Remember Pamela Geller, whose “Muhammad Cartoon Contest” in Garland, Texas, earlier this month resulted in the deaths of two men who tried to attack the event?
It's obvious that liberal comedian and CNN/Daily Beast commentator Dean Obeidallah does. During his radio program on SiriusXM this past Saturday, the “man who wants to be your Muslim friend” launched a “Draw Your Favorite Islamophobe” contest.
The announcement on his website read in part:
Do you know how to draw, even just stick figures? Do you hate bigotry? Then I hope you enter my “Draw Your Favorite Islamophobe Contest.” You can draw a cartoon or image of any person or group that is actively stoking flames of hate towards Muslims.
It can be Pam Geller or an elected official like Republican Oklahoma State Rep. John Bennett, who has called for cutting American Muslims out of our country like a “cancer” to media figures (I’m looking at you, Fox News!), or ISIS (the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria), which is truly one of the most anti-Muslim groups out there.
After an entry is completed, “take a photo of it and send it to me at submissions@thedeansreport.com,” Obeidallah continued.
“The winner will be announced on my show this coming Saturday and receive a tasty falafel (or a gift certificate up to $10 to a restaurant in your area that serves falafels),” he stated.
“Plus you will get a DVD of the comedy documentary I co-directed -- The Muslims Are Coming! -- that features some great comedians like The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart, Lewis Black, Janeane Garofalo,” the liberal comedian noted.
“And you can be on my show to give an acceptance speech,” Obeidallah noted. “So draw away. Deadline for entries is Friday, May 15, at noon ET."
Obeidallah discussed the contest with two uests on Saturday's program: Alia Salem from the Dallas Chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and Amani Al-Khatahtbeh of the muslimgirl.net website as “the best way to counter the haters while still respecting freedom of expression.”
Regarding his show, Obeidallah stated that it “airs live every Saturday at 10 a.m. to noon ET on SiriusXM Insight (Channel 121) and repeats several times over the weekend. Hope you check it out and better yet, give us a call during the show to 'Ask a Muslim' a question.”
The liberal host and his guests also “discuss issues of the week or even be a contestant on our weekly segment 'Name That Religion.' And as always, I want to be your Muslim friend.”
As you might expect, sarcastic reactions on the Twitter website included one from @Major_Skidmark, who called the host “super edgy and brave. What a putz.”
@lachlan also joked that Obeidallah is being “so brave. I just hope he has a formidable security detail.”
The host “is willing to have this event for the same reason liberals only target Christians,” @RobProvince noted. “He knows he's safe doing so.”
Along those lines, @johncardillo posted: “This gutless moron mocks people who won't try to kill him for mocking those who will.”
@bitingtea asked Obeidallah: “Have any religious groups threatened your life if you ever drew an Islamophobe?” “It's a lot easier for you because there aren't thousands of people who will want to kill you for this,” @MrThomasHoffman stated.
While questioning whether the host is really a “comedian,” @neontaster asked: “Wanna bet no one will die over this contest?” “And zero people will attempt to kill him,” @redsteeze replied.
“Bless your heart,” @LeonHWolf posted. “You're kind of dumb, aren't you?”
“The only way your contest has a point is if someone tries to murder you over it,”@jfgrovest asserted. “Think that'll happen?”
@xjohn added a new twist to the discussion by stating: “He will prove the point of Geller, et al. -- only Islamists murder over drawings.”
“Honestly, we should all contribute art” to Obeidallah's contest, @BenHowe suggested. “Maybe then he’ll get the point.”
The staff at Twitchy.com responded: “It’s a nice thought, but the notion that Obeidallah would get the point -- of anything -- is, sadly, wishful thinking.”
@eagseagle summarized the discussion by stating that the liberal host “hasn't gone after a hard target in his life. That's why no one will remember him.”
Perhaps the most bizarre twist in the entire debate is the fact that Obeidallah is asking for drawings his radio audience won't be able to see -- unless they are directed to his website, which is a great example of doing something radical without thinking it through.
