Francaviglia, Richard --- "Images of Muhammad: religious law and freedom of expression" [2017] ELECD 1602; in Nafziger, A.R. James (ed), "Comparative Law and Anthropology" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2017) 263

Book Title: Comparative Law and Anthropology

Editor(s): Nafziger, A.R. James

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781781955178

Section: Chapter 11

Section Title: Images of Muhammad: religious law and freedom of expression

Author(s): Francaviglia, Richard

Number of pages: 41

Abstract/Description:

The ban on images of the Prophet Muhammad has taken varied forms throughout Islamic history. The ban has also varied spatially, in part depending on which branch or sect of Islam is involved. At its most institutionalized or codified, and in some particular locales, the depiction of Muhammad (and other prophets) may be included as “blasphemy” under Islamic law. Such bans are considered in the context of both Islamic and non-Islamic societies. Whereas images of the prophet(s) are increasingly censured in Islamic society, the Western or non-Muslim world has increasingly created such imagery under the rubric of “freedom of expression.” Although Islam traditionally forgives those who accidentally commit transgressions, those who do so deliberately – especially when their goal is to ridicule the faith – may face harsh penalties. Many Muslims view such ridicule as a tangible assault upon their religion and demand that it stop. This issue is timely and has reached a flash point: it gained much attention in 2005 after Muslim demonstrations worldwide in response to the Danish cartoons of Muhammad. A decade later (2015), it resulted in the massacre of the entire editorial staff of the Paris-based satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo by Islamic extremists.