ANOTHER day, another eruption of Muslim outrage – this time over images of Mickey and Minnie Mouse portrayed wearing Islamic garb.
The cartoons were posted on the internet by Telecoms mogul and Coptic Christian Naguib Sawiris, who has since apologised, saying he meant no offence:
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 several Islamic lawyers have filed a formal complaint, accusing Sawiris of religious contempt, and there are calls for a boycott of his businesses.
Tens of thousands of people have joined groups on Facebook and other social media condemning him.
Said one woman:
There’s a fine line between expressing your opinion/freedom of speech and being flat out disrespectful.
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.
Muslim cleric Mazen el-Sersawi asked in a television interview:
How can a man like this make fun of Muslims, in a country on the brink of sectarian discord? 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.
Note: We assume the Minnie posted by Sawiris is the once reproduced above. The Mickey shown is a work by Ron English, a well-known painter, whose work has been exhibited in galleries and museums worldwide.
Hat tip: Paul W. &Â Ivan
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
June 29th, 2011 at 4:13 pm
It’s a bit of a mickey mouse argument isn’t it…
…I’ll get my coat
June 29th, 2011 at 4:45 pm
All this seems a bit one sided. I’m upset at women being hunted down and murdered in so called honour killings, at Female Genital Mutilation, at women buried up to their necks and stones to death for sex outside marriage and so much else. All fine in the religion of the prophet. Somebody draws a veil on a cartoon and they get all upset. But I guess that’s religion for you.
June 29th, 2011 at 4:47 pm
Naguib Sawiris is wasting his money and his breath. The Muslim Brotherhood are now in charge. If you think Mubarak was bad, watch this space…
June 29th, 2011 at 6:13 pm
The Palestinians already have a “Muslim Mickey Mouse”:
http://youtu.be/tzlFPm7bymY
That’s a far cry from the “Laurel and Hardy” cartoons that used to delight us at our Sunday School parties back in the Fifties!
June 29th, 2011 at 6:24 pm
Both images are shown here:
http://globalvoicesonline.org/.....nie-mouse/
June 29th, 2011 at 6:55 pm
Newspaniard: The Muslim Brotherhood have no plans to establish any sort of a “Muslim state”. No one has anything to fear from them, as they have made plain on numerous occasions!
http://www.memri.org/report/en.....0/5404.htm
June 29th, 2011 at 7:38 pm
Oh FFS! When you think of all the things they could complain about, to have a go at a cartoon. They need to get a life.
June 29th, 2011 at 7:57 pm
I notice none of our brave, truth seeking, injunction breaking, Ryann bonking media are publishing the pictures. Out of misplaced “respect” for the Religion of Peace (TM)? Or more probably, as they finally admitted after the Danish Mohammed cartoon fiasco, out of fear for themselves, their families and staff.
June 29th, 2011 at 8:09 pm
If they can’t take a joke, why do they wear the beekeeper suit?
June 29th, 2011 at 8:43 pm
If anyone else has the same problem I did with barriejohn’s link (the pic was there for a sec, then got replaced by ‘this image has been removed’), I refreshed and quickly nabbed it. Here it is in all it’s glory.
Strange protest. You’d think they’d want Minnie in a bin-bag, what with her being of the female persuasion, an’ all…
June 29th, 2011 at 10:19 pm
Muslim control freaks throwing toys out of pram – again. All this petty whinging by fundie muzzies must be starting to back-fire on them by now, as more people must be laughing at their childish stupidity.
I expect the muzzies are upset by the bow in Mo-Minnie’s hair – tart
June 30th, 2011 at 3:05 am
Why do these hypocrites think this was a joke and disrespectful?
Minnie is female…islamic law says females are to wear the tent.
To be able to view Minnie she must be in a tent.
So she was in a tent…DAAAHHH.
There must be something I missed.
June 30th, 2011 at 7:58 am
When the muslims discover Porky Pig they’re gonna go apeshit!
June 30th, 2011 at 11:10 am
You can’t be sure because of the berka – and because if it you won’t be able to get her into court before King Rat to find out!
June 30th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
On a slightly different note, my Partner was out on a picket line today, and an African Muslim walked up and pretended to shoot them all while saying “in the name of Allah if I had a gun I would shoot you all dead”
The piece of shit wasn’t brave enough to hang around when the security guards came out.