The American satirical series South Park has been stripped of five episodes featuring the Prophet Muhammad by the HBO platform. The creators of the series had faced death threats in the past.
After the feature film Gone with the wind removed from the HBO Max platform and qualified by some historians as a “southern revisionist”, it is the turn of South Park, the animated series known for the satires that it gathers over the episodes. The HBO platform has indeed recently withdrawn five episodes in which appeared a representation of the Prophet Muhammad, portrayed in djellaba and turban.
According to Le Figaro, in these episodes deemed “blasphemous”, the mentions of the name of Muhammad had already been replaced by a “beep” in the soundtrack and the production had covered certain images with a black background. Shortly after, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the directors of the series, received death threats from an Islamic group called “Revolution Muslim”.
On Twitter, several people reacted to this announcement, in particular the philosopher Raphaël Enthoven: “And what about the 54 episodes (at least) where they make fun of Christ? Or episodes (countless) that make fun of the very Jewish Kyle Broflovski and his family? Why does the purification stop so well? ”.
And what about the 54 episodes (at least) where they make fun of Christ? Or episodes (countless) that make fun of the very Jewish Kyle Broflovski and his family? Why does the purification stop so well?#SouthParkhttps://t.co/oPP3ruwe1M
— Raphaël Enthoven (@Enthoven_R) June 25, 2020
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Mohamed Sifaoui, journalist, writer and director also reacted, denouncing the “cowardice” of the authors, adding that “if we had to ban satire so as not to” offend “such and such, we would be” undermining democracy “.
Nobody forces producers, media, journalists, intellectuals and artists to give in to the threat and pressure, if not cowardice …
If we had to ban satire so as not to “offend” such and such, we would undermine democracy https://t.co/lxLgZOXPk0
– Mohamed Sifaoui (@Sifaoui) June 26, 2020
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For Marilyn Maseo, professor of philosophy, “the cowards are all those who have been ostriching about this for years. We are still there ”.
This choice of authors is the result of the death threats they suffered for having represented the prophet.
After Charlie Hebdo, no one wants to be next on the list.
Cowards are all those who have been ostriching this subject for years.
We are still there. https://t.co/WT6m7sFnCd– Marylin Maeso (@MarylinMaeso) June 25, 2020
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According to AFP, the “insolence” of the animated series had previously bothered the Chinese community. Beijing had indeed censored the entire series after the broadcast in October 2019 of an episode entitled “Band in China” which attacked American companies willing to do anything to make a place in the huge Chinese market, even if it means become complacent towards Beijing. The episode portrayed forced labor in a Chinese place of detention and parodyed companies that cede censorship for commercial gain. “It is better not to defend too much the ideal of freedom when one wants to suckle the breasts of China”, declared a character of the episode.
In 2005, an episode entitled “Bloody Mary” depicting the menstruation of the Virgin Mary had also sparked outrage in the United States.
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