Muslim group warns 'South Park' creators of death

[Deleted]

Muslim group warns 'South Park' creators of death
By DAVID BAUDER, AP Television Writer

Wednesday, April 21, 2010


(04-21) 18:22 PDT New York (AP) --

A radical Muslim group has warned the creators of "South Park" that they could face violent retribution for depicting the prophet Muhammad in a bear suit during last week's episode.

The website RevolutionMuslim.com has since been taken down, but a cached version shows the message to "South Park" creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The article's author, Abu Talhah Al-Amrikee of New York, said the men "outright insulted" the religious leader.

The posting showed a gruesome picture of Theo Van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was shot and stabbed to death in an Amsterdam street in 2004 by a fanatic angered by his film about Muslim women. The film was written by a Muslim woman who rejected the Prophet Muhammad as a guide for today's morality.

"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," Al-Amrikee wrote. "This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them."

The posting listed the addresses of Comedy Central's New York office and Parker and Stone's California production office. It also linked to a Huffington Post article that described a Colorado retreat owned by the two men.

CNN, which first reported the posting, said the New York-based website is known for postings in support of Osama bin Laden and jihad, or holy war, against the West.

Al-Amrikee told The Associated Press in a phone call Wednesday that the posting was made to raise awareness of the issue and to see that it does not happen again. Asked if Parker and Stone should feel threatened by it, he said "they should feel threatened by what they did."

He said he was disappointed that publicity about the posting focused more on the potential danger to the producers but admitted, "I could shoulder some blame" for it.

He said he "can't answer that legally" when asked if his group favored jihad. But he praised bin Laden.

"We look up to him and admire him for the sacrifices he has given for the religion," he said.

Last week's episode, the 200th for the cheeky and often vulgar cartoon, was intended to feature many of the personalities and groups that Parker and Stone insulted during the series' run.

In 2006, Comedy Central banned the men from showing an image of Muhammad on their show. They had intended to comment on the controversy created by a Danish newspaper's publishing of caricatures of the Islamic leader. Muslims consider any physical representation of their prophet to be blasphemous.

Instead, "South Park" showed an image of Jesus Christ defecating on President George W. Bush and the American flag.

Comedy Central and the show's producers would not comment.

[Deleted]

"peaceful" religion?

who are they trying to fool?

[beth]

South Park always pushes the envelope. Maybe they should reconsider when it comes to the Muslims. I don't think they make idle threats.

[fretslider]

Apr 21, 2010 21:33:14 GMT -5 beth said:

South Park always pushes the envelope. Maybe they should reconsider when it comes to the Muslims. I don't think they make idle threats.

I disagree, beth. We - as you have seen on Lin's board - have a real problem with the question of muslim sensitivities. They never miss an opportunity to be offended and to threaten.

[Deleted]

Apr 22, 2010 6:35:42 GMT -5 fretslider said:

Apr 21, 2010 21:33:14 GMT -5 beth said:

South Park always pushes the envelope. Maybe they should reconsider when it comes to the Muslims. I don't think they make idle threats.

I disagree, beth. We - as you have seen on Lin's board - have a real problem with the question of muslim sensitivities. They never miss an opportunity to be offended and to threaten.

I agree with Fret; we don't dare back down to these fanatics otherwise the old "give em an inch, they'll take a mile"

Sad to say freedom from lunatics such as this cost blood shed; no other way to stop them as they are beyond reason

[sadie]

You know.....that's the whole problem........we give on this one tiny thing.......then on this one more tiny thing.......then just a little more.....then a little bit more......and then after awhile we have given up everything. It's a joke. Don't watch the show if it bothers you.

You know...there are extremists in every religion that twist it to whatever they want. The Koran does talk about Jihad being a holy war......but a holy war within yourself to always do the right thing....to choose the right way.....it is not about going out and killing people.

[biglin]

The problem is that there are millions of Muslims throughout the world and the majority of them are NOT terrorists, fundamentalists or all the other things that tend to hit the headlines.

I lived in Turkey and Saudi Arabia and I've seen Islam at its best and worst. Even the Saudis are starting to liberalise a bit and of course Turkey had a long head start thanks to Ataturk.

Demonising ALL Muslims because of the lunatic behaviour or attitudes of a minority is like demonising ALL Christians because of the behaviour and attitudes of the nutters who bomb abortion clinics, spit at the funerals of gay soldiers and all the other unattractive aspects of THEIR brand of fundamentalism.

We hardly EVER hear about Hindu fundamentalism but it's a major problem in India and a growing one in Britain. Some of them, including a leading BJP politician, (that's BJP - not BNP - though it's only the Indian equivalent plus Hindu fanaticism) have openly outlawed Christianity in states they control, arrested missionaries trying to preach, and routinely rape Christian women, beat and even murder Christian believers. Because they're Hindus rather than Muslims we hardly ever HEAR about THEIR atrocities in the West.

The fact is that the Quran, like the Bible and any other sacred scripture, is full of contradictory statements. Overall Islam IS a religion of peace and love. On the other hand, it also has many aspects which are totally wrong.

I could say the same thing about any religion. When I read the Old Testament I'm disgusted at some of the stuff I find in there.

[fretslider]

Lin

I think our big mistake was to let the tail wag the dog. When you go to a host country you adapt to fit in with its culture and customs. The UK has done the reverse and it has caused more problems than it has solved.

They can do their thing, but they have to respect our way of doing things, just as I would in Saudi or Pakistan.

[biglin]

Fret, I agree with every word you said. When I lived in Saudi I was very careful how I dressed, looked, behaved or spoke in public. (Fortunately the Turks are much more relaxed!)

Mike, though, when he was coming to the end of his tenure as an EFL teacher, DID lose his temper with one of his more obnoxious Saudi students and said 'what this country needs is an Israeli invasion.' Fortunately they just quaked in terror instead of having him arrested!

[michiganmagpie]

Apr 22, 2010 10:46:48 GMT -5 sadie said:

You know...there are extremists in every religion that twist it to whatever they want.

The Koran does talk about Jihad being a holy war......but a holy war within yourself to always do the right thing....to choose the right way.....it is not about going out and killing people.

Amen, sista.

We do it in this country, but with the Bible.

This whole thing isn't about Muslims, but about some Muslim extremists. The Christian right does the same thing in the name of their God. There are extremist groups here that are calling for the death of Obama for supposed Christian reasons...why? What on earth had he done that is worthy of death? Nothing.

[Erasmus]

Yes, these nutters threaten and they are Muslims, so it's true that Muslims threaten (but of course misleading when put that way). Westboro Baptist Church picket the funerals of soldiers killed on active duty by some obscure logic of their own that getting killed on active duty is God's punishment for other people not persecuting people for having sex with their own kind. They are Christian. So as well are the Catholic (and other) priests who've been involved in paederasty. So it is is true that Christians are child abusers who rejoice in the normal course of warfare killing soldiers off because their country does not stop people from sexual involvement with their own sex.

Anybody can declare themselves for any cause. It' not them we should listen to. it's the mainstream of that belief, whether they support them or distance themselves.

[biglin]

Any kind of fanaticism is wrong.

For some reason people tend to focus on the Muslim variety.

If I hadn't just exalted another member I'd exalt you for your post, Erasmus!

Laters!

[fretslider]

If you're going to believe in some fictitious character, you might as well make it Zaphod Beeblebrox - at least he drinks pan-galactic gargleblasters.

[biglin]

Mohammed was not a fictitious character, Fret.

[Erasmus]

Whereas, the only characters worth 'belief' are fictitious - even when they are historical. Rather a lot of us believed in Tony Blair and believe in Barak Obama. But the truth is that the belief is in the myth of the man, not the real man - as became clear with Blair. (woops - doggerel!)

If I'm going to believe in a religion then I want a perfect God with more important things to do than to exist and a Christ who was and always will be perfection incarnate, not ancient idealist possibly called Y'hoshugh bar Yuseph who probably broke from 'the armed struggle' to preach a more lasting way.