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ZAPIRO DRAWS FIRE
MUHAMMAD CARTOON CONTROVERSY
Jonathan Shapiro - the cartoonist Zapiro - has entered the fray surrounding the depiction of the prophet Muhammad by drawing him lamenting his followers' lack of humour in a cartoon published in the Mail & Guardian newspaper today.
The cartoon's appearance comes in the wake of the international "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" challenge to a violent and threatening Islamic response to cartoon depictions of the prophet since 2005. Zapiro's fellow cartoonists are divided in their response to his cartoon.
Bethuel Mangena (Sunday World cartoonist) has come out in defence of his one time mentor, arguing that if Jesus can be drawn, then why not Muhammad? "I don't see anything wrong in drawing the prophet", he asserts.
Brandan Reynolds (Business Day) thought it was a fun cartoon and also clever, but wondered whether it contributes to a solution, or inflames the situation further. "It doesn't help the debate", he feels. Brandan says that he tended to be a little more sensitive on the matter and was unlikely to draw Muhammad himself out of respect for Muslims who would be offended by the depiction of their prophet.
Pretoria News' Dr Jack Swanepoel feels that Zapiro has overstepped the mark. "With freedom comes responsibility; and that applies to everybody across the board including cartoonists and the press. Jonathan is a great cartoonist, but in this instance he has made a mistake. Should one person be injured or die as a result of this cartoon, he'll have a lot to answer for. I have never drawn Muhammad myself, and I won't be drawing him any time soon".
Jeremy Nell (The Times cartoonist, Jerm), having decided not to participate in the "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day", says that while he might not respect Muhammad the same way that Muslim people do, he would rather target religious extremists than the founder of their religion and so offend followers who have not overreacted. Jerm says that drawing Muhammad for the "shock value" is pointless.
Fred Mouton (Die Burger) says that he doesn't care either way about Muhammad, and so the Prophet wouldn't find himself in any of his cartoons. But "it is his followers who have taken things far too seriously, scaring and killing people".
"I don't get fundamentalism", says Fred. "I can't get that people get fanatical about anything in life - cars, religion, politics. Extremism is sickening. I just don't get that one dimensional thinking."
Dov Fedler (The Star) agrees. "There's no negotiating with fundamentalism. Zapiro is very good, you can leave it to him to pick a fight. But he looks to insult and upset people and (in this instance) he is taking enormous risk to himself and his family". Dov contends that a cartoon can not change history, it merely comments on what is going on.
"It's a sound bite in this vast stadium of noise. As much controversy that this cartoon might stir up, it's not going to turn around the attitude of a few fundamentalists, it only serves to stir up the emotion. For what? An elitist argument about freedom of speech?"
In conclusion, Jerm suggest that "we should fight for the right to draw Muhammad, and then choose not to".
NEWSCLIPS:
Anger mounts over Zapiro cartoon | Mail & Guardian, May 22, 2010
Zapiro: "Why I did it" | Zapiro.com, May 21, 2010
Ana says:
I think Zapiro is an excellent cartoonist but I have a problem not only with his cartoon but with the notion of the 'Everybody draw Muhammed Day'. Zapiro is an intelligent man. After the Danish cartoon debacle he cannot possibly claim not to realise that, in Islamic terms, it is not acceptable to represent Mohamed in any visual form - that in itself is the insult, regardless of whether the representation is negative or not. To say that he was portraying Mohamed in a sympathetic light is disingenuous, at best. Bethuel Mangena's comment above displays a similar level of ignorance. The most insightful comment by far is Jerm's - I am sorry I missed him on 702 tonight.
Liz McConnell says:
I think this could open up a hornet's nest
Tyron says:
I've always felt that certain cartoons by Zapiro have been drawn for the specific intention of creating controversy. Controversy is a fantastic marketing tool, which has cemented Zapiro's reputation as SA's political cartooning giant. It seems that this tactic has no limits with Zapiro and he uses our right to free speech as an eraser for any line that should be drawn. I'm no fan of political cartooning, this type of insensitivity to other people's beliefs is what has contributed to my declining respect for political cartooning. The platform of cartoons should be used for more insightful opinion, truth telling and oh, don't forget laughter.
Nanda Soobben says:
when Ferial Hafajee was asked about the cartoon on the Editors on sunday, she said she would've used it,(because of the right of expression) but as a matter of principle she would've had to resign !!
I would not have done a cartoon like that,because I know for a fact that its taboo for anyone to draw an image of the Prophet!
I come from a close knit Indian community in Durban and it would've been very insensitive of me to have do something like that! We have a great respect for each others religions
and we need to broaden that to the rest of South Africa.
yes, I've drawn terrorists and people who use religion as a springboard,but I won't draw a cartoon that will be insensitive and "make the situation worse!!"
All I can say to my good friend Jonathan is.."WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!"..you've made a great name for yourself and the Muslim community have a great respect for you because of your
unbiased stand on the middleast!
I would've thought that you would've been the last person to take up the "prompt" from that facebook group.
If anything,"you made THEIR day"!!
Barbara Bell says:
This cartoon should be commended, not condemned. It portrays a humane, compassionate prophet (a theologically correct depiction) bewailing the fact that followers, in his name, have effectively turned him into the very fetish they claim to oppose. It is they and not Zapiro who are being anti-Islamic.
johncurtis says:
WAS the cartoon calculated to achieve maximum publicity and effect? I don't doubt it for a second.
WERE the religious sensitivities of Muslim people disregarded? Certainly - Zapiro has been consistent in his contempt for religions.
SHOULD we believe the cartoonist and his editors' assertion that they didn't expect the cartoon to offend moderate thinking followers of the prophet? That would be naive in the extreme.
SHOULD THE CARTOON HAVE BEEN DRAWN AND PUBLISHED? I think it was opportunistic and irresponsible on the part of both cartoonist and editor.
SHOULD WE CALL FOR A RETRACTION (OR AT LEAST AN APOLOGY)? No! If there's one thing we should all agree on is that we should all have the right to comment and criticise. By depicting the prophet's image, Zapiro is criticising the decree that forbids it. Just as the cartoon reflects an intolerance and disregard for a belief structure, so too would censoring it be intolerant and disregarding - and, ironically, it would make a self fulfilling prophesy out of the cartoon.
Africartoons says:
"Drawing Muhammad now is a cheap way for cartoonists to try to draw attention to themselves," - Daryl Cagle, American cartoonist and cartooning authority.
Tony Grogan says:
A bad and ill-judged editorial decision to publish a cartoon which was gratuitously offensive and and appropo nothing but some hare-brained idea published on facebook to declare a 'Draw Muhammad Day'.
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