On air: Prophet cartoons: Is it time for Muslims to 'lighten up'?
| 10:40 UK time, Friday, 21 May 2010
It took Molly Norris only half an hour to draw the Prophet Muhammad in the likeness of a coffee cup and a box of pasta. It was a moment of creativity which inspired a page on the popular social networking site Facebook called 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day!' with thousands of budding artists ready and willing to have a go at painting the prophet.
The cartoonist from Seattle has now found herself at the centre of an international storm. Depictions of the Prophet are forbidden in Islam and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority responded promptly by banning Facebook and later the video sharing website YouTube. Pakistani TV journalist Farrukh Pitafi says the ban is a sign the country is rapidly moving back to the stone age. Hamza, another blogger, is dismayed at how the Facebook page quickly became a forum for those intent on bashing Islam and spreading hate.
Molly has since apologised insisting she did not intend to offend 'people of the Muslim faith'. Apologies aside, do you think it's time for Islam to 'lighten up'?
