'Everybody Draw Muhammad Day' Advocate Rattled by Death Threats. The creator of a now-defunct "Everybody Draw Muhammad Day" page on Facebook fears she may be targeted for death now that the cartoonist who launched the online campaign has been placed on an execution list by a radical Yemeni-American cleric.
Radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has singled out a Seattle-based cartoonist as a "prime target" for assassination for her role in an online campaign that solicited depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. A Toronto woman fears she will now be targeted as well
The 27-year-old Facebook page creator -- a Canadian woman who asked not to be identified due to fears of reprisal -- told FoxNews.com that she was visited at her home last week by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials who advised her to remove her page and not to talk to reporters.
"I'm scared," she said. "I'm scared that somebody might kill me."
The woman created her version of "Everybody Draw Muhammad" in late April, days after a Seattle cartoonist launched the online campaign to protest Comedy Central's censoring of an episode of "South Park," in which the Prophet Muhammad was depicted wearing a bear costume. The Canadian woman said she will no longer act as the administrator of such a page.
"I just want to be quiet now," she continued. "I wish I didn't do this."
As part of "Inspire," a 67-page English-language Al Qaeda magazine, Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki -- who has been linked to the botched Times Square bombing and cited as inspiration for the Fort Hood massacre and the plot of two New Jersey men to kill U.S. soldiers -- targeted the Seattle cartoonist for "assassination," along with others who have participated in her campaign.
"The large number of participants makes it easier for us because there are more targets to choose from in addition to the difficulty of the government offering all of them special protection," wrote al-Awlaki, who is an American citizen. "But even then our campaign should not be limited to only those who are active participants."
He warned that "assassinations, bombings and acts of arson" are all legitimate forms of revenge against the creators of blasphemous depictions of Muhammad.
"Now, with the defamation of Muhammad reaching the shores of America, I wonder whether the patriotic American Muslim will still have the audacity to claim that he enjoys the right to be a Muslim in America?" Al-Awlaki wrote. "Does he understand that this right includes his duty to fight against those who blaspheme his Prophet?"
Al-Awlaki invited Muslims worldwide to "stand up in defense" of Muhammad and for their efforts to "manifest in all appropriate" means.
The Canadian woman told FoxNews.com that she created her page as a way for Facebook users to discuss Islam "openly and honestly" -- and that she has lost most of her anger following her initial outrage.
"I was upset at first, but I'm not too upset anymore," she said. "I kind of got tired of it."
She said she now realizes her online actions may have put her in jeopardy. Following the recommendation of Canadian authorities, she said she has altered her routines and will consider changing her phone number.
"I have no way of knowing what might happen to me," she said.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Pat Flood, citing department policy, would not confirm or deny that police officials visited the woman's home.
David Gomez, the FBI's assistant special agent in charge of counterterrorism in Seattle, said authorities consider the threat "very seriously" and confirmed that they contacted the Seattle cartoonist two weeks ago.
"We take the written threat very seriously and we advised her to take appropriate actions," Gomez said Monday. "We wanted her to lower her profile, basically."
Gomez said FBI officials felt "obligated to warn" the Seattle woman based on previous attempts by Al Qaeda to target individuals for caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
"Al Qaeda is a very real organization, they have made attempts on other journalists involved in this type of activity," Gomez said. "Based on that, we felt obligated to warn her."
Radical Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki has singled out a Seattle-based cartoonist as a "prime target" for assassination for her role in an online campaign that solicited depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. A Toronto woman fears she will now be targeted as well
The 27-year-old Facebook page creator -- a Canadian woman who asked not to be identified due to fears of reprisal -- told FoxNews.com that she was visited at her home last week by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officials who advised her to remove her page and not to talk to reporters.
"I'm scared," she said. "I'm scared that somebody might kill me."
The woman created her version of "Everybody Draw Muhammad" in late April, days after a Seattle cartoonist launched the online campaign to protest Comedy Central's censoring of an episode of "South Park," in which the Prophet Muhammad was depicted wearing a bear costume. The Canadian woman said she will no longer act as the administrator of such a page.
"I just want to be quiet now," she continued. "I wish I didn't do this."
As part of "Inspire," a 67-page English-language Al Qaeda magazine, Yemeni-American cleric Anwar al-Awlaki -- who has been linked to the botched Times Square bombing and cited as inspiration for the Fort Hood massacre and the plot of two New Jersey men to kill U.S. soldiers -- targeted the Seattle cartoonist for "assassination," along with others who have participated in her campaign.
"The large number of participants makes it easier for us because there are more targets to choose from in addition to the difficulty of the government offering all of them special protection," wrote al-Awlaki, who is an American citizen. "But even then our campaign should not be limited to only those who are active participants."
He warned that "assassinations, bombings and acts of arson" are all legitimate forms of revenge against the creators of blasphemous depictions of Muhammad.
"Now, with the defamation of Muhammad reaching the shores of America, I wonder whether the patriotic American Muslim will still have the audacity to claim that he enjoys the right to be a Muslim in America?" Al-Awlaki wrote. "Does he understand that this right includes his duty to fight against those who blaspheme his Prophet?"
Al-Awlaki invited Muslims worldwide to "stand up in defense" of Muhammad and for their efforts to "manifest in all appropriate" means.
The Canadian woman told FoxNews.com that she created her page as a way for Facebook users to discuss Islam "openly and honestly" -- and that she has lost most of her anger following her initial outrage.
"I was upset at first, but I'm not too upset anymore," she said. "I kind of got tired of it."
She said she now realizes her online actions may have put her in jeopardy. Following the recommendation of Canadian authorities, she said she has altered her routines and will consider changing her phone number.
"I have no way of knowing what might happen to me," she said.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Sgt. Pat Flood, citing department policy, would not confirm or deny that police officials visited the woman's home.
David Gomez, the FBI's assistant special agent in charge of counterterrorism in Seattle, said authorities consider the threat "very seriously" and confirmed that they contacted the Seattle cartoonist two weeks ago.
"We take the written threat very seriously and we advised her to take appropriate actions," Gomez said Monday. "We wanted her to lower her profile, basically."
Gomez said FBI officials felt "obligated to warn" the Seattle woman based on previous attempts by Al Qaeda to target individuals for caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad.
"Al Qaeda is a very real organization, they have made attempts on other journalists involved in this type of activity," Gomez said. "Based on that, we felt obligated to warn her."
Contacted via e-mail, the Seattle woman declined comment.
( foxnews.com )
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