Death threats ain’t so funny [update 3]

Okay, making fun of Islamists isn’t always as much fun as flashing your boobs for science—as South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker have discovered. They put Mohammed in a bear suit, and before you could say jihad they had a bunch of crazies issuing one in the name of the religion of peace:

    “We have to warn Matt and Trey that what they are doing is stupid, and they will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh for airing this show [said the crazies]. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”

Average Joe has a round-up of the episodes, the issues and the reactions, including his:

     “Freedom of speech? Freedom of the press? Freedom of expression? Freedom of religion?
     “Where are we left? We either have freedoms…or we don’t. There is no middle ground here. Once you attach strings to freedom, then freedom is tethered and can’t be called freedom….
    “I guess what we have in truth in the world in 2010, is freedom that society allows us. We have freedom that the government approves. We have freedom…as long as we don’t say Mohammed.”

Islamists don’t like being laughed at? Fuck ‘em.  At least that’s what the media would like to say.  But “that sound you’re not hearing”? 

   “[It’s] the media, [says Frank Ross, via Instapundit], holed up in their towers along Sixth Avenue and across the street from the old Show World Center porn palace on Eighth Avenue, noisily rising to the defense of Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the South Park creators who recently upset the tender Muslim sensibilities of this guy …
    “That’s right: an American-born Muslim convert with ties to a small extremist group operating openly in the United States of America can affect the programming policy of a cable comedy network whose headliners — Stone and Parker, and Jon Stewart — pride themselves on their fearless irreverence.”

Even Bart Simpson is scared [hat tip Tim Blair]:

At least the Pope doesn’t issue death threats when people make fun of him and his own benighted hordes. The only threats the Pope issues are ones not to show up. He saves his best threats for the “next” world…

UPDATE 1: In the comments, Mark links to more good commentary at the Fun With Gravity blog.
Excerpt:

    "Consider this fictional scenario. Imagine you lived in a remote protected fort surrounded by violent hordes. Over the years, those in charge of the fort have had countless opportunities to crush the violent groups outside, but have failed to do so. Now emboldened, the hordes surround the fort, pointing weapons at you, and you have to decide whether you want to mock them. That is essentially the position that Stone, Parker, and the rest of us now find ourselves in."

UPDATE 2: There is a grass-roots fight back!  Ari Armstrong urges everyone to join the "Everybody Draw Mohammed" campaign. See his own entry and commentary here, including this on-the-money point:

    “Offending somebody's religious sensibilities is NOT incitement to violence. The fact that somebody may respond to free speech by destroying property or threatening or murdering people is no legitimate reason to squelch free speech; it is instead an overriding reason for the government to take defensive action against the aggressors. If speech is held hostage to the irrational violence of some, then there is no such thing as freedom of speech. There is only tyranny.”

Well said.

UPDATE 3: Apparently, it’s May 20, so start now:

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