Draw Muhammed, go into hiding

I know I didn’t cover Everybody Draw Muhammed Day back around April 20 (which was the date of the day itself), but that was because at the time, I didn’t realize the true gravity of it all.

For those who don’t know, Molly Norris, a Seattle cartoonist, declared over Facebook that May 20th should be Everybody Draw Muhammed Day. This was in response to Comedy Central’s decision to censor an episode of South Park that depicted Muhammed. Further, Comedy Central’s decision was based off death threats and murders that Muslims have made directed at those who have drawn their prophet (which is a big no-no in Islam).

Then, all hell broke loose. Groups and events supporting this day popped up all over Facebook, resulting in Pakistan trying to get the social networking site blocked. Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Ismalic cleric, publicly ordered Norris to be executed (a threat that, at first, was thought to be a fake). And now, Norris is being forced to “go ghost”.

Due to the threats, the FBI has insisted that Norris move, change her name, and essentially wipe her old identity and start afresh. She will no longer be publishing her cartoons, either. Essentially, she is being put in a witness protection program, but without the government paying for it. Norris, it has been noted, likens her situation to cancer; it could be benign, but it could also be very serious.

Personally, I think that it’s a bit ridiculous that, for suggesting people draw a cartoon, Norris now has to change her entire identity to make sure she doesn’t get killed. Granted, I’ve never been good at not offending people, but there’s a line when it comes to offensiveness. You choose whether or not you get offended by something. Christians don’t get offended by drawings of Jesus because they choose not to. People should have freedoms to do as they wish, and if something offends you, you should fix your own actions so that you can avoid it, rather than forcing someone to stop doing it. Hindus don’t send death threats to those who eat (or even those who cook) beef, and similarly, I don’t think Muslims should be threatening to kill those who draw Muhammed, or suggest others do so.

I try to be fairly accommodating and not confrontational when it comes to others’ beliefs. I don’t deliberately try and offend people (I didn’t even participate in Draw Muhammed Day), but if you’re going to kill someone for drawing a picture, than I’m definitely going to side with the artist.

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