Wednesday, February 15, 2006

LOONEY TOONS V

And still the row blazes on. Five people have now died in Pakistan following riots and protests in Pakistan.
Three more people have died in Pakistan in continuing violence over the publication in the West of cartoons satirising the Prophet Muhammad.

In the city of Peshawar, two people died as protesters targeted anything linked to foreign firms, but local businesses also suffered.

In Lahore, one person died when police clashed with Islamic students. Two people died in Lahore on Tuesday.

...
Thousands of supporters of hardline Islamic groups marched up to the main business district in Peshawar, the capital of North-West Frontier Province, and attacked shops and businesses.

Police used teargas and then opened fire to break up the protest after the mob set fire to a KFC fast food outlet and ransacked it.

Eyewitnesses say some of the protesters opened fire as well.

An eight-year-old boy was killed by a stray bullet, while another person died when a power transmission line fell on protesters.
And the BBC's take on it?
Correspondents say the protests are part of a rolling campaign by Islamic parties ahead of a visit by US President George W Bush next month.
This is in keeping with Amir Taheri's notion that the violence in response to the cartoons has been largely been caused by rent-a-mobs and is not condoned by the vast majority of the world's Muslims.

Meanwhile, cartoonists are going to be busy. In response to Iranian paper Hamshahri's competition to design the best Holocaust cartoon, Israeli site Boomka.org is calling for antisemitic cartoons of it's own, but with a twist:
Amitai Sandy (29), graphic artist and publisher of Dimona Comix Publishing, from Tel-Aviv, Israel, has followed the unfolding of the “Muhammad cartoon-gate” events in amazement, until finally he came up with the right answer to all this insanity - and so he announced today the launch of a new anti-Semitic cartoons contest - this time drawn by Jews themselves!

“We’ll show the world we can do the best, sharpest, most offensive Jew hating cartoons ever published!” said Sandy “No Iranian will beat us on our home turf!”
So in summary:
  • Christians / atheists draw offensive cartoons of Mohammed / Muslims

  • Muslims draw offensive cartoons of Jews

  • Jews draw offensive cartoon of Jews

Next up: Jews drawing offensive images of Jews drawing offensive images of Jews.

Finally, it was inevitable - Fark issue a new competition: Sitcom situations for Mohammed. Pretty offensive but not quite up to b3ta standard though.

My vote would be for Imam Mo', based loosely around Father Ted, with a veiled Mrs Doyle serving up lashings and lashings of mint tea. Given that alcohol is prohibited, an Islamic version of Father Jack could be tricky, mind you.