# How should Muslims respond to cartoons of the Prophet?

*Ignore cartoons of the Prophet: do not let provocation wind you up*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/anlfdeeoh5y/s/1/
- Date: 2020-10-29 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Cartoons of The Prophet & Boycotting France | Mufti Abu Layth (0:01–1:55)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLFdEEOH5Y&t=1s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/anlfdeeoh5y/

**Topics:** Blasphemy, insult and free speech; Current events commentary

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Ignore them: people have the right to criticise religion, and the cartoons are drawn to provoke a reaction.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says that if people want to draw cartoons of the Prophet, Muslims should just ignore it.

**Evidence, his words at 0:39:** “people have the right to critique to criticize religion if if certain people want to draw cartoons of the prophet we should just ignore it” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNLFdEEOH5Y&t=39s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth recalls that a teacher in France was beheaded for showing cartoons depicting the Prophet, an incident he had spoken about in his last Q&A. He repeats that people have the right to critique and criticise religion, and that if some want to draw cartoons of the Prophet Muslims should ignore them, since they are drawn to provoke and to hurt. He says it may hurt a person but Muslims are not here to control the world, and that while it is very silly to try to offend Muslims this way, it is their choice.

## Sources and names cited

- the killing of the teacher Samuel Paty in France (2020)

## Transcript (machine tier, 0:01–1:55)

[0:00] these people they can right now everybody is pretty much aware of the incident or the the backdrop there was an unfortunate a tragedy of a beheading that took place in france um [Music] i'm not sure if i've spoken about it already but a teacher yes i did in my last monday nights or the last q a that a teacher was beheaded for showing the cartoons depicting the prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam

[0:39] right now i have mentioned that look people have the right to critique to criticize religion if if certain people want to draw cartoons of the prophet we should just ignore it okay they do it to provoke don't react don't let it wind you up that's exactly what they want to do

[1:17] they want you to feel hurt you know your stuff is this is this is what they want this is exactly just put it out of your sight okay just ignore it it may hurt you as a person but it's the world you know we're not here to control the world we're not too i do think it's it's very silly of people to try to offend muslims by doing that but okay if they want to be silly they that's their choice

[1:54] now this particular teacher samuel patty i believe his name is now he uh i'm not sure in what context he was showing the i think i could be wrong i think he was just discussing uh freedom of speech or he was trying to discuss the charlie hebdo case and showed them as a um is that i don't know if somebody had said that here but is that what um was he just trying to because the the trials are kind of ongoing and things like this so because it was relevant i assume

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment aNLFdEEOH5Y/s/1. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/anlfdeeoh5y/s/1/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.