By: Dave Astor A Malaysian newspaper said the government may take action against it for publishing Monday's "Non Sequitur" comic mentioning the Prophet Muhammad, according to a Bloomberg report.
Wiley Miller's Feb. 20 cartoon, which can be viewed
here, shows an artist next to a sign saying: "Caricatures of Muhammad while you wait!" The caption reads: "Kevin finally achieves his goal to be the most feared man in the world."
After the cartoon was published in the New Strait Times, police received complaints from Malaysia's Islamic opposition party (Parti Islam SeMalaysia) and three nongovernmental organizations. The Times got a show-cause letter from the Internal Security Ministry and was given three days to explain in writing why action shouldn't be taken against it for running the cartoon, which the ministry said breached the conditions of the newspaper's publishing permit.
"Once again, it seems the ironically challenged have just validated
the point of the satire," said Miller, when reached today by E&P.
Times Editor in Chief Hishamuddin Aun said in a statement published on the front page today: "The matter is in the hands of the authorities. Everyone should allow the law to take its course."
Following the complaints, the Times reprinted the cartoon Wednesday alongside an editorial asking the people and government to "judge if it was really offensive," Bloomberg reported.
About 60% of Malaysians follow Islam, according to the story.
The government earlier this month revoked the permit of the Sarawak Tribune for reprinting the Danish cartoons. It also suspended the Guang Ming Daily's evening edition for two weeks after the Chinese-language newspaper published a photo of a person reading a newspaper which carried the caricatures, said the Bloomberg article.
Monday's "Non Sequitur" comic doesn't picture Muhammad. Cartoons showing the prophet -- first published by a Danish newspaper and then by other papers -- have led to violent protests by many Muslims in various countries.
Miller does "Non Sequitur" for more than 700 newspapers via Universal Press Syndicate.
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