised that you didn’t get any threats over Boobquake and glad you didn’t. I’m sure it pissed off a lot of conservative Muslims. But I also know Muslims who thought it was funny as hell and I know Muslims who are embarrassed by the ignorant antics of some Muslim clerics. Just the same as Jerry Falwell embarrasses most (or at least many) Christians.So Jen, when you say that Islam is “a religion that reacts in such a way does not deserve respect or politeness” you’re making a grave error in judging all Muslims to be ignorant, hate-filled fatwa-issuing terrorists. And that is simply not a valid argument.
Andrew- I don’t think you’re comparing apples and oranges, but rather apples and hand grenades. Yes, I am aware that Jen started Boobquake. I must admit, my understanding of Boobquake is limited to what I’ve read since I started reading this blog (post boobquake). Please correct me if I’m wrong, but boobquake seemed to be about disagreeing with the cause of earthquakes, in which Jen encouraged a very loose study to explain earthquakes. Very different than drawing the prophet of a religious group. If you argue science with any religious group, they will not get nearly as angry at you as if you are, in their view, poking fun of one of their prophets. Boobquake also touched on the dress of women. Very few organized religions give any value to women. I think Jen is perfectly safe… and downright brilliant. She managed to challenge a religious community without choosing any topic that they were so touchy about to put herself in harm’s way. The cartoonist, was not as tactful. Pissing people off is one thing. Spitting in their face (in their opinion) is another.
You strongly believe? That sounds real rational. And you really must not be paying attention if you haven’t realized that the 1st amendment isn’t enough. If these things are really believed, they are going to find their way around that wall. Meanwhile the wall itself is under attack. And please stop repeating that shit about “a small percentage of incredibly insane and violent people”. It should be clear to you that it is not such a small percentage. And those which are insane and violent are not just the people who actually carry out the act of trying to murder someone. It seems to that even the so-called moderates of Islam are some evil fucks.And do you really think the purpose of the campaign was to piss Muslims off? I hope not. Have you ever head the phrase ‘consciousness-raising’?Something absolutely horrible has happened to this good person and you add insult to injury by saying “what was she thinking?”?
We have a local ice cream shop here that make maple bacon ice cream. To say this flavor is orgasmic would be an understatement.
Oh come on, don’t put words into my mouth. I never said all Muslims act this way. I never said “Islam is a religion that reacts…”, I said “A religion that reacts in such a way.” Obviously not all Islamic people react that way, so I’m only referring to the particular types of Muslims who do. Hence my point about respecting a Jewish friend but not respecting a Jew who wants to kill me.I’ve clarified enough times that I don’t think one group of humans reacts a certain way. I’m not going to add a hundred qualifiers to every single blog post.
Then may I suggest that you be more cautious with your wording. The phrase “A religion…” includes ALL its members.
May I suggest you read the last sentence in what I previous wrote
Respectfully Annie, Boobquake started in response to an imam’s (I believe he was the Grand Wizard of Iran) statement that immodestly dressed women cause Allah’s wrath (in this case earthquakes). Jen decided not to engage (as I recall) in Drawing Mohammed Day because she felt she pissed off Islamic findamentalists with Boobquake. What Jen did with Boobquake is blasphemous and not tactful (as she intended).
This is precisely why EDMD was so important—because if literally everyone were to draw Mohammed, the extremists would have no recourse. They’d be impotent. What would they do?—declare a fatwa on EVERYONE? If anything, people of conscience should schedule another EDMD to show solidarity with Molly, and to show the extremists that they can’t bully their way around modern society.
No no no fucking no. This is not the way to think about this. No one should have to think about how dangerous it will be to speak their mind before doing so.What percentage of incredibly insane and violent people does it take? I’m sure that it’s rather high proportion in the KKK, so be careful criticizing them. But there are fewer of them, right? Al Qaeda and the Taliban have enough to silence us about Islam, so how many WBC nuts and clinic bombers does it take to shut us up about Christianity?
bacon day is considered to be the Saturday before Labor Day in the United States. I believe it is highly under celebrated :(
Thanks, Andrew. I appreciate the information. Even so… still a little less blasphemous than drawing a prophet. There is a precedent to how this religious community responds to anything related to their prophets. If Jen did Boobquake with the goal to piss off, then perhaps she was lucky… and I imagine, would not be overly surprised if retaliation occurred. I am by no means saying that I agree that the cartoonist was wrong or acted in any way that is considered unacceptable in our society… my point was simply that she should not have been surprised that negative action was taken against her. These are not rational people we are talking about.
I definitely agree with you that people who decide to say anything remotely blasphemous about Islam need to weigh their choices carefully.
We can be unsurprised and infuriated at the same time.
The first amendment may give you the right to do something, but it doesn’t mean it’s the smartest thing to do at a particular time. People with self-preservation skills will realize how to exercise these freedoms without putting a target on their backs. I am aware of the term “consciousness-raising”, but my point is that if you are going to attempt to raise consciousness, you also must realize this may cause some distress in your own life. Was Molly really surprised by the response she got? If so, I don’t think she thought the whole thing through. She doesn’t deserve this distress, as she has done nothing wrong (by our laws, ideals and beliefs), but surely she knew this was going to piss off members of the Muslim community. We no longer live within the safe cocoon of our constitution and the protections it offers. We should have all learned that after 9/11.I find it ironic that just last week many posts on this blog (my own included) denounced Terry Jones’ plan to burn the Quran. How is that different from Molly’s cartoon campaign or Jen’s Boobquake? All could be called “consciousness-raising”, it just depends who’s thinking or talking. The only difference is that one is a crazy religious fanatic. There is nothing in our constitution that says it is a safe and protected endeavor to try and change the world. I applaud Molly’s actions, but I am not surprised by the ramifications it has caused. What shocks me is that so many people are…
Well said Loreleion.
Beware man, she might counter stalk! Rememer you can WALK AROUND WITH A LOADED GUN ON YOUR BACK in Washington… be careful!
Agreed. No one should have to think about the dangers, but then, unfortunately, reality sinks in. We live in a different world now. If you choose not to think about how dangerous it may be to speak your mind, then, in this new world, you are also choosing to accept the reactions of others. I’m too old and have a family, so I choose not to be a martyr for any cause. I realize I can provide more good in the world through my work than I could by dying for an ideal.This is the last time I’ll respond to this, as I feel I have said the same thing over and over. Certainly someone has a fresher perspective, and if I haven’t been able to articulate my thoughts by now (or you haven’t been able to understand them), perhaps it’s time to call it a day. Molly certainly does not deserve to live in hiding, and in our country, she shouldn’t have to worry about pissing people off, but that’s just not rational thinking anymore. You can call me a sell-out or rant on and on about how wrong it is, but it is the reality I see before me. You can also view it as giving in or giving up. I disagree. For every reason you give an extremist group to hate and say “I told you so”, you are fueling their fire. Speak out, of course! But choose your words wisely.
I think there should be, somewhere, a fictional character named Drew Mohammed.
I don’t think there’s really any disagreement here. You’re simply talking about what is while most of us are talking about what ought to be.
Not quite, the koranimals don’t mind eating it. I’ve seen photos of Palisimians eating Jewish pork.
Nothing’s changed with them in 1,400 years. What makes you think you can do anything in 50?
I think Annie hit a really important point with Terry Jones. Everyone came out against him, and it was clear that most of the politicians came out against him because the public opinion was against him, at least at that time that was the perception. But, this was what “crazy-ass Jones” said, that the reaction proved the point: “Moslems are vi-o-lent.” His words, and pronunciation, not mine. And, look at what did happen. Burning of Obama in effigy, as well as Jones, Bibles burned, etc. Without Jones actually burning anything but jet fuel. Me, I find no difference between a bunch of paper printed in some factory and a random drawing on paper as far as its sanctity. But, did any of “us” stand up for him? Nope. Because he was a caricature? Maybe.
No guarantees, but morality in the rest of the world has changed a lot in the last 50 years.
I think this entire approach to Norris’ problem is wrong.Being non-confrontational is exactly how we got into this problem in the first place. Hiding from your tormentors only encourages them.
While I agree with this sentiment in theory, anti-Islamic from the West expressions function to support imperialism under current political circumstances.
I will say this, she has not been forced into hiding, she has chosen to go into hiding. No one can be forced to go into hiding on their own dime. She may have been told it was a good idea based on credible threats, but no one’s forced her. She could have just as easily moved into a more secure location and hired body guards. There are many more high profile people in the US who have been targeted by extremists who don’t live their lives in hiding, I can’t help but feel that this, like her complete rejection of the cartoon in the first place, is based at least partially on her desire to get as far away from the cartoon as possible.I have a lot of sympathy for her, she obviously got in over her head and didn’t know how to handle it and is now trying to totally erase the thing from her life. I’m not sure what I find more sad, that she is getting death threats or that she has so totally disavowed her own thoughts. She wants to run away from it, and that’s fine, but let’s acknowledge that she is a part of the decision making process.
So much of your writing is so tactful, tolerant and nonjudgemental (it’s why I keep coming back! Well, that and the occasional dick and booby jokes), but that statement also made me cringe. As a long-time reader I believe that you respect all religious dogma equally (i.e., not at all), while being able to respect people who buy into the dogma. But there are a lot of people who *do* think that Islam is a religion that reacts in a way that does not deserve respect or politeness, ergo, neither do it’s practitioners. I groked what you were driving at as soon as I read it, but it still made me do a double-take.
The First Amendment has nothing to do with how people react–and especially with how foreign people react–to what you say. It simply means that your speech cannot be criminalized by the government of this country. People need to stop referring to the First Amendment when people get upset about expression. It’s not right for Dr. Laura, and it’s no more right for Molly Norris. However, we do have a cultural value of allowing people to say what they want. That’s different.
Yes, Jen said ‘a religion’. She didn’t say which one.I’m not playing semantics, it’s a critical distinction. the people that issue the fatwa belong to a certain religious group that thinks it’s ok to murder someone for expressing an opinion. when Jen said ‘a religion that reacts in such a way’, she was specifically speaking about that particular sect of that particular religion. Therefore, anyone that adheres to the teaching of that particualr religious leader deserves to be lumped into that same indictment.we don’t indict all of christianity for the antics of terry jones, but any of his followers that support his antics certainly can be lumped in with him, and would qualify under the statement ‘a religion that acts in such a way’. Terry jones brand of chritianity is such a religion, where as REv. Grady Perrymans Presbyterian ministry certainly is not. Jen’s call of ‘a religion’ was targeted at those who feel their religion condones such behaviour. Most of Islam does not condone a death sentence for non-believers who render interpretations of allah or mohammad. Jen clearly was not referring to them.
Imagine having to change your entire life for making fun of Zeus…
Wow. I don’t often read this blog, but I didn’t realize that such racist comments were tolerated here. Is this the norm? “Palisimians”? Wow…all I can say is, wow.
Gary Rumain is a troll who I just blocked. Don’t expect to see him here again.
Bank tellers can never be forced to hand money to bank robbers. They choose to give it up based on the credible threat of guns in their faces….Or that premise is completely absurd.And I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that the vast majority of cartoonists don’t have a “secure location” and 24/7 private security in their price range.
I’m not seeing how being a ghost is all that much more affordable, particularly when she’s losing her job.
Are you kidding? Say you pay for just one bodyguard at a time, 24/7, and you pay the pretty unbelievable price of $20/hr. That comes out to $175,200 per year.
Actually, it doesn’t.Under your nonsensical and patently concocted standard, no one can ever say anything about any (large) religion, ever.So cut the crap.
I’m “replying” to Steven’s comment so that this comment is near the top of the list, cos I think it’s important:Molly Norris DID NOT create Everybody Draw Mohammed Day. She made an off-hand remark about SOME muslims being offended by the drawing of Mohammed, it was adopted by other people and it was those people who created Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.
Sorry, the mere idea of a “fatwa” is obscene.Any religion that orders death for apostasy and other excersizes of freewill is dreadful and disgusting.
By my calculations, a double bacon cheddar cheese burger with fries followed by a beer (or other alcoholic substance) covers most of all religions. Unfortunately protestant Christians generally don’t have dietary restrictions, as well as Sikhs, but most tend to avoid gorging and gluttony. So you have to take your meal to the extreme.
This is why it’s so infuriating when liberals start whining about provocation.
I’m pretty sure the Grand Wizard is the KKK leader, and the leader of Iran is a Sheik. Correct me if I’m wrong.
Slight shift in gears here. I understand you want to live a life unpoliced by religion; I’m curious by what or whom you would prefer to policed. Most of my new atheist friends usually answer with something like “science” and/or “testable claims”. This implies that the scientific community has come to some sort of general consensus on how we should live and that perhaps they operate independent of prejudice. I have a very hard time believing this; scientists build bombs too. Mostly for the governments underwriting their research.
I was playing that comment for laughs.
Life should not be policed at all, but guided by reason.
Scientists build bombs… and religion doesn’t stop them.Religion has a terrible track record as a moral authority. There’s a general, secular morality that is more or less universal, e.g. don’t kill people, don’t steal. I trust a secular government to enforce morality far more than religion.
Shannon, I’m now curious as to what you currently are (or feel you should be) ‘policed’ by, if ‘not being policed by religion’ is something you want to bring up like this. Is it Sharia law? By ‘policing’, do you mean threat of restraint or incarceration, or just the good ol’ fire and brimstone? Don’t people answer, “A judicial system … ” rather than scientists or clerics? That’s what I’d say. But good judicial systems don’t prescribe how “we should live”, they rather put some limits on it. So you may be using the term ‘policing’ in a way I don’t get… do you mean ‘to set policy’…?I really don’t think that restraint from building bombs is something that comes from religion.And, into the ‘policy’ vein: scientists don’t all agree with each other, but there are a lot of persistent ‘faith-based’ ideas which get into public policy, and are endlessly proven be just plain wrong, like the notion that denying reproductive education and contraception will result in reduced teen pregnancy. Some religions do not believe in educating women, which most scientists believe is one of the single most important things that can be done in this world. [edit: I should say “some religion-dominated cultures” .. ]
…Greek Paganisim (Or at-least this) Adherent finds that delicious. Seriously I don’t care what you eat as logn as it’s not people. Even Consensual people eating might be able to be argued for but…still makes me grossed out. And Sardines, but that’s personal thing. Not Religious Fuck Sardines.
*Or Atleast this practioner]