2007 Bangladesh cartoon controversy
Encyclopedia
The 2007 Bangladesh cartoon controversy began after an editorial cartoon
was published in the 431st edition of Alpin , a featured supplement of the Bangladesh
i newspaper Prothom Alo
, on 17 September 2007. The cartoon featured a conversation between an elderly man and a boy culminating in the boy making a joke using the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
.
Bangladeshi Muslim
organisations, who objected to the cartoon, responded by holding public protests which led to violence and street clashes, even though such demonstrations have been banned by the interim caretaker government
. Arifur Rahman, the author of the cartoon, was arrested and detained while the publishers have publicly apologised.
s to show respect to the Islamic prophet Muhammad
. The elder informed him that he should use the prefix in front of all names. In the final strip, the man asked the boy what was in his lap to which he replied "Muhammad cat".
The country's mainly Muslim population regarded the publication of the cartoon in their holy month of Ramadhan as a deliberate attempt to ridicule Muhammad, who is highly revered by Muslims, and ignite unrest in the country. Demonstrations were held the following day in major cities, even though such protests were made unlawful by the interim caretaker government
earlier in 2007. Formal representations were made by Muslim leaders to the government during meetings held on 18 September with calls for revoking the license of the newspaper, Prothom Alo. The government banned the sale of the 431st issue and instructed the authorities to seize all printed copies while urging the public to exercise self-restraint, and ordered the arrest of the author.
In a statement released by Prothom Alo, the editor of Alpin, Matiur Rahman
, apologised expressing regret for publishing the cartoon. He stated that the "unedited, unapproved and unacceptable" cartoon is being withdrawn and would be "taking actions against the persons responsible". However, religious clerics of the country continued their outcry and demanded the arrest of Matiur Rahman and Prothom Alo's publisher, Mahfuz Anam
.
The controversy took a further twist when bloggers uncovered a similar cartoon published by Chattra Shibir
, the Student wing of the Bangladeshi Islamist party, Jamaat-E-Islami. In the November 1998 edition of Kishore Kantha, a student's submission was published which portrayed a similar picture except that instead of a cat, a vegetable was used in the punchline in response to the question, What has your mum cooked today?
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary that usually relates to current events or personalities....
was published in the 431st edition of Alpin , a featured supplement of the Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
i newspaper Prothom Alo
Prothom Alo
Prothom Alo is a major daily newspaper in Bangladesh, published from Dhaka in the Bengali language.-History:Prothom Alo was founded on 4 November 1998. As at January 2009, it had an average circulation of 435,000...
, on 17 September 2007. The cartoon featured a conversation between an elderly man and a boy culminating in the boy making a joke using the name of the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
.
Bangladeshi Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
organisations, who objected to the cartoon, responded by holding public protests which led to violence and street clashes, even though such demonstrations have been banned by the interim caretaker government
Caretaker government of Bangladesh
The Caretaker Government of Bangladesh is a form of government system in which the country is ruled by a selected government for an interim period during transition from one government to another, after the completion tenure of the former. As the outgoing government hands over their power, the...
. Arifur Rahman, the author of the cartoon, was arrested and detained while the publishers have publicly apologised.
Controversy
On 17 September 2007, a cartoon titled Naam (Name) was published in the 431st edition of Alpin. The cartoon, by 20-year-old cartoonist Arifur Rahman, featured a conversation between an elderly man and a boy and the controversy is regarding the text rather than the pictures as had been the case in previous such incidents. When the boy was asked what his name was he omitted the prefix Muhammad, used by some MuslimMuslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s to show respect to the Islamic prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
. The elder informed him that he should use the prefix in front of all names. In the final strip, the man asked the boy what was in his lap to which he replied "Muhammad cat".
The country's mainly Muslim population regarded the publication of the cartoon in their holy month of Ramadhan as a deliberate attempt to ridicule Muhammad, who is highly revered by Muslims, and ignite unrest in the country. Demonstrations were held the following day in major cities, even though such protests were made unlawful by the interim caretaker government
Caretaker government of Bangladesh
The Caretaker Government of Bangladesh is a form of government system in which the country is ruled by a selected government for an interim period during transition from one government to another, after the completion tenure of the former. As the outgoing government hands over their power, the...
earlier in 2007. Formal representations were made by Muslim leaders to the government during meetings held on 18 September with calls for revoking the license of the newspaper, Prothom Alo. The government banned the sale of the 431st issue and instructed the authorities to seize all printed copies while urging the public to exercise self-restraint, and ordered the arrest of the author.
In a statement released by Prothom Alo, the editor of Alpin, Matiur Rahman
Matiur Rahman (journalist)
Matiur Rahman is the editor of Daily Prothom Alo, the largest circulated Bangla language daily in Bangladesh. He is the recipient of the 2005 Ramon Magsaysay Award for journalism, Literature and Creative Communication Arts.-Early life:...
, apologised expressing regret for publishing the cartoon. He stated that the "unedited, unapproved and unacceptable" cartoon is being withdrawn and would be "taking actions against the persons responsible". However, religious clerics of the country continued their outcry and demanded the arrest of Matiur Rahman and Prothom Alo's publisher, Mahfuz Anam
Mahfuz Anam
Mahfuz Anam is an editor and publisher of Daily Star, one of Bangladesh's mainstream English language newspapers. He is also the publisher of "Weekly 2000", a prominent weekly newsletter from Bangladesh as well as "Anandadhara", a popular entertainment fortnightly of the country...
.
The controversy took a further twist when bloggers uncovered a similar cartoon published by Chattra Shibir
Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir
Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir is an Islamic student organization in Bangladesh. It is the de facto student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, a political party.This organization was previously named as 'Islamai Chattra Shangha'...
, the Student wing of the Bangladeshi Islamist party, Jamaat-E-Islami. In the November 1998 edition of Kishore Kantha, a student's submission was published which portrayed a similar picture except that instead of a cat, a vegetable was used in the punchline in response to the question, What has your mum cooked today?