Cartoonist Molly Norris Erases ‘Draw Muhammad’ Gag
Updated: Monday, 26 Apr 2010, 1:28 PM CDT - Published : Monday, 26 Apr 2010, 1:28 PM CDT
(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) – In more fallout around the decision by Comedy Central to censor an episode of “South Park” that contained comedic depictions of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, a cartoonist has now censored herself .
Seattle artist Molly Norris originally posted on her website a cartoon showing many different objects – including a purse, a domino, a coffee cup and a spool of thread – claiming to be a likeness of Muhammad.
Norris said that May 20 would be the first annual “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day” and created a fictional group, Citizens Against Citizens Against Humor, to sponsor the event. She dedicated the illustration to Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of “South Park.”
She sent the illustration to some bloggers and talked to a local radio host, saying “it’s a cartoonist’s job to be non-PC.”
Now Norris has backed off from that position. She no longer has the illustration on her website and she claims responses to the idea were overwhelming. Instead she has a drawing of herself, with various word balloons containing her feelings about the incident, including “I said that I wanted to counter fear and then I got afraid.”
But she may have started something she can’t stop. Others have taken up the cause of “Everybody Draw Muhammed Day.”
Reason.com’s blogger Michael C. Moynihan says he will be contributing artwork and will post fans’ work on his site as well. The fictional group Citizens Against Citizens Against Humor now has its own site that already contains some irreverent illustrations of Muhammad.
A Facebook page devoted to “Draw Muhammad Day” has followed Norris’s lead and backed away from the idea, but fans on the site are still arguing about it.
A rival Facebook page, Ban Draw Muhammad Day , also contains ongoing arguments on both sides of the issue.
On Sunday night’s episode of “The Simpsons”, the “South Park” issue was mentioned in the opening credits when Bart writes on the chalkboard in school. The chalkboard scrawl reads: “South Park – We’d stand beside you if we weren’t so scared.”
Comments
By Ava Davis on May 9th, 2010 at 11:21 am
Southpark is quite funny but some of the scenes maybe a bit too morbid even for adults.~:`
By Umair Ahmed Shaikh on May 18th, 2010 at 10:53 pm
Why you only want to express your freedom of speech by drawing cartoons or writing ills about the greatest man in history that Muslims love most. Why your tongues are silent and pens dried when you are asked to write agains Holocaust.
By Basharat Ali on May 21st, 2010 at 12:59 pm
We Muslims Can’t fogive you…….never ever…..
By farhan on May 23rd, 2010 at 12:45 am
n let me add one thing i was a regular user of facebook but now i hate facebook just like any other muslim….Molly Norris shame on u…..
By Emily on June 2nd, 2010 at 5:24 pm
We Muslims Can’t fogive you…….never ever…..
By Dan on June 6th, 2010 at 8:01 pm
Muslims are so brainwashed about Moe.
By rokan on June 22nd, 2010 at 10:35 am
Dan u idiot ur brainwashed to say against muslims.
By A Muslim on June 24th, 2010 at 7:28 am
Molly Bitch
Dont Forget That Ur Words Make Ur Image U Just Go Down And Down Molly Norris and I hate U and u show that ur a fool and bad women.
By Ali on August 8th, 2010 at 12:59 pm
I will try to not offend you Molly. But you should realize that Muslims see Mohammad (SAS) as a human who was able to embody the act of complete surrender to the Creator (whether you call the Creator God, Khoda, Allah, Buddha, or anything else is beside the point). To Muslims Mohammad, Jesus, Moses, Abraham, Jacob, Josef, Mary and all the other prophets were great people who made great sacrifices to bring the message of the consciousness from which everything has sprung. Hence, we find it very distasteful for anyone to insult these highly revered individuals.
I wonder what prompts you to have such hatred for Mohammad. Has he done anything to you? Has he held you back from fulfilling your dreams and desires? Do you have any personal grievances with him? Do you even really know who he was, what he said, and did?
Are you just trying to be provacative by insulting Mohammad, or do you really think that your drawings will be inspirational, thought provoking or insightful?
Do you believe that insulting over a billion muslims is really worth getting your point across? That is if you really have a point.
If you think that any type of expression should be allowed, then what do you think about white supremacists writing about their racist ideas and drawing cartoons of people of color acting like savages? How about drawing swastikas?
If you think that being shocking is what defines artistic expression, then the things I mentioned above would also be considered artistic expression. Maybe depictions of gang rapes and people being tortured should also be allowed, as they are quite shocking as well.
Shock value does not make for real art. Please stop calling a cartoonist an artist. Rembrandt, Kandinski, Monet and Van Gogh were artist. A cartoonist is just a cartoonist, not an artist.
By Morna Lopez on September 17th, 2010 at 7:20 am
A small unsollicited comment on Ali [August 8th], political correctnes can not allways be respected in order to get a point across, otherwise it becomes cencorship. And in that case, yes, the first amendment! Since we are secularian first and above all, it can never be underlined as often as possible.
I am a cartoonist, sculptor, painter and, scholar. A good friend of mine, film maker, comentator, writer, was knifed and shot to death in front of my doorstep by one called Ali, his name was Theo van Gogh. His monument is commemorated every year.
Aside from the nonsensical comments about depictions of swastikas, gangrapes, torture or what not, yes, they are allowed. And equally so are the reactions towards them. But, poor Ali should do something about his knowledge of art history. Artists like Goya, Rembrandt, Toulouse Lautrec, Daumier, durer, Da Vinci, the list is endless, were also great and recognized cartoonists! And thus, yes it is Art.
By kim on November 19th, 2010 at 12:19 pm
Why you only want to express your freedom of speech by drawing cartoons or writing ills about the greatest man in history that Muslims love most. Why your tongues are silent and pens dried when you are asked to write agains Holocaust writes umair.
I don’t know umair, I think you are making a number
of false assumptions, but why don’t you tell us?