Jon Stewart ventured into straight-up, kind-of-earnest commentary on The Daily Show last night, on behalf of a pair of fellow comics. Stewart tweaked his network Comedy Central for censoring an episode of South Park that referenced the Muslim prophet Muhammad. But more than that, together with Aasif Mandvi, he took on the New York group whose threat of violence against Trey Parker and Matt Stone (the group called it a “prediction”) prompted the Swiss-cheesing of the episode. (My apologies to the Swiss.)
Mandvi, a self-described “liberal Muslim,” said he would find a cartoon depiction of Mohammed personally upsetting. But, he added, “Here’s what’s more upsetting. Someone, in the name of a faith that I believe in, threatening another person for doing it.” And—because this is The Daily Show after all—Stewart addressed anyone threatening violence in the name of religion or politics with a rousing rendition of the old time gospel standard, “Go F*ck Yourselves.”
I’m also glad that Stewart identified the real enemy: Krod Mandoon.
