'South Park' creators warned: Poking fun at Muhammed could invite deadly Muslim rage

Originally Published:Wednesday, April 21st 2010, 11:13 AM
Updated: Thursday, April 22nd 2010, 5:59 AM

Comedy Central

RevolutionMuslim.com posted a warning following the 200th episode of Trey Parker and Matt Stone's 'South Park,' which included a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad disguised in a bear suit.

The creators of "South Park" better watch their backs.

That's what a radical Islamic group based in Queens "warned" on their Web site, RevolutionMuslim.com, using violent imagery to express their anger over the depiction of the Prophet Muhammed - hidden in a bear suit - on the 200th episode of the long-running Comedy Central series.

"We have to warn Matt [Stone] and Trey [Parker] that what they are doing is stupid," a posting on the Web site stated on Tuesday, according to reports.

"They will probably end up like Theo Van Gogh for airing this show," it noted, referencing the Dutch filmmaker who was murdered in 2004 over a documentary he made that addressed violence against Muslim women.

"This is not a threat, but a warning of the reality of what will likely happen to them," the statement reportedly concluded.

The suggestion that the message, accompanied by violent imagery, was not meant as a "threat," was echoed by the author of Islamic group's Web site post.

"It's not a threat," Abu Talhah al Amrikee told Fox News, who noted that the show's use of the religious figure could invite violence.

"They're going to be basically on a list in the back of the minds of a large number of Muslims," he said. "It's just the reality."

Despite claims that they did not seek to invite violence against Stone and Parker, the site also reportedly revealed where the "South Park" creators work, and included a sermon calling for punishments for blasphemy against the Muslim religion.

Stone, Parker and Comedy Central have not commented on the warning.

The site no longer appears online, and a phone number associated with the group has since been disconnected.

The Prophet Muhammed was featured in "South Park" in 2001. An episode in 2006 was to feature the Muslim figure again, but Comedy Central censored the scene and it never aired.

The warning has apparently failed to prompt the show to back down. The "South Park" Web site said the Muhammad plot line would continue in a new episode set to air last night.

MICHAEL SHERIDAN