Not so free anymore. "Church recalls 'Prophet' magazine," from the BBC, with thanks to Steven:
The Church in Wales has appealed to 500 subscribers to its magazine to return copies after it printed a cartoon caricaturing the Prophet Muhammad.The editor has resigned after the cartoon was published in the Church's Welsh-language magazine Y Llan.
Some see the cartoon as an attack on Islam and there have been violent demos after they appeared in European papers.
The Archbishop of Wales apologised to the Muslim Council of Wales, which accepted the "unfortunate mistake"....
The Church in Wales printed the cartoon to illustrate an article in the February edition of Y Llan - or Church in English - about the shared ancestry of Christianity, Islam and Judaism.
The drawing - which was from the French magazine France Soir - shows the Prophet Muhammad sitting on a heavenly cloud with Buddha, and Christian and Jewish deities.
He is being told "don't complain...we've all been caricatured here".
The Archbishop of Wales Dr Barry Morgan told the BBC: "The article was perfectly ok, but for some reason, the editor decided to print one of these cartoons which was a gross error of judgement.
"It no way reflects the policy of the church in Wales and when I saw it I was totally horrified.
"We recalled all the papers, I personally picked up some from some churches and they have all been pulped.
"I've unreservedly apologised to my Muslim colleagues and they've been very gracious and I've said to them this in no way reflects the policy or attitude in the Church in Wales."
Dr Morgan also personally contacted Saleem Kidwai, the Muslim Council of Wales' general secretary, to apologise and to assure him that no offence had been intended.
'Unfortunate mistake'
Mr Kidwai said he regarded the latest publication as simply an "unfortunate mistake" and said inter-faith relations were very good in Wales and need not be jeopardised by the incident.
In a statement, the Church said it was "thoroughly investigating" how the cartoon came to be reproduced.
The Bishops of the Church in Wales have already made it clear that "they regret the publication of the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad in various European publications, and the offence that these have caused the Muslim community", the statement added.
Last month, a Cardiff University student union newspaper was withdrawn after it printed a different cartoon.
Gair Rhydd - Welsh for Free Word - recalled 8,000 copies, suspended its editor and issued a public apology.
Though I don't agree with the death penalty, it is apparent that the editor of this heinous publication must be taught a lesson. The lesson: editor to be put to death. This will send a message to all editors that we muslim don't put up with no BS. Thanks and have a nice day.
The Archbishop of Wales apologised to the Muslim Council of Wales, which accepted the "unfortunate mistake"....
You've got to be kidding....I guess it should be called the Somewhat Free Word - Maybe - Ummm - Not Really.....
Quo vadis, UK? The road to surrender?
Does anyone find it odd that the bishops don't apologize to the Welsh Christians? It would seem that a cartoon showing Buddha in heaven with a Christian Deity would be an insult to what Christianity teaches.
Oh, my goodness, talking of the clergy, it seems there might be a point past which even this well-known weaver of woolliness and extruder of verbiage might not go:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/religion/Story/0,,1735404,00.html
The "this" is Mulsim-Christian dialogue. Apparently, Rowan Williams would not cooperate with a situation in which Muslims were to press for laws similar to the "Aryan laws in Nazi German", but he can't say in advance when he might stop cooperating with such a process.
I'm dissapointed in the vague response to the cartoon controversy in the UK. During WW2 Britain stood alone against Nazi-Germany and didn't show any fear; Yet some cartoons can make a lot of peopel tremble out of fear of these muslims. Is the UK paralized by post-colonial guilt? Is strong political leadership a thing of the past? Or is it simply too late to save Britain because the muslims have already become too powerful?
Perhaps history is a pendulum, swinging from heroism to defaitism, from strenght to weakness and back again. During ww2 Denmark surrendered to Germany without doing much resistance and after the war a long debate followed about 'what went wrong' should/could we have acted differently to the german menace. A 'never more a 9th of april' movement was formed (referring to the 9th of april 1940 when DK was occupied) to make sure that we never again surrendered without a fight. The present PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen has condemned the Danes who collaborated with the germans during ww2. So this is very much a part of our mental luggage and goes a long way to explain why we are so 'hardcore' in the present crisis. Personally I don't hope that I'll live to see the day where something similar to the 9th of april 1940 happens, so I'm glad that the government has shown determination in this difficult situation.
Notice the cartoons depictions also lampooning buddha and jewish, christian deities. So why is it that he only appologises to muslims. Christians, Jews and Buddhists are still awaiting their appology. Its not that we get overlooked because we arent violent, its just that we are infidel and our feelings dont matter.
My local 'newspaper' (South Wales Echo) has called for the 'culprit' who included the cartoon in the magazine to be sacked!
They also say that this was "exactly this type of poking fun at the Islamic religion that sparked riots in some European capitals". A statement that is wrong on so many different levels.
Self-censorship as per usual from the Dhimmi British press. Depressing.
Anyone bothered enough to write to this sorry excuse for a newspaper, here's their email address:
ecletters@wme.co.uk
Aberystwyth, we hardly knew ye.
A single picture of the "prophet" is worth 8,000 retracted Free Words, and a canned Welsh scrivener. A sad sack for the sad sack, and a cowering cringe before evil...
How is the "Church in Wales" connected to the Church of England? Is Dr. Barry Morgan at the top of the heap, as Archbishop? Does he answer to any human other than Saleem Kidwai? Can he be sacked?
This is complete and utter Dhimmitude, by Morgan, rather than ignorance. Just shameful behavior.
The Church in Wales has appealed to 500 subscribers to its magazine to return copies
People of Wales, hold on to your copies.
It is our right, indeed it is our duty, to tell our bishops when they are wrong. And they are going very wrong at the moment.
Be men, not sheep.
Baa,,,,
The Church in Wales is now an independent province of the Anglican Communion - separated by act of parliament:
http://poetry.poetryx.com/poems/8608/
Once again, the BBC alludes to the "Prophet Mohammed."
Can they please be more specific? I find aboslutely no reference to a "Prophet Mohammed" in Holy Scripture.
Can they please be more specific? I find absolutely no reference to a "Prophet Mohammed" in Holy Scripture.
It's in Mark 8:36 For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?
The Romans refered to him obliquely via the eagle standards carried by the legions. According to a Jewish friend of my fathers, SPQR stood, not for Senate PopulusQue Romanum (for the Senate and Roman people), but for Small Profits - Quick Returns.
"It no way reflects the policy of the church in Wales and when I saw it I was totally horrified.
I think frightened is a more accurate feeling he must have had. He might get killed and his churches burned down.
Are there no 'Men of Harlech' left in Wales?
Yojimbo, that Archbishop interview was actually very interesting, once I got past some of the elaborations.
I'm posting a few of his more encouraging statements:
" I'm very struck by what Bonhoeffer writes in the middle-30s about the division of the church over the Aryan laws in Nazi Germany"
"He felt in 1935 the moment had come, that he was faced with a context in which he just couldn't see a common Christianity between himself and the German Christians who accepted the racial laws"
Even the fact that he is making this, albeit implied, connection between German fascism and Islamofascism, is encouraging.
And here's a refreshing admission about religion in general:
"Yes, that's fair enough I think the perceptions of religion as a very alien, very mysterious, rather malign force, which gives people ideas above their station, whether it's Prime Ministers or terrorists. It just gives people that conviction of rightness, which is dangerous."
Notice the cartoons depictions also lampooning buddha and jewish, christian deities. Posted by: dizzyfatplonka
Particularly by putting them on the same pedestal as Mohammed.
"THE editor of an official Church in Wales magazine last night stepped down after printing a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad.
The Venerable Meurig Llwyd Williams resigned after the Archbishop of Wales had to apologise to Muslim leaders for causing any offence with the cartoon."
I am Welsh and I am embarassed for the called for this man's 'resignation'. Where will all this end?
Men of Herlech, stop your dreaming,
Can't you see their spear points gleaming?
....
See they now are flying!
Dead are heaped with dying!
Over might has triumphed right,
Our land to foes denying.
May it be ever so. Clerics like Archbishop Dr.Barry Morgan are one of the resons there are so many empty churches in Europe. Such a flacid response. The man is no leader at all.