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Drawing the Line on Editorial Cartoons
By Laura Knoy on Monday, February 13, 2006.
A recent Danish comic characterizing the Islamic Prophet Mohammed, has created a storm of protest in the Muslim world and storm of debate everywhere over free speech and religious respect. We’ll talk to those in the Granite state who deal with editorial and political cartoons to look at how much is too much and what takes precedent when the first amendment clashes with faith. Laura's guests are Mark Timney, Assistant Professor of Journalism at Keene State College. Andrew Cline, Editorial Page Editor for the Union Leader. Mike Marland, Editorial Cartoonist for the Concord Monitor and Stephen Bissette, Instructor at the Center for Cartoon Studies in White River Junction, Vermont, Artist for the "Swamp Thing" Comic Book and Co-Founder and Editor of "Taboo", a 10-volume anthology of the most disturbing comics ever made. Web resources:
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Did I miss something? Did anyone mention that one of the central tenets of Islam is there shall be no depictions of the prophet for any purpose? For us this is fundamentally a secular issue, for muslims it can only be religious, one we still don't get.
This was mentioned on the program, but the show wasn't about this.
Still, just because this is a Muslim religious tradition doesn't mean the rest of us have to (or should) follow it. It MIGHT be disrespectful to depict the prophet, but that doesn't automatically make it wrong...certainly not to the extent that people deserve to be hurt for breaking this rule. Do we all have to avoid pork and alcohol too?