South Park depicts Muhammad (sort of)

South Park has approximately 200 shows, usually broadcasted on the ever-popular Comedy Central. While Brandywine High School students procrastinate, many witness the display of inappropriate jokes and obnoxious satire. Unfortunately there is a fine line between humor and offensive statements. Since, it is broadcasted to the entire nation, it is assumed that such a show would be carefully censored in a way to not offend as many people as possible. On the other hand, national news tells us that a terrorist has threatened the creators of South Park for mocking the prophet Muhammad (in a bear suit). Our world has become a crazy one where humor is payable by death. So, turn on your TV and procrastinate more often, make your own opinion. Has the show gone too far, or has our “war on terror” become way too involved for our society to handle? There are some things that we do as Americans that we find normal, such as creating outlets of our opposition.
If it is true that the past repeats itself, these threats are not empty. Kurt Westergaard, a cartoonist from the Netherlands also received death threats for depicting the prophet Muhammad. The man was thoroughly fearful for his physical well-being and was too afraid to continue his drawings. The cartoons were put in the Jylland-Posten, a newspaper of Denmark. Theo van Gogh, another Danish man was murdered in 2004. Van Gogh felt that all other religions were wrong and that Islam was a threat to western society and to liberals politically. He was shot by a Morrocan, but Danish citizen when he was biking to work. Theodoore “Theo” van Gogh was a controversial news columnist who criticized “multicultural society” and said that if he were younger he would have emigrated to the United States of America. This statement was published shortly before his tragic death.
A Muslim man says over a telephone interview on Wednesday that these horrifying statements aren’t threats, but mere predictions. If the past tells us anything, it may lead to the death. The F.B.I. has become involved in the situation and is closely watching the growth and development of online threats. The creator’s picture and contact information have been posted on a popular and religiously revolutionary Islamic website, where threats have become common. The F.B.I. claims to have seen them already.
We may find this humor perfectly normal, but have we gone far enough past the line that we have strongly offended our enemies, or is it just that they will do anything for a controversy?

Written by Gabby Kieffer
Image courtesy of southparkstudios.com