Newspapers refuse to publish cartoon that satirizes media’s fear of Muhammad cartoons [updated]

Muhammad cartoon by Kurt Westergaard I post this to make a point

If you’ve suddenly gone deaf, that’s due to the atomic-level conflagration created by every single irony meter in the world exploding simultaneously as a result of this spectacular show of media cowardice:

Universal Uclick has confirmed that several papers (upwards of 20) have asked for a replacement for this Sunday’s Non Sequitur because it mentions the word “Muhammad.” The cartoon by Wiley Miller depicts a lazy, sunny park scene with the caption, “Picture book title voted least likely to ever find a publisher… ‘Where’s Muhammad?’” Characters in the park are buying ice cream, fishing, roller skating, etc. No character is depicted as even Middle Eastern.

Responding to the news that his strip may not appear in some papers, Wiley tells me, “the irony of editors being afraid to run even such a tame cartoon as this that satirizes the blinding fear in media regarding anything surrounding Islam sadly speaks for itself. Indeed, the terrorists have won.”

It used to be pathetic and frustrating that papers (and TV broadcasting channels) were too scared of provoking the threat-flinging Muhammad fetishists to post some harmless little cartoons that merely (albeit sometimes in a crude manner) pointed fun at the Islamic prophet-who-must-not-be-depicted. But now, the media is actually caving in without any threats even being made – and they’re doing it by refusing to feature a cartoon that, itself, mocks the media’s fearful censoring of satirical depictions of Muhammad.

Don’t bother going to the irony meter workshop; all their reserves have blown up as well. Nothing can survive irony radiation this debilitating.

Be sure to keep an eye on Non Sequitur’s syndicate website where the aforementioned strip should appear sooner or later. I’ll be sure to post it when it does (and if I remember to – kindly remind me if I forget to, will ya? I love the scent of deliberate, merited blasphemy in the morning).

(via Friendly Atheist)

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Update: (10/03/10 2:12 PM) – As promised, here’s the “offending” strip:

Strip for Sunday, October 03, 2010 | Non Sequitur (by Wiley Miller)

I can see the torches and pitchforks already.

(Thanks to commenter Carl for the reminder.)

Tags: Muhammad cartoons • Non Sequitur • Islam