THE TELEGRAPH: Comedy Central, the television network, has censored the latest episode of South Park, following threats by a radical Muslim group that its producers could be killed.
The second episode of a two-part storyline contained further references of the Prophet Mohammed, but his body was purposely blocked out while all audio mentions to him were bleeped out.
Comedy Central also censored 35 seconds worth of a conversation towards the end of the show between the characters Stan, Jesus Christ and Father Christmas.
It led to speculation that Parker and Stone had censored themselves as part of a joke or a wider commentary, but they issued a statement in response to Comedy Central's decision to alter the episode.
It said: "In the 14 years we’ve been doing South Park we have never done a show that we couldn’t stand behind. >>> | Thursday, April 22, 2010
TIMES ONLINE: An American television network has blocked global internet broadcasts of an episode of South Park featuring the Prophet Muhammad after death threats from a radical Islamic group.
The 201st edition of the satirical animation was aired on Comedy Central last night but only after the channel had introduced a slew of audio and visual obfuscations in addition to the self-censorship applied by the programme’s makers.
A spokesman confirmed that the network had not granted permission to play the episode online and that producers had edited the programme before it was broadcast. >>> Nico Hines, Washington | Thursday, April 22, 2010
THE GUARDIAN: Extremist group's death warning leads TV network to censor 201st episode, to fans' dismay
They have depicted the Queen blowing her brains out after a failed attempt by the British army to reinvade America, Saddam Hussein as Satan's gay lover, and Jesus as a trigger-happy superhero. Mormons, Scientologists, Catholics, Jews, politicians and film stars have all been skewered on the razor-sharp wit of South Park.
Now the caustic animated satire appears to have reached its limits within the confines of mainstream US television. Fans and pundits alike were taken aback last night when an episode featuring the prophet Muhammad purportedly dressed in a bear costume had bleeps and "Censored" blocks slapped liberally throughout to remove all audio and visual reference to the prophet.
The censorship followed a warning from a New York-based group of extremist Muslim converts that could be construed as a death threat. The group, through its website Revolutionmuslim.com, had reacted to last week's episode of South Park which first depicted Muhammad dressed as a bear by saying its originators, Matt Stone and Trey Parker, "will probably wind up like Theo van Gogh".
To underline the point, the website carried a picture of Van Gogh, the Dutch film-maker killed in 2004 after he made a documentary on the abuse of women in Muslim countries, with his throat cut and a knife in his chest. They also listed the New York headquarters of Comedy Central, the cable television channel that broadcasts the show, and South Park's production company, adding: "You can pay them a visit at these addresses."
In the aftermath of the show's censorship, the chatrooms on South Park's website hummed with the indignation of its fans. "Do you seriously think that will appease the extremists from more terrorism?" one wrote.
As controversy raged, Comedy Central confessed that it was responsible for the cuts. "I can't go into the thinking behind it, but I can confirm it was Comedy Central that inserted the bleeps and not South Park," a spokesman for the station said. >>> Ed Pilkington in New York | Thursday, April22, 2010
Clarifying the South Park Response and Calling on Others to Join in the Defense of the Prophet Muhammad – RevolutionMuslim.com >>>
Try also Revolutionmulim.blogspot.com
THE GUARDIAN: South Park Muhammad episode censored: US Muslim group warns creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker they could 'wind up like Van Gogh' for depiction of prophet >>> Alexandra Topping and agencies | Thursday, April 22, 2010
Related:
South Park Creators Warned by Islamic Website >>> Nick Allen in Los Angeles | Wednesday, April 21, 2010
