95,000 descendants of Mohammed to sue free press for blasphemy

From News.com.au

95,000 descendants of Mohammed to sue over

‘blasphemous’ cartoons

By Staff writer, March 21, 2010
cartoon
Angry Muslim protesters march on the Danish embassy in London in 2006 over newspaper cartoons of Mohammed / The Daily Telegraph

  • Lawyer to sue Danish newspapers for libel
  • Cartoons “a slur on descendants”
  • One paper has already apologised

NEARLY 95,000 descendants of Mohammed are going to sue 10 newspapers for publishing “blasphemous” cartoons of the prophet.

Faisal Yamani, a Saudi lawyer acting for the descendants, claims that the cartoons – which first appeared in 2005 and caused violent protests by Muslims around the world – are defamatory.

One of the 12 cartoons depicts Mohammed wearing a bomb-shaped turban.

The Sunday Times said that although the cartoons were published by Danish newspapers, Mr Yamani plans to pursue legal action in England, where libel laws are weighted towards the plaintiff.
Kurt Westergaard
Artist Kurt Westergaard, whose life has been in danger ever since he drew a cartoon of a bearded, Mohammed-like man with a bomb in his turban / AFP

English lawyers expect that he will argue that the cartoons were published in Britain via the internet and are a direct slur on his clients, who live in the Middle East, north Africa and even Australia.

Mark Stephens, a British lawyer who saw Mr Yamani’s missive to the newspapers, told The Sunday Times: “Direct descendants of the prophet have a particular place within Muslim society … By effectively criticising and making fun of the prophet you are, by implication, holding them up to scandal, contempt and public ridicule.

“The question is, is that defamatory in English law?”

He said that although many judges would dismiss such a case, “it is obviously a very highly charged issue and if they do throw it out, it becomes political”.

Mr Yamani has already won an apology from the Danish newspaper Politiken for printing the cartoons.

The cartoons first appeared in Jyllands-Posten as part of its campaign to promote freedom of expression.

However, the paper’s offices have been evacuated several times after security threats and the artist behind the bomb cartoon, Kurt Westergaard, was forced to go into hiding. In January this year a man was shot trying to get into his home.

5 Replies to “95,000 descendants of Mohammed to sue free press for blasphemy”

  1. Is it possible for the rest of the world to sue the descendants of Mohammed for inflicting Islam on us all? A class action for “pain and suffering and apprehension” suffered by kafirs caused by the Koran?

  2. Imagine having 95,000 lawyers descend upon your offices because you have printed criticism of Islam?

    That is what this tactic will attempt to do to European and western media.

    It is one more weapon that Islam’s leaders have hit upon to weaken the free world’s resolve and conquer it.

    If I were the governments of the west, I would throw these lawsuits out since the man responsible for founding this cult has been dead for over 1,400 years.

    If Islam and its followers cannot stand criticism, then let us oblige and ship the followers back the where criticism of Islam is not allowed: all the Muslim countries of the world.

  3. ================================================
    The Old Man And The Cartoon.

    Once upon a time,
    in a country small, up north,
    near close to sea and fjord,
    so peaceful and pleasantly agreeable,
    there lived an innocent and friendly old man
    who loved to draw cartoons to express his thought.

    He looked out upon the great, wide, wonderful world,
    and to his amazement found religious strife and killings
    practiced by people called Muslims.

    Living, as he did, among fellow, open-minded citizens
    who valued human life and human values above all else,
    he decided to draw the prophet of Islam in a cartoon.

    The image which appeared, like magic, on his paper,
    was of the prophet’s head wrapped in a turban,
    and in the turban rested a round, black, lit bomb.

    People first thought the prophet was about to commit suicide,
    but, after contemplating the drawing for awhile,
    it became apparent some other meaning might be hidden.

    Some of the believers of the religion called Islam,
    lived in the small country, up north,
    and when they saw the cartoon of their beloved prophet
    depicted in such a blasphemous manner,
    thought it might be a good idea to show the cartoon
    to other followers of their beloved, peaceful religion.

    They set upon a journey to countries far away in the big world,
    where they soon found other adherents of their religion.
    Together they decided the cartoon might be of use
    to incite hatred of the heathens, up north,
    and so it came to pass,
    dear children,
    that masses of Muslims went out to burn and kill.

    They wanted to show the small, peaceful country,
    up north,
    that people, of different faiths and opinions on life,
    had better temper their freedom to think, talk, and act,
    ‘cause if they didn’t,
    the prophet’s holy men and warriors would come after them.

    The religious leaders of Islam pronounced that the old man
    should die for having drawn their prophet in unflattering light,
    and he had to go into hiding from the theistic thugs hot on his trail.

    The old man survived for several years,
    and one day he got an invitation to travel to a big country
    on the other side of the ocean.

    It appeared that certain folks, over there, in America,
    wished to hear the tale of the old man and his cartoon.
    He learned that in America many different people and religions
    co-existed mostly in peace,
    and that America might be a safe place to show himself.

    When he arrived,
    he learned that many people were afraid of him and his cartoon,
    and that only a very few newspapers and television-stations
    had dared show the cartoon to their viewers.

    He realized that many inhabitants of America
    were somewhat immature in their intellectual convictions,
    and had to be protected from their own mental habits
    by not being exposed to certain images and words.

    The old man thought it humorous that editors of print and image
    would tow the line of a mentally unstable person and his believers;
    after all, weren’t these moderns atheists, Christians, Jews, or Other?

    He went on to be interviewed by reporters and T.V. personalities,
    and soon found out that the believers of Christianity and Judaism,
    in particular, showed support for the old man and his cartoon,
    some even calling him a hero and fighter for freedom of expression.

    Being an old and wise man, he knew they supported him
    because various religions tend to dislike each other,
    and by praising the old man, could gain support for their own religion.

    This type of behavior of conversion, dear children,
    has been playing-out for many, many centuries…
    ever since the so-called prophets of religion
    suffered their psychotic episodes of hallucinations and visions
    to be imposed on the rest of the world.

    Once upon a time,
    in a country small, up north,
    near close to sea and fjord,
    an old man drew a cartoon of a prophet’s head with a lit bomb in his turban,
    and guess what, children,
    nobody knew that beneath the big, black, lit bomb,
    there nested many little bomblets waiting to go out in the big, wide world
    to spread the good words and news about Islam.

    Good night, children, and sleep well.
    =================================================

  4. to reply to both comments:

    Is it possible for the rest of the world to sue the descendants of Mohammed for inflicting Islam on us all? A class action for “pain and suffering and apprehension” suffered by kafirs caused by the Koran?

    What an ignorant comment to come out? please go educate urself before you decide to come out with absurd comments like this. Islam is not inflicting anything. Unfortunately it is a few radicals who use the notion of islam. Every religion have had these radicals. Islam is a religion of peace. And you should be thanking islam, if you dont know the west copied so many ideas os medicine and literature as well as their laws! (like giving women more freedom and rights-since the english law never gave them rights back in the days) and before you comment on the hijab/nikah that is not a suppression outfit nor is it suppressing us. I am a muslim women and i am not suppressed, nor have i ever felt it, why do people have this notion? Its absurd.

  5. Imagine having 95,000 lawyers descend upon your offices because you have printed criticism of Islam?

    That is what this tactic will attempt to do to European and western media.

    It is one more weapon that Islam’s leaders have hit upon to weaken the free world’s resolve and conquer it.

    If I were the governments of the west, I would throw these lawsuits out since the man responsible for founding this cult has been dead for over 1,400 years.

    If Islam and its followers cannot stand criticism, then let us oblige and ship the followers back the where criticism of Islam is not allowed: all the Muslim countries of the world

    And just to clarify, i would never accept people who joke and insult any religious figure, whether be islam, christianity, judaism, sikhism etc. It is wrong. I think that all people wanted to get people to realise, it is wong.
    There is no need to talk about throwing people out etc, why do people always bring a small topic into a much larger one? The plain fact is this artist was isnulting a religious figure, end of. It was wrong and everyone should see that.

    I hope your minds open and you become less clouded with your ignorant comments.

    peace

    muslim sister