Whatever she may think now, hopefully Molly Norris will someday realize that launching "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" was the right thing to do for the sake of free expression and to shine a spotlight on the double standard that too many Muslims -- even ostensibly "moderate" ones -- demand for Islam with regard to freedom of speech and of the press.
Meanwhile, making Iran's government happy should be some indication that one has chosen the wrong side of an issue.
"Cartoonist denies 'Draw Muhammad' role, Apologized World Muslims [sic]," from Ahlul Bayt News Agency, May 22 (thanks to Twostellas):
WASHINGTON: An American cartoonist whose work inspired the controversial 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Page' on Facebook has condemned the effort and issued an apology to Muslims.
On an unrelated note, certain passages of this article bear more than a passing (and unattributed) resemblance to an earlier one at BBC News. So much for the moral high ground at Ahlul Bayt (Arabic for "people of the house," a reference to Muhammad's household, including Ali, whom Shi'ites regard as Muhammad's legitimate successor).
Molly Norris, of Seattle, drew a cartoon in April to protest the decision by the US TV channel Comedy Central to cancel an episode of the popular show 'South Park' over its depiction of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh") in a .... suit. In her cartoon, Norris satirically proposed May 20 as an 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day'.
The "...." is original to the ABNA article. Apparently they can't even say that Muhammad was portrayed in a bear suit.
An 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day' page quickly turned up on Facebook but Norris said she had nothing to do with it. "I did NOT 'declare' May 20 to be 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day'," she said, adding her idea was satire but "was taken seriously, hijacked and made viral".
"I apologize to people of Muslim faith and ask that this 'day' be called off," she said.
Make EVERY day a "Draw mohammed day"
I suggest a sustained, 365 day effort. And this time, instead of just posting online, post them in public also, everywhere...
"Draw Mohammad Year"
We could be into WWIII by the 6-month mark (yikes)!
I certainly understand apologizing in such circumstances, since she probably can't afford bodyguards for the rest of her life. So now she is probably a victim of Stockholm syndrome, apologizing to the those who victimize her. It's the Muslim world that owes the non-Muslim world huge apologies, and more.
Andy, I agree!
This poor Molly. I am imagining that she's scared stiff which is why she apologized. I read a threat today to a blogger ...
http://loganswarning.com/2010/05/20/islamic-terror-threat-left-on-logans-warning/
the anger is palpable...
Molly Norris backing off of this and apologizing is a minor defeat. The greater good of what the effort could achieve is far more important than the gloating press coverage of one scared-crapless little artist girl.
That she trembles before them is significant, and don't think that smart people don't recognize the fear that's behind that.
THEY GOT TO HER.....
Now having said it's a small defeat that she apologized, she needs to shut up and vanish.
The last thing we need is a protracted "Molly Norris Apologizes to Muslims World Tour."
Her fear is understandable but her apology, if heartfelt and not done out of fear, is not. Demonstrative in microcosm of how far the West has still to go to know and then combat the evil which is Islam.
http://www.facebook.com/search/?init=quick&q=everybody%20draw%20moham&ref=ts#!/group.php?gid=123934967631740&ref=ts
Clearly she's scared -- she said so on her first attempt to get out of taking credit for it when she drew that little caricature of herself surrounded by inane "balloons of reasons."
Thank you Molly for the spark, now please just go away.
Molly Norris obviously had no idea what she was getting herself into. I can't blame her for that.
Those of us who have been reading sites such as Jihad Watch for years have a better idea of the risk but, even so, each risk has to be weighed individually. And, even when we make a conscious decision to take a risk for the sake of defending our Western civilization, we can't predict the outcome or our response to the outcome.
I hope that she will continue to read and become more informed about the issues at hand. Perhaps someday she will be ready to step out more and take a risk. If not, it's her life and it's her choice.
As it is, she served as a catalyst for something that is bigger than her, and that's pretty darned good.
If she was scared, that just means she's human. If she was unable to rise above her fear to stand up for her principles on this issue, well, that also means she's just human. For every person who weighs the risks and stands up anyway, there will be many who choose not to act at this particular time. But there is always the possibility that they might act in the future.
You would think that this might open the eyes to the people of the west that even a small time cartoonist is not safe from these out of control lunatics. She did not have the following that Comedy Central has. She was not a published writer or film maker. No this was some young person with a web site and a blog and she was silenced.
Who knows, she might still be looking over her shoulder for the one knucklehead who didn't get the memo that she apologized.
Did anyone really expect the religion of peacers NOT to threaten thisa chick when she stood up to them so bravely?
(I hit Submit instead of Preview.)
I hope that more and more people will realize the extent of the danger we face and that that knowledge will convince them of the need to stand up and be counted.
We need first to understand the problem and second to realize that we might be the right person for the job of making a difference.
If we do nothing, then we are passively allowing our society to be taken over and destroyed. Everything our civilization has gained, everything that makes it great -- it's all in danger and the worst possible thing we could do is sit in front of our TVs or computers and expect someone else to take the risks and do the work.
Having said that, everyone's path is different and their timing might not be our timing. I just hope that enough people figure it out in time to act to save our modern, liberal, wonderful, Western civilization.
"Who knows, she might still be looking over her shoulder for the one knucklehead who didn't get the memo that she apologized."
Why only one knucklehead? There is no forgiveness or grace in Islam.
Oh, she fears for her life, that's obvious. Her family/friends probably urged her to apologize to the demented mass-murdering Barbarians. No, you can't blame her for being afraid. I think the old adage "bit off more than she could chew" applies here.
Meanwhile, back in Demented Muslim World:
People - the Muslims have started an "Everybody draw the Holocaust" Day - June 30. I kid you not.
On the excellent Loganswarning site:
http://loganswarning.com/
Josephine wrote, about Molly Norris:
As it is, she served as a catalyst for something that is bigger than her, and that's pretty darned good.
If she was scared, that just means she's human. If she was unable to rise above her fear to stand up for her principles on this issue, well, that also means she's just human.
.................
I agree, Josephine—and I thank Molly Norris, even if she did (rather understandably) back off later. Here's the egregious LoonWatch, with this ludicrous article by "Emperor":
"Draw Muhammad Day Predictably Descends into Hate Fest"
"The original creators of the day have backed out, including Molly Norris, due to the tremendous amounts of bigotry and hate that it engendered, but others continued with the campaign..."
What crap—there's absolutely no reason that I have seen to suppose this is why Molly Norris backed out of the event—it seems she was rather frightened by threats.
The author goes on to lambaste Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller—and claims, absurdly, that "Everybody Draw Muhammed Day" is "collective punishment" of Muslim Americans.
"...I must say that if this event was put together to defend freedom of speech it has failed. Freedom of speech, the freedom to offend, to be a racist is not in dispute but when you get called out for it don’t begin whining."
Uh—I suppose Kurt Westergaard and Lars Vilks shouldn't be "whining" about those death threats and attempts on their lives—they are just getting "called out for it".
The comments are very creepy, too. Here's my "favorite":
Hasnat J. Iqbal Says:
May 22nd, 2010 at 8:55 am
After this incident, I have lost faith in mankind especially the American nation and the supporting groups. All of this has had an impact and now I also feel a feeling of hatred for Americans and every single person who hates me. As an individual Muslim, I represent my religion and I feel hurt, disgusted but above all, I feel helpless. From the very begining (sic) of Islam, the haters have made our lives a living hell so they always get a reaction and then they complain.
My only request to these haters would be, you only reap what you sow and please do not complain
.................
Notice the odd, and typically Muslim—combination of murderous aggression and "hurt"—notice, also, that all of those thousands upon thousands of dead Infidels over the last 1400 years were just "haters" who got a "reaction" for their refusal to instantly embrace Islam or dhimmitude. A "reaction", yes—and a predictably murderous one, at that.
http://www.loonwatch.com/2010/05/draw-muhammad-day-predictably-descends-into-hate-fest/
I also don't blame molly. She’s just an average citizen who has the spotlight turned on her for making up this draw Muhammad day. She is fully aware of all the death threats other peoples receive when they dare to do anything against the death cult.
As for this draw holocaust day, I have my own cartoon idea. the muslims may not like it. I want to picture achmedinijad as a Hitler figure standing on a platform as rows of Jews are sadly walking up a train cattle cars. This achmed/hitler is loudly screaming at his workers yelling " Remember this is a lie this is all a lie, keep repeating to yourselves!!"
I'm sure Mollie Norris had no idea what she was getting into when she created this day. She probably thought making fun of the pedophile Muhammad was the same as poking fun at a truly great man Jesus Christ. She undoubtedly has received death threats from members of the religion of peace.Thus the apology and the obligatory visit to a mosque with hijab firmly in place."Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" is much bigger then one person, so it doesn't matter whether Norris apologizes or not. What's important is that thousands of cartoons have been created and distributed on the internet in celebration of free speech. These are drawings no Muslim can stop that will be on the internet forever and for that I am very happy.
It's too late Molly ,it's too late-------(With apologies to
Carole King).Can't take it back.
They won't just be 'on the internet'.
The best of them - the best-drawn, the cleverest, the funniest, the most ruthlessly truthful - will have been downloaded and copied onto thousands and thousands of home computers. Some will then be copied onto disks, which will pass from hand to hand; or be printed off into entertaining little booklets.
And having been thus copied and kept, they will proceed to pop up into view, here, there, and everywhere. Some may even appear on coffee mugs, on T-shirts, on bumperstickers, on placards, on posters. Some will end up on flyers.
Kim, the response by the Muslims to the Draw Mohammad Day with a draw the Holocaust Day will backfire. Hopefully there will be plenty of publicity and folks will see how petty, obnoxious and vengeful they really are. They have no idea what they'll let out of the box with this one.
"Some may even appear on coffee mugs, on T-shirts, on bumperstickers, on placards, on posters. Some will end up on flyers."
-------------
I wonder about that. I would love to see them all over, but when thug organizations like CAIR are around and like to knock on doors late at night to question the owner about a bumpersticker on his car that says "Jesus Loves You, Allah wants you dead," I have to wonder just how many MoToons will really show up on Tshirts, mugs, bumperstickers etc.
How many people are brave enough to show up to work with a MoToon shirt? How many are willing to risk HR issues because of a MoToon mug or MoToon calendar?
It's terrible, I know, but it's really late and some kind of "realisic fatalism" has come over this girl!
MAYBE WHAT WE NEED NEXT IS A: "Bring Your MoToon To Work" day -- TShirt, poster, mug, whatever.
People are genuinely afraid -- when push comes to shove -- to publicly display this stuff.
It's a problem of this oh so PC/MC world that desperately NEEDS to be addressed.
As Hugh might say -- Errata sheet:
"realistic fatalism"
LOL
Everybody Thank Mollie Norris Day.
Her 'Which is Mohammed' was a clever take, in that the original South Park protest was about Mohammed in a bear costume, therefore could have been anything or anyone.
What it was, when boiled down to its true essence was an animated image of a bear. Anything else is in the eye of the beholder. And how they decide to deal with it. (More on that later.)
Molly's subsequent drawing took Magritte's Ceci n'est pas une pipe, (This is not a pipe) a stage further. Just as Magritte's 'pipe' was not a pipe because it was actually a depiction, all of her Mohammed's were depiction's and furthermore, depiction's of anything you wanted Mohammed to be.
It was an exercise in perception pure and simple.
However that explanation could never work with Muslims who's literalist closed minds seem incapable of the leaps of faith needed to understand such concepts.
The natural reaction wasn't rational debate and a scholarly examination of the philosophy of it all but to reach for the direct insult and death threat.
Score: Imagination - zero. Barbarism - ten.
That's how they are and the unfortunate Molly, no doubt spoon-fed on the, 'they're just like us' tripe pushed by academia, the MSM and officialdom probably imagined that her cleverness would be just that. Thought of as a wry comment on the philosophy of presumption and that's it.
That she was obviously way off the mark in that assumption is now also glaringly obvious as the poor girl awakes to a nightmare of constant fear.
She's joined that club inhabited by Theo Van Gogh, Pim Fortun, Lars Viks, Kurt Westergaard, Geert Wilders, Ayan Hirsi Ali all of whom dared to poke fun or criticise this revolting faith.
This is war at it's most asymmetrical and absurd. Jumanah Albahri calls for genocide and who cares but the rightfully concerned on this blog and others?
Meanwhile a babe in arms innocently expresses a concept and the whole Muslim world is afire. This tedious repetition has become boring, as is the reactive whitewash always reached for by the media and authorities.
We have to adjust the balance of disproportion.
How long are we expected to kiss the hem of this blatant threat to our freedom?
How long before we say, enough is enough and face the truth?
The time will come, of that there is no doubt when that enough is enough will boil over. Its happening in Europe and it'll come to America.
What then?
MOLLY:
Do NOT apologize!
It was a great idea.
Still is!
ED
We love you Molly!
Don't apologize!
Pedophile Mohammad, who has been responsible for directing the murders, rapes, tortures, clitorectomies, and enslavement of HUNDERDS OF MILLIONS of innocent human beings surely deserves MUCH MUCH more punishment than making fun of him!
Molly
Just edit your apology to say the following:
Ever since I called for May 20th to be 'Everybody draw Mohammed Day', I've been receiving death threats. As a result, I've decided to apologize'.
If you don't, we'll make 20th June - the 1 month anniversary of that day - the 'Everybody thank Molly Norris Day'. That will make you really afraid of being fearful of fear.
Andy
Fully concur - make every day 'Everybody draw Mohammed Day'. And come up w/ new material very frequently, until Muslims tire of us. Those genuinely offended can either leave, or commit a crime and get behind the slammer.
Well, give her credit for having a good idea. We know they don't like being made fun of, so if many diverse people from all over perpetrate such ideas, the moslems would be completely overwhelmed with too many fatwas to even put on paper. I've got one, for example, Draw Moslems in Burquas Day, or how bout' Insult islam day?
This is sort of off-topic -- but where are Hugh and Wellington when we need them for our history lessons?!
It has recently come to my attention that Iran's (formerly Persia) history is not rooted in Islam, but rather in the time when kings were gods, e.g., Cyrus the Great -- a noble pagan ruler.
"...Even today, Iran celebrates No Ruz, "New Day" or "New Year." This is not a tradition of Islam but rather of the days before Islam conquered Persia." (p. 19*)
"Persia would forever be dramatically influenced by the armies of Muhammad. Arabic became a new language in addition to Farsi, Islam became the new religion, mosques were built, and Islamic customs became the norm for the people of Persia.
Political correctness is not an invention of modern-day America; it has dictated the actions of people from the beginning of time. For many Iranian nobles, conversion to Islam was a politically correct move that enabled them to keep their vast holdings and coveted social position." (p. 25*)
*The Final Move Beyond Iraq by Mike Evans, Front Line Publishers, 2007.
###
Ahmadinejad is a DISGRACE to these people of Persia and to all of humanity!
Be prepared for all the poor long suffering muslim " victims " to come out of the woodwork wringing their hands
in classic fasion on the way to the Holy Mosque of the eternal victim. Meanwhile the eternal victims and their
co-religionists in the religion of peace are not drawing
pictures and acting silly. They are going about their business as usual which is killing, blowing up buildings and committing all the acts that put infidels in trauma and ICU's not on paper limned in oils or tempera. Same old,
same old but its getting even older fast.
Molly Norris did indeed receive death threats from Muslims.
Here's a video in which she's too afraid to show her face.
Why are we putting up with this barbarism?
http://news.yahoo.com/video/local-15749667/19944548