What Do You Think?

[Jojoking]

come on Muslims get a life and while you are at it use some of that middle east oil money and by yourselves a sense of humor. and if you say that this doesn't apply to you, then you need to be telling your fellow Muslims that it does apply to, to chill out and stop getting upset over trivial nonsense.



copied from:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13944231

28 June 2011

Mickey Mouse tweet by Egypt's Sawiris angers conservatives


One of Egypt's richest men has been accused of mocking Islam after tweeting cartoons of Mickey and Minnie Mouse wearing conservative Muslim attire.

Telecoms mogul and Coptic Christian Naguib Sawiris apologised for re-posting the images on Twitter a few days ago, saying he meant no offence.

But several Islamic lawyers have filed a formal complaint and there are calls for a boycott of his businesses.

The outcry comes at a time of tension between Egypt's Christians and Muslims.

There are also concerns about the growing influence of the ultra-conservative Salafists in Egypt. Salafists take their inspiration from the early generations of Muslims who were close to the Prophet Muhammad and his message.

The tweeted images showed Mickey Mouse wearing a traditional Islamic robe with a full beard, while Minnie Mouse is wearing a niqab - a full-body veil - with just her eyes showing.

She is identifiable by her large ears and trademark pink hair ribbon.

The cartoons were already widely circulating online, but when Mr Sawiris re-posted them last week, he received an immediate angry reaction from people who said they were offended.

On Friday, he tweeted: "I apologise for those who don't take this as a joke, I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant. I am sorry."

But tens of thousands of people have joined groups on Facebook and other social media condemning him.

"There's a fine line between expressing your opinion/freedom of speech and being flat out disrespectful," said one woman.

Secular champion

Shares in Mr Sawiris' telecoms company, Orascom - Egypt's largest private employer - have already fallen as a result of the row and subsequent calls for a boycott.

The prosecutor general's office said a group of Salafist Muslim lawyers had filed a complaint accusing Mr Sawiris of religious contempt.

"How can a man like this make fun of Muslims, in a country on the brink of sectarian discord," Muslim cleric Mazen el-Sersawi said in a television interview.

"If this is just joking, why don't you depict Mickey Mouse as a monk or a nun?"

Mr Sawiris, whose father is the richest man in Egypt, is a champion of secularism and has spoken out against the rise of Islamic fundamentalism in the country, including the increasing number of women wearing full-face veils.

He was a leading voice in the anti-government protests that ousted Hosni Mubarak from power in February and recently started a new political party, The Free Egyptians.

But many have questioned his wisdom in sharing the cartoons at a time of tensions between Coptic Christians and conservative Muslims.

Scores of people have been wounded and several killed in clashes between the two communities in recent months, and there are fears this row will increase the chances of more sectarian clashes in the run up to post-revolution elections in September.

[Jojoking]

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/145264


'Muslim Mickey' Causes a Furor in Egypt

by David Lev


While Hamas had no problem drafting Mickey Mouse – thinly disguised as “Farfur” the mouse – to indoctrinate toddlers in Gaza to join the jihad against Israel, Muslims in Egypt have called a boycott against the Christian Copt owner of a communications company who “insulted” Islam by dressing Mickey up in Muslim garb.

Fifteen lawyers are suing businessman Naguib Sawiris for publicizing a photo of Mickey Mouse wearing a white robe and a beard, together with an image of Minnie Mouse wearing a full-face veil. The lawyers, along with dozens of Muslim clerics, have called for Egyptians to cut their contracts with Sawiris' Mobinil and Orascom cellphone companies.

Islamists, many from the ultraconservative Salafi sect, have opened numerous Facebook pages calling for a boycott. "If you’re a real Muslim ... boycott his (Sawiris’) products if you love your religion. We have to cut the tongue of any person who attacks our religion,” says the page of one group.

Other groups, with titles like “We Hate You Mickey Sawiris,” have garnered thousands of page views for their sites. In a television interview, top Muslim cleric Mazen el-Sersawi accused Sawaris of fomenting tension between Muslims and Coptic Christians, who have clashed on numerous occasions in recent months, leaving dozens wounded and several dead. "How can a man like this make fun of Muslims, in a country on the brink of sectarian discord," el-Sersawi said in the interview.

Sawaris, for his part, issued an apology via his Twitter account, writing, "I apologize for those who don’t take this as a joke. I just thought it was a funny picture; no disrespect meant! I’m sorry.” Speaking Sunday at a meeting of political activists, Sawaris added, "We should not limit Islam to a beard or veil.”

The apology has not calmed tensions, however, and a protest outside Orascom headquarters is planned for later this week. Naguib Sawaris' family is considered one of the wealthiest in Egypt. Sawaris was very active in the campaign to oust Hosni Mubarak; an avowed secularist, he founded the Free Egyptian political party, which plans to run in the upcoming elections.