Moh! — I mean, Doh!
Actually, for all the “controversy” this forthcoming episode is supposed to stir, the only thing creator Matt Groening is poking fun at is “islamophobia” — or, “stereotyping.” Homer, the boob, accuses next-door Muslims of terrorism, only to be proven wrong. “Controversial” is reserved for when someone actually portrays Muslims as terrorists — not as victims of “stereotyping.” As one spokesman was quick to reassure, “At the end of the show, all the issues are resolved and Homer realises the error of his ways.”
“Simpsons Creator Defends Muslim Plot,” from IMDB, January 10:
The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has defended a controversial storyline in the comedy cartoon which sees Homer Simpson accuse his Muslim neighbours of terrorism.
In a forthcoming episode of the long-running show, dad Homer Simpson convinces friends that a Middle Eastern family are plotting to blow up a shopping mall but is proved wrong when it turns out the family’s father, Amid, works in demolition.
When the Simpson family have their Muslim neighbours over for dinner, Homer shows his ignorance of the Muslim faith calling Allah “Oliver” and holy book The Koran “The Corona”.
A spokesperson for Britain’s The Islamic Cultural Centre + The London Central Mosque has commented on the episode, telling U.K. newspaper the Daily Star, “I hope Muslims take no notice of the show.”
But Groening has come out in defence of the plot, saying, “Cartoons deal in stereotypes. We try to be sensitive.”
It is not the first time the show has been mired in controversy, with Simpsons bosses recently being criticised for a storyline which implied America’s Republican party was involved in a vote-rigging scandal at the 2008 presidential election.