South Park episodes containing Prophet Muhammad removed from HBO Max
Cartoon launched on the streaming service on 24 June
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Episodes of adult animation South Park containing depictions of the Prophet Muhammad were removed from HBO Max.
A month after the new streaming service launched in the US in May, all 23 seasons of the Comedy Central cartoon were added to the platform on Wednesday (24 June).
However, five episodes of the controversial comedy containing cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad did not make the cut, with sources telling Deadline that the missing episodes were discussed and pulling them was ‘agreed upon in advance’.
It is seen as a violation of Islamic beliefs to physically depict Muhammad in any way, as idol worship is forbidden in the religion, including that of images, drawings and statues.
In 2010, creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker were first threatened for depicting the prophet, prompting the episodes to be pulled from streaming.
Of the five episodes removed from HBO Max, three are also unable to stream on the South Park website.
South Park is the latest cartoon to battle with problems of racism, with actors Kristen Bell and Jenny Slate stepping down from voicing black characters on Central Park and Big Mouth respectively.
Meanwhile, Netflix’s Bojack Horseman came under fire again for featuring Alison Brie as a Vietnamese-American character, with creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg calling the decision a “racist error”.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments