It seems that the recent violence over Prophet Muhammad cartoons printed in a Danish newspaper has spawned a minor copycat icon-troversy, so to speak. Teresa Bergen, a Portland, Oregon yoga-instructor and painter, is apparently under fire from a small faction of Hindus for her artistic representations of cats in poses inspired by Hindu gods. Bergen has received angry emails from as far away as India, England and Qatar.

Many of the messages referred to recent riots among Muslims worldwide over a Danish newspaper's publication of cartoons depicting the prophet Mohammed.

Some alluded to sinister consequences if Bergen kept the website up, although a direct threat from any of the emailers is hard to ascertain.

In a cryptic reference to Christian and Muslim responses to blasphemy, one emailer wrote in broken English: "If you will do such thing you will be hanged publicly or stoned or someone may kill you, or you shall be put to death.... We Hindus generally do not come on road and become violent.... Do you wish that we react to all of you, doing such denigration worldwide, in a way like Muslims are doing. Think twice my sister!"

And the blasphemy of the Pacific Northwest doesn't stop there. A Portland couple have had their blog banned in Pakistan for, among other things, reprinting those very same Danish cartoons.

In case you're not up on Pakistani blasphemy laws, they state, "Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by visible representation, or by any imputation, innuendo or insinuation, directly or indirectly, defiles the sacred name of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) shall be punished with death, or imprisonment for life, and shall also be liable to fine."

A fine on top of death? Harsh. But while Pakistan and the United States have a bilateral extradition treaty, blasphemy is not one of the included offenses.

FrankMask

Saint Paul, MN

June 2003

MAR 30, 2006 08:25 PM

Good for them. It would be tiresome and expensive to go around interviewing everyone and painting "crazy/violent" on the foreheads of the dangerous ones. Much better for them to volunteer themselves.

ThisIsWhoWeAre

Oakland, CA

July 2004

MAR 30, 2006 09:33 PM

That second one is amazing. They have a file on their page to "print your own Mo stickers" with the Turban-Bomb Mohammed image. Yay for free speech and all, but Damn, there comes a point where self-preservation should take over.