Sorry, Berkeley Breathed, you can't even mention Islam in any sort of humorous context. Salon is 'bravely' hosting these 'controversial' comics online (they've been hosting Opus online for some time, they just didn't join WaPo in keeping this from the public eye). Yesterday's comic wasn't really even about Islam, it was about the Lola Granola spiritual seeker types and fadishness in faith. Washington Post can do what they will with their pages, but they're being particular stupid in this case (and as Breathed's distributor they are sending a stern message to him with regards to what they expect from him content-wise by keeping him off their flagship paper when he dares to mention Islam in a humorous context, even when that context doesn't make fun of Islam at all).
Bloom County was pretty damn good, Opus not so much, but when it comes to the fear of riling the easily offended within the Islamic community, Washington Post is entirely cowardly and predictable, and Breathed is most likely dumbfounded as to how this strip could possibly be considered offensive to Islam.
Though, maybe it's the Lola Granola community that WaPo is trying to protect . . .
More on this at Malkin, Volokh, and Captain's Quarters. I looked around for some lefty defenders of free speech and agitators against religiously inspired censorship, and outside of Joan Walsh at Salon, all I'm hearing is crickets chirping.
And good going LA Times, you printed the comic in question, so far no flames and protests in the street around here as far as I can tell . . .
1 comment:
I love Joan Walsh. I'm forever agreeing with her, so she must be a genius:
"I thought the strip satirized loopy American seekers who customize world religions for their own needs, not Islam."
Yeah, I'd thought that too, but what can I say? It's lonely being a genius.
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