By
IOL Canada Correspondent
TORONTO,
Aug 3 (IslamOnline.net) - The Muslim community here are irked by an
extremely offensive cartoon that constitutes a flagrant mockery of the
Islamic belief in Paradise and presents a stereotyped and distorted
image of how Muslims conceive life after death.
The
Toronto Sun newspaper published on July 24 a derogatory cartoon by
caricaturist Andy Donato, who is said to be known for his hate for Islam
and Muslims, showing the two sons of ousted Iraqi president Saddam
Hussein, Qusay and Uday, being greeted by a Sheikh in Paradise, who
rewarded them with two naked ugly women, one of them wearing a niqab
(long veil that covers the entire face except the eyes), in a brazen
mockery of Hur El-Ein (maidens of Paradise).
The
cartoon reads: "Ah....Odai and Qusai. Welcome to Paradise.
Here are the first of your many virgins."
The
cartoon, breaking all laws of respect of religions and beliefs, has
created uproar among Muslims in Toronto and all Muslims who saw the
cartoon or heard about it.
A
flood of letters and complaints have been written to the editor of the
newspaper Toronto Sun to express their condemnation to such defamatory
attacks on Islam and its beliefs.
"The
portrayal of such reputedly infamous men as Odai and Qusai Hussein being
rewarded with obese virgins by God who is portrayed as an Arab steeps
the Islamic creed in derision and incites contempt toward the beliefs
which are cherished by hundreds of millions of Muslims worldwide,"
David Kolinsky, Toronto, wrote
Jeewan
Chanicka, Toronto, said: "It is abhorrent and extremely rude that
you would choose to make fun of two criminals by linking them to the
faith of over one billion people. Such immature and vile depictions only
serve to reinforce stereotypes and link criminal activity to a
people’s faith and belief system."
Imam
Shaaban Sherif, Imam of Al Rashid mosque, highly condemned the cartoon
and considered it a campaign against Islam and Muslims.
"There
are the insinuations that they offer in order to taint Islam and
Muslims. They do not like this (spread of Islam) to happen," he
said.
Scorn
U.S., Sharon Instead
Sheikh
Tamir Abu As-Su'ood, Imam of Edmonton Islamic School, condemned the
cartoon and Donato’s way of defaming Islam, saying that he had better
made fun of the U.S. or even Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
He
challenged the caricaturist to do the same mockery of America who
brought Saddam Hussein to power, compromised the lives of thousands of
Iraqis under the disguise that they came for their freedom.
He
further challenged him to do the same mockery of Sharon who holds up to
8,000 Palestinians as hostages in Israelis jails and builds the
separation wall amidst sepulchral silence from the whole world.
"…if
the intent of the cartoon is to demonize Islam and Muslims, then you
have to know that defamatory attacks on Islam only serve to harm our
nation's image worldwide and divide Canada along religious lines,"
Sheikh Tamir addressed a gathering of Muslims in Friday prayer on August
1.
"Defamatory
attacks on other faiths can only lead to a spiral of distrust and
intolerance that will divide our society along religious lines."
He
asserted that Muslims could never accept that any faith be attacked on
account of its followers’ misdeeds.
Concluding
his speech, Sheikh Tamir demanded the daily publish a formal apology for
Muslims and hold the caricaturist accountable for offending the
Muslims’ faith.
"Muslims
can never accept but a formal apology from the Toronto Sun and a
trial for Caricaturist Andy Donato; otherwise a legal action should be
taken to restore Muslims’ rights."
