by Jeffrey Allen, OneWorld U.S.
After the recent furor in the Muslim world over the depiction of the Prophet Mohammed in Danish cartoons, the wildly popular and irreverent U.S. television show South Park took up the subject over Easter week, but its network would only allow the debate to go so far.

South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone were apparently told by Comedy Central several weeks ago that they would not be allowed to show an image of the Muslim prophet.

So Parker and Stone's two part episode "Cartoon Wars," which concluded last Wednesday, was built around the issue. Then, at the moment the Muslim prophet was expected to enter the scene, a message appeared on the screen: "Comedy Central has refused to broadcast an image of Mohammed on their network."

At first, there was confusion over whether it was a gag or the truth, but the network then confirmed the latter.

"Our decision was made, not to mute the voices of Trey and Matt or because we value one religion over any other," a Comedy Central statement said. "This decision was based solely on concern for public safety in light of recent world events."

All physical representations of Mohammed are considered blasphemous by the Muslim religion, and the distribution of Danish cartoons sparked a wave of deadly riots across Muslim-majority countries earlier this year.

"Much as we wish it weren't the case," the statement continued, "times have changed and, as witnessed by the intense and deadly reaction to the publication of the Danish cartoons, decisions cannot be made in a vacuum without considering what impact they may have on innocent individuals around the globe."

Shortly after the deleted segment, another scene portrayed a character representing Jesus defecating on U.S. President George W. Bush and an American flag.

Meanwhile, a monthly magazine associated with (though not published by) the influential Catholic group Opus Dei recently printed a cartoon depicting a scene from Dante's Divine Comedy, in which Mohammed is shown cut in half and in hell.

The dean of the papal institute for Arabic studies in Italy responded that it is not suitable to mock Mohammed, who is a pivotal figure in the doctrine of over a billion people, according to an online article from Lebanon's Al-Manar TV.

Opus Dei has since distanced itself from the publication but offered an apology nonetheless, adding: "religions and their symbols should be respected and religious sensibilities should not be subjected to ridicule. The only road to peace and brotherhood is respect for others' convictions and practices."

According to another Al-Manar article, a March gathering of Christian, Muslim, and Jewish religious figures called for "common action to stand in the face of those insulting their sanctities because all these divine religions are being targeted by some media outlets and politicians in the name of freedom of expression."

Many of Comedy Central's most loyal fans, however, are outraged by the network's censorship--and expressing as much through expletive-laden comments on its blog, directing ire at everyone from network executives to "terrorists," "Moslems," "religious zealots," and Osama bin Laden.

According to one viewer addressing Comedy Central and its parent company MTV, "You guys are gutless [expletive]...don't console yourself thinking how 'cutting edge' you are showing John Stewart and Carlos Mencia....You got tested and you failed, [expletive]. Thanks for letting down your fellow Americans."


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