Muslims in India Launch Violent Protests and Call For Arrests Over “Blasphemous Picture” In Newspaper . . . of a Piggy Bank

piggy-bank-isis We have often discussed the various protests, often violent, in Islamic countries over alleged blasphemous statements or images. These usually involve depictions of Mohammad or religious symbols. In Mumbai, however, Muslim protesters found a new blasphemous symbol: the use of a piggy bank to show where ISIS gets its money to conduct worldwide terror campaigns. This is a standard illustration of a “piggy bank” to show the savings of a group or person. Yet, some took this from a different perspective.

The protesters burned copies of the Marathi newspaper Lokmat in various cities and there are accounts of violent attacks. Muslim leaders called for the arrest of the editor and the artist who drew the illustration. The police responded by registering cases against the editor and the writer of the article.

We have previously discussed the scourge of blasphemy laws, particularly in Muslim nations, used to punish and even execute people with differing views of religion. By allowing people to be arrested for blasphemy, the government reinforces the view that people should be punished for religious views and expressions. This point was made by Louis Brandeis:




These cases reflect the true purpose of blasphemy laws: to silence minority sects and religious critics in the name of a “true faith.” Fortunately the effort of Hillary Clinton and others in the Administration to reach a compromise on blasphemy failed, though there continue to be efforts to create an international standard. These efforts reinforce the view of many that free speech does yield to religious sensibilities.

In this case, the editors used a ubiquitous symbol of a bank with the symbols of various national currencies falling into a piggy bank, which was painted like the ISIS flag. The use of a haraam animal was enough to demand arrests for blasphemy. Various political parties demanded apologies as well as nationwide protests. It worked. The newspaper Lokmat caved to the pressure and published an apology on the front page in their Monday editions. The apology assures protesters that “action has been taken” against the responsible persons.

220px-Sparschwein_Haspa02 Of course, a piggy bank is not a real pig, let alone pork. That distinction did not seem to penetrate the logic of protesters and politicians. It was deemed blasphemy and thus punishable. Moreover, this was a graphic describing an organization that uses Islam to justify vile acts of murder, rape, and wanton destruction. Yet, the editor and writer face calls for their arrest because it is deemed as insulting to Islam. This is precisely why the effort under Secretary Clinton was so dangerous in the establishment of a criminal standard for criticism of religion.

25 thoughts on “Muslims in India Launch Violent Protests and Call For Arrests Over “Blasphemous Picture” In Newspaper . . . of a Piggy Bank”

  1. ninian:

    “So whatever the objection to a pig is, one thing it is not, is blasphemy, as such an accusation is an insult to the Creator, which is a sin on itself.” I agree. Whether one is permitted to consume an animal or not, no animal is evil, as that would imply that God made a mistake.

  2. Nick – did you ever see the movie “Jackie Brown”? The critics didn’t swoon over this one when it came out, but I loved the cool retro vibe and the casting.

  3. Well that’s just absurd.

    We must safeguard our own robust free speech rights, because we have examples every day of what happens without it. We must especially push back against those like Hillary Clinton who are trying to enact anti-blasphemy laws right here in the US, which is anathema to free speech.

    It’s the objectionable or controversial speech that requires the most protection. This was deliberate in design, to prevent the government from decreeing state approved opinion.

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