Making A Point About Free Speech With Everyone Draw Mohammed Day

May 20 is now “Everybody Draw Mohammed Day,” thanks to Facebook. We can officially add this "holiday" as one a lot more odd non-official holiday. Some individuals, such as the organizers, see this day as a way to spark debate. This "holiday", though, really runs more of a risk of anger than understanding.

Article Source: Everybody Draw Mohammed Day – Making a free speech point By Personal Money Store

Everybody Draw Mohammed Day – the context

The essential questions that lie behind Everybody Draw Mohammed Day are building for years. A tenant of the Muslim religion bans showing images of God or the prophet Mohammed. The controversy over non-Muslims drawing the prophet really started in about 2005, when a Danish newspaper printed 12 images of Mohammed. Most recently, the creators of “South Park” have faced death threats for their episode that satirizes the prohibition on showing Mohammed. Some estimates blame this five-year controversy for as much as 200 deaths, and it has led to lawsuits in and outside of the United States that have costs running into the millions of dollars. Rather than hide or hire bodyguards, numerous people are choosing cash until payday loan to face threats of personal injury head-on.

The point of Everyone Draw Mohammed Day

On April 23, Everybody Draw Mohammed Day was announced on the Portland Mercury site. This "Everybody Draw Mohammed Day" was created as a way to respond to the death threats against "South Park" creators. The informational page on Facebook for Everyone Draw Mohammed Day says the creators hope to "spark severe debate in international forums.”

Everyone Draw Mohammad Day – the effects

An incredibly wide variety of groups, organizations, and people have responded to Everybody Draw Mohammed Day. At one point, the page was deleted by Facebook, though it was eventually restored. Free speech advocates are calling Everyone Draw Mohammed Day a way to exercise the right to free speech. Some religious tolerance groups are concerned that the “celebration” of the day could very easily turn into mockery of all Muslims, not just the extremists that are the intended target. Some countries have actually blocked access to Facebook and YouTube.

What is your opinion? Is this "celebration" dangerous or offensive? Or is Everybody Draw Mohammed Day a way to spark debate and peacefully express free speech?