Leamington Muslims join cartoon row

YOUNG Muslims in Leamington have added their names to a petition calling on students at a London university to remove a cartoon they published online depicting the Prophet Muhammed and Jesus Christ drinking alcohol.

Local members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association (AMYA) are angry after it emerged last week University College London's Atheist, Secularist and Humanist Society posted the title page from controversial comic book 'Jesus and Mo' on Facebook.

The satirical comic strip is published twice-weekly depicting Jesus and Muhammad as flatmates who share jokes and engage in pub banter.

Thousands of signatures have been added to online petitions calling for the society to remove the image from its promotion material.

A spokesman for the AMYA said: “These cartoons are likely to hurt the feelings of Muslims within society and whilst we do not agree with the notion that causing offence to other should be a crime, we do believe people should observe not only tolerance of each others' way of life, but avoid making others feel insulted.”

University College London's student union last week said it would be "prudent" for the society to take down the image, but in response about 3,000 signatures have been generated on a counter petition to “defend freedom of expression at University College London" and criticise "attempts to censor" the society.