CAIR-CAN Welcomes Newspaper's Apology for Offensive 'Jesus' Cartoon

Ottawa, Canada: The Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-CAN) has welcomed the apology from the Saskatoon Sheaf newspaper after it published an offensive cartoon about Jesus.
The Sheaf, a student-run newspaper at the University of Saskatchewan, issued an apology on last Monday for publishing the cartoon. The newspaper had previously decided not to print offensive cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad.
In a statement released, CAIR-CAN said:
"It is deeply saddening that a newspaper that respectfully refrained from publishing offensive cartoons on the Prophet Muhammad (peace be with him) instead resorted to publishing cartoons about another revered religious figure.
"In Islam, Jesus (peace be with him) is considered to be a Prophet of God, like Muhammad, and he is held in high esteem by Muslims. As a figure of religious significance in both Christianity and Islam, we stand with Christians in denouncing this offensive depiction of Jesus.
"While Canadian Muslims value freedom of expression, we recognize that the rights and freedoms we enjoy in Canada come with responsibilities that include distinguishing between meaningful debate and hateful or insulting comments.
"We are dismayed that the Sheaf departed from its previous stance on such offensive material, however we welcome its apology and hope that it will refrain from publishing such disrespectful material in the future."

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