Category Archives: events

controversy, events

UPDATE: Islamophobic Cartoon Contest Canceled

Caricature of Geert Wilders from http://www.karikaturen-online.nl/en/homepage-en/In June, Sacred and Sequential shared reporting from Reuters that the Freedom Party of the Dutch government had announced a new “free-speech event” centered around creating illustrations of the Islamic Prophet Mohammed. Led by politician Geert Wilders, the contest was to be judged by the 2015 Garland, Texas “Draw Mohammed” contest winner, Bosch Fawstin.

Following a peaceful protest march in Islamabad in late August, reports the Associated Press,  the planned contest has been canceled. Wilders is quoted by The Telegraph as saying, “To avoid the risk of victims of Islamic violence, I have decided to not let the cartoon contest go ahead.” InfoWars deemphasizes the impact of the 10,000-strong peaceful march, focusing instead on a video death threat Wilders received.

Fawstin’s Twitter account remains suspended.

events

Jews and Comics in Canada this October

Beth Tzedec Comics Event

The Beth Tzedec Congregation in Toronto, Ontario has announced its late October showcase of connections between the comic book industry and the Jewish people. Of particular note is the involvement, along with co-curator Ron Kasman, of Steven Bergson, long-time S&S friend and contributor. Steve runs the Jewish Comics blog and is the force behind The Jewish Comics Anthology.

Details can be found here and admission is free, though reservations are required for opening night, October 23rd.

O Canada!

controversy, events

Return of Islamophobic Cartoon Contest

Here we go again…

“The Prophet Muhammad is pictured in this Islamic manuscript dated 1539–43. It comes from a royal miniature made to illustrate a copy of the poems of the celebrated Persian Nizami, and depicts the prophet’s ascension to heaven on the horse Buraq.” (Copyright © The British Library Board; courtesy of WBUR)

From Reuters:

The Freedom Party of Dutch anti-Islam politician Geert Wilders will hold a competition of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad, it said on Tuesday. The party said the plan to hold the competition in the party’s secure offices in Dutch Parliament had been approved by the Dutch Counter-terrorism Agency NCTV.

If this sounds familiar, it should. There was a “Draw Mohammed” Contest in Garland, TX in 2015, won by Bosch Fawstin who will serve as a judge for this new event. Wilders served as a keynote speaker at that 2015 contest, and two gunmen, claimed by ISIS, were killed on site.

This competition is being billed as a “free speech event,” not  unlike the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten‘s own 2005 showcase of Mohammed cartoons, similarly resulting in violence.

On a related note, Twitter recently suspended Fawstin’s account following his posting opposing on Marvel Entertainment’s plans for Muslim superheroine Ms. Marvel. This was the latest in his “multiple or repeat violations of the Twitter Rules.”

Bosch Fawstin's tweet

Islamic culture has a history of respectful images of Mohammed, though that does not in any way seem the goal of Fawstin and Wilders’s insulting affair.

academic, events, podcast

Comics and Islam, Live at MICE 2017 – 004 Sacred & Sequential Audio

Muslim identity and practices are featured more comics than ever, from mainstream titles like Ms. Marvelto independent graphic memoirs. This panel at the 2017 Massachusetts Independent Comics Expo (MICE) takes stock of this important growing field — including the brand-new book Muslim Superheroes: Comics, Islam, and Representation — and presents the perspectives of both academics and creators. Featuring discussion with Hussein Rashid (Religion Professor, Barnard College; Contributor, Muslim Superheroes), A. David Lewis (Instructor, MCPHS University; Co-Editor, Muslim Superheroes; writer, Kismet, Man of Fate), Sara Alfageeh (Illustrator, Co-Director, BOY/BYE series MIPSTERZ project), and Hillary Chute (English Professor, Northeastern Unitersity).

A. David Lewis, Hillary Chute, Hussein Rashid, Sara Alfageeh
A. David Lewis, Hillary Chute, Hussein Rashid, Sara Alfageeh
academic, events, podcast

Responses to MUSLIM SUPERHEROES, Live at AAR 2017 – 002 Sacred & Sequential Audio

 

On Saturday, November 18, 2017, the American Academy of Religion annual conference hosted the panel “Responses to Muslim Superheroes,” including presentations by Elizabeth Coody, Mohamed Hassan, Constance Kassor, and Aaron Ricker, with Scott Gardner as presider and A. David Lewis as respondent. Here are their presentations in their entirety from that morning session.

AAR 2017 in Boston, Nov. 18-21

AAR 2017 - Responses to Muslim Superheroes