Northeastern Ohio Muslim/religious leaders = Morons

Nation: This article ticked me off more than anything else in this cartoon controversy because of the sheer amount of stupidity and embarrassing behavior displayed.

CUYAHOGA FALLS - Several Northeastern Ohio Muslims and community leaders met Friday to express their concerns about the controversial cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that have ignited outrage and violence. At issue are the caricatures published in the European press -- work that many U.S. newspapers decided against publishing. The group also took issue with a cartoon inked by Beacon Journal editorial cartoonist Chip Bok. Bok said he did not draw his cartoon with intentions of offending Muslims and has defended his right to free press. But Muslims on Friday said Bok's cartoon was disrespectful and demeaning. The level of hurt, they said, was deeper since it was in the local paper. ``It pained me to know that the Beacon Journal printed its own editorial cartoons that sought to challenge the beauty of our community by bringing hate into its pages,'' said Rabbi David Lipper, of Akron's Temple Israel. The Beacon Journal has not published the Danish cartoons. However, on Feb. 5, the Akron paper published a Bok cartoon depicting a pixilated picture of Muhammad on CNN. A couple in the cartoon said, ``Well, no wonder Muslims are upset. Muhammad looks like he's on acid.''

Here is the cartoon Bok was blasting CNN and the rest of the media for not showing the cartoons. But the depressing victim status that some "leaders" now use to promote their own agendas was on full display. The twist was other useful idiots decided to join up.

At Friday's news conference at the Islamic Society of Akron & Kent in Cuyahoga Falls, the speakers were passionate. A.R. Abdoulkarim, Amir of the Akron Masjid, applauded newspapers that decided against running the cartoons, but condemned those who did. The Beacon Journal, he said, was in a class of its own. ``They take the prize for being the most ill-intended, irresponsible property group,'' he said. ``Allah curses and condemns them and every Muslim in this community should curse and condemn them.'' Julia A. Shearson, director of Ohio's Council of American-Islamic Relations, said they want the Beacon Journal to apologize for running the ``unethical'' cartoon and want the paper to publish their letters to the editor. After yesterday's press conference, Bok met with several leaders. The cartoonist said he drew the cartoon to take a shot at CNN for ``distorting a distortion'' and not at the prophet or Muslims.

Abdoulkarim brings the love, Shearson brings the demands for censorship and special treatment from a newspaper. Who did not see that coming? But to show you the level of what the Beacon is dealing with is this howler of a line.

Still, Muslim leaders said Bok's cartoon was disrespectful because the prophet should not have been depicted in such a way. In fact, they said, there are no pictures or statues of Muhammad because he should not be confused with God.

I guess the Mohammed image archive is a figment of everyone's imagination.

After the meeting, Bok said he learned a lot about the religion.

Given the fact they said images of Mohammed doesn't exist, they probably taught him Hinduism. But I have no sympathy for the Akron Beacon or any other paper that cowered away from this. Get use to this sort of treatment when you offend people because when push came to shove, the big bad papers and their freedom of the press was shown to be a sham.