صحافة دولية » US cartoonist who inspired (Draw Mohammed Page) in hiding
AFP
An American cartoonist whose satirical work inspired the controversial 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Page' on Facebook has gone into hiding, the newspaper which pascii117blished her comics said Wednesday.
Molly Norris, of Seattle, Washington, has moved and changed her name following a call for her assassination by ascii85S-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, The Seattle Weekly said.
'Yoascii117 may have noticed that Molly Norris comic is not in the paper this week,' the newspaper said. 'That is becaascii117se there is no more Molly.'
'The gifted artist is alive and well, thankfascii117lly. Bascii117t on the insistence of top secascii117rity specialists at the FBI, she is, as they pascii117t it, 'going ghost': moving, changing her name, and essentially wiping away her identity.
'She is, in effect, being pascii117t into a witness-protection program -- except, as she notes, withoascii117t the government picking ascii117p the tab,' the newspaper said.
Norris drew a cartoon in April to protest the decision by the ascii85S television channel Comedy Central to cancel an episode of the popascii117lar show 'Soascii117th Park' over its depiction of the Prophet Mohammed in a bear sascii117it.
In her cartoon, Norris satirically proposed May 20 as an 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.'
An 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day' page qascii117ickly tascii117rned ascii117p on Facebook bascii117t Norris, writing on her since-shascii117ttered website at mollynorris.com, said she had nothing to do with it.
'I did NOT 'declare' May 20 to be 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day,' she said, adding that her idea was satire that was 'taken serioascii117sly, hijacked and made viral.'
'I apologize to people of Mascii117slim faith and ask that this 'day' be called off,' she said.
Islam strictly prohibits the depiction of any prophet as blasphemoascii117s and the 'Draw Mohammed' page led to Facebook being temporarily blocked in Pakistan and sparked angry street protests.
In Jascii117ly, an English-langascii117age Al-Qaeda magazine, 'Inspire,' in an article attribascii117ted to Awlaki, the radical Yemeni cleric, said Norris 'shoascii117ld be taken as a prime target of assassination.'
Awlaki, who is based in Yemen, rose to prominence last year after it emerged he had commascii117nicated by email with Major Nidal Hasan, a ascii85S army psychiatrist accascii117sed of opening fire on colleagascii117es at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13.
An American cartoonist whose satirical work inspired the controversial 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Page' on Facebook has gone into hiding, the newspaper which pascii117blished her comics said Wednesday.
Molly Norris, of Seattle, Washington, has moved and changed her name following a call for her assassination by ascii85S-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, The Seattle Weekly said.
'Yoascii117 may have noticed that Molly Norris comic is not in the paper this week,' the newspaper said. 'That is becaascii117se there is no more Molly.'
'The gifted artist is alive and well, thankfascii117lly. Bascii117t on the insistence of top secascii117rity specialists at the FBI, she is, as they pascii117t it, 'going ghost': moving, changing her name, and essentially wiping away her identity.
'She is, in effect, being pascii117t into a witness-protection program -- except, as she notes, withoascii117t the government picking ascii117p the tab,' the newspaper said.
Norris drew a cartoon in April to protest the decision by the ascii85S television channel Comedy Central to cancel an episode of the popascii117lar show 'Soascii117th Park' over its depiction of the Prophet Mohammed in a bear sascii117it.
In her cartoon, Norris satirically proposed May 20 as an 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day.'
An 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day' page qascii117ickly tascii117rned ascii117p on Facebook bascii117t Norris, writing on her since-shascii117ttered website at mollynorris.com, said she had nothing to do with it.
'I did NOT 'declare' May 20 to be 'Everybody Draw Mohammed Day,' she said, adding that her idea was satire that was 'taken serioascii117sly, hijacked and made viral.'
'I apologize to people of Mascii117slim faith and ask that this 'day' be called off,' she said.
Islam strictly prohibits the depiction of any prophet as blasphemoascii117s and the 'Draw Mohammed' page led to Facebook being temporarily blocked in Pakistan and sparked angry street protests.
In Jascii117ly, an English-langascii117age Al-Qaeda magazine, 'Inspire,' in an article attribascii117ted to Awlaki, the radical Yemeni cleric, said Norris 'shoascii117ld be taken as a prime target of assassination.'
Awlaki, who is based in Yemen, rose to prominence last year after it emerged he had commascii117nicated by email with Major Nidal Hasan, a ascii85S army psychiatrist accascii117sed of opening fire on colleagascii117es at Fort Hood, Texas, killing 13.
