Nora Stack

“South Park” and Muhammad

by Nora Stack

In the 200^th episode of “South Park,” creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker decided to poke fun at multiple religious figures, including Muhammad. They tried to be somewhat sensitive to the beliefs of Muslims by depicting Muhammad in a bear suit, thus not technically showing an image of the Prophet. This episode caused outrage in the Muslim community. However, news shows only seemed concerned with the response from a radical Islamic group that posted a “warning” to the creators of “South Park” that said that they would probably end up like Theo van Gogh, a Dutch filmmaker who was murdered after making a film that offended Muslim extremists.

I think that the clips from the episode are really interesting to examine. The show does not actually depict Muhammad. The characters hold up a drawing that is said to be a depiction of what Muhammad looks like and it is a stick figure, and then when he comes to the town, the Prophet is dressed in a bear suit so that no one can see him. Does the show really depict Muhammad at all? The idea is that Muhammad is in the bear suit, but there is never an image of an actual human representation of Muhammad.  Therefore, does it break the Islamic belief that Muhammad should not be depicted?

I think that although Muhammad was never directly shown, the intention of the episode was to try to get around the belief that the Prophet should not be depicted and to try to show him somehow. The bear suit is an interesting choice in the show. The costume is one of a cuddly and somewhat dopey looking bear. The costume is not something that respectfully hides Muhammad from view. He is in a costume that is emasculating and does not evoke a sense of power and reverence that the Prophet deserves. Therefore, I think that Muhammad is depicted, just not literally. I think that the episode is offensive due to its depiction; however, being offensive is basically a trademark of “South Park.”

I also think that it is really interesting that the media focused on the reactions of Muslim extremists, although they are a very small minority of all Muslims. I am sure that most Muslims were probably somewhat offended by the episode, yet the media only focused on the “warning” that was made to the creators. I feel like although it is important to make people aware of the threat, the show should have also talked about the reactions of other Muslims.

The episode of “South Park” has definitely been criticized for portraying Muhammad, which led to the censoring of the episode when it was later replayed on television. Today “South Park” still pushes the envelope and continues to challenge the beliefs of many groups and individuals.