Revolutionmuslim.com Threat? South Park Censorship | Police Aware

by Sudha Krishna | April 19, 2010 at 03:48 pm

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Islamic Web Site Angry Over Prophet Mohamed Depiction In 200th Anniversary South Park Episode.Warns Trey Parker and Matt Stone. [update: revolution muslim website now offline]

Police in New York say they are aware of threats made on the Islamist website revolutionmuslim.com to the creators of South Park Matt Stone and Trey Parker.

Police Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly said the New York Police Department was “aware of the threat, and we’ve looked at it.”

He added, “We don’t think that this threat, as is currently assessed, rises to a crime right now.”

A law enforcement official, who requested anonymity because the investigation was continuing, said police investigators had met with people at Comedy Central and "made arrangements to address security concerns."

Jon Stewart Defends South Park's Trey Parker, Matt Stone

Jon Stewart is coming to the defense of Trey Parker and Matt Stone over the decision by Comedy Central to censor and alter the South Park Episodes featuring depictions of the Prophet Mohamed.

While Mr. Stewart came down heavily in favor of his “good friends and colleagues, Trey and Matt,” he said of Comedy Central: “It’s their right. We all serve at their pleasure. I have, more than once, been called out of my home on a Sunday to dance for the head of programming at his winter chalet.”

Mr. Stewart said Comedy Central had probably censored the “South Park” episode to protect its employees “from possible harmful repercussions.” “Although,” he added, “after forcing many of these same employees to work on ‘Mind of Mencia’ and ‘Krod Mandoon,’ damage done. But again, they sign the checks.”

Background Revolutionmuslim, South Park Controversy

Revolutionmuslim.com, a controversial Islamic web site based in New York, is making thinly veiled threats against Matt Stone and Trey Parker, the creators of the popular animated comedy series, South Park.

The issue at hand is the depiction of the Prophet Mohamed during the 200th anniversary episode of South Park.

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. This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them.”

Theo Van Gogh was the dutch film maker who was assassinated, his throat slit, in 2004 by an Islamic extremist for a film he made on Women in Islam.

Revolutionmuslim also provides the New York address for Comedy Central which airs South Park and it provides the addresses for the Los Angeles based production company of Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Contacted by CNN, the author of the post, Abu Talhah al Amrikee, said that providing the addresses was not intended as a threat to the creators of South Park but to give people the opportunity to protest.

This is not the first time that Matt Stone and Trey Paker have tweaked the sensibilities of some Islamists. In 2001, feeling the heat from the Danish Prophet Mohamed cartoon crisis, the Prophet in South Park was censored (see video)

For the 200th anniversary they brought the Prophet back except this time in a bear suit.

As far as religion and religious icons are concerned South Park is an equal opportunity offender - Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Moses, Joesph Smith the founder of the Mormon church have all been mocked at one time or another. (see second video thumbnail)

In a video interview with Boing Boing (the main thumbnail) Parker and Stone explain their thinking behind the episode and why they thought it was important to re visit the depiction of the Prophet Mohamed.

Ultimately, the 200th episode depicted the Prophet Mohamed in a bear suit.

The revolutionmuslim website also has a video (the third thumbnail) rebuttal of sorts that is an aggressive warning to Parker and Stone. It features a sermon from Anwar Al-awlaki, an American Islamic leader with alleged terrorist links currently wanted and believed to be hiding in Yemen.

And the video has images of the slain Theo Van Gogh, pictures of Salman Rushdie which prompted a fatwa from Iran because of his depiction of the Prophet Mohamed in his novel The Satanic Verses.