Using NewsHour Extra Feature Stories

Overview: NewsHour Extra feature stories can help students identify and interpret key issues in current events. This activity anticipates one class period, but the follow-up essay might be assigned as homework or in another period.

Warm Up: Use initiating questions to introduce the topic and find out how much your students know.

Main Activity: Have students read NewsHour Extra's feature story and answer the questions on the reading comprehension handout.

Discussion: Use discussion questions to encourage students to think about how the issues outlined in the story affect their lives and express and debate different opinions.

Follow-up: Students can write a 500-word editorial on the topic expressing their views and send it to NewsHour Extra [extra@newshour.org] for possible publication.

Evaluation: Students are graded on their answers to reading comprehension questions and/or their editorial.

Story: Muhammad Cartoons Spark Violent Protests, 02/15/06
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/extra/features/jan-june06/cartoons_2-15.html

Initiating Questions:

1. What is an editorial cartoon?

2. What is freedom of speech?

3. What is self-censorship?

Reading Comprehension Questions: (click here for printout)

1. Why are Muslims around the world angry at European newspapers?

Months of violence by Muslims around the world protesting editorial cartoons published in European papers have highlighted the cultural divisions between Western Democracies and Islam.

The problems began in September 2005 when a Danish newspaper published a 12-cartoon series on Muslim issues. One of the cartoons depicted the Prophet Muhammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.

2. When and where was the cartoon first published?

The problems began in September 2005 when a Danish newspaper published a 12-cartoon series on Muslim issues. One of the cartoons depicted the Prophet Muhammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.

3. Why did the cartoons make Muslims so angry?

In Islam, even positive depictions of Muhammad are forbidden, but Danish Muslims were also offended by the newspaper's reasons for publishing the series.

Unlike most political cartoons, the series was not the result of a news event, but of what the newspaper described as a test of self-censorship among cartoonists addressing Muslim issues.

4. What did Danish Muslims do?

Ambassadors from 10 predominantly Muslim nations sent a letter to Danish Prime Minister Fogh Rasmussen demanding a meeting and urging him "to take all those responsible to task," but Rasmussen refused.

5. How did the issue spread to other parts of the world?

Since their concerns went unheard in Denmark, several Danish Muslims traveled to the Middle East to seek support.

The Danish group met with representatives of 57 Muslim nations who had gathered in Mecca, Saudi Arabia for a December summit.

6. How many people have died as a result of the violent protests?

The death toll from the outrage has reached at least 13 and many more have been injured.

7. The cartoons aren't the only reason Muslims are angry. What are some other issues?

"The cartoons in themselves can't really explain the extent of the protest and the anger that we're seeing. … Increasingly people across the Arab and Muslim world perceive themselves to be under a generalized assault by the United States and its allies," Ali Abunimah, founder of the Electronic Intifada and journalist on Middle Eastern issues, said on the NewsHour.

He said anti-Western sentiment in the region is fed by "the war in Iraq, U.S. support for Israel, Guantanamo, Abu Grahib … and increasing xenophobia against Muslim communities within Europe."

8. Do all Muslims support the violent demonstrations?

Imam Ahmed Abu Laban, one of the Danish Muslim leaders instrumental in raising concerns about the cartoons, said Muslims have a religious obligation to defend the Prophet Muhammad in a democracy -- but said that violence is not the right way to do so.

9. What suggestions have been made to resolve the problem?

"We both believe there is something called 'holy.' Danes say freedom of speech is holy. Muslims say Muhammad is holy. Let us sit together and think how to reshape the necessary values and commitment to address this dilemma," he said.

The prime ministers of traditionally Christian Spain and Muslim Turkey, issued a joint statement calling for "respect and calm" in an opinion piece published in the International Herald Tribune.

Discussion Activity (more research might be needed):

1. Write a paragraph defending the publication of the cartoons. Write a paragraph defending the Muslim point of view. Which is stronger? Are there questions you have that would help you make stronger cases either way?

2. What should countries do to ease immigrant and/or religious tensions? Is trying to make things better giving in to violence? Explain.

3. Create an editorial cartoon about an issue in the news. Include a caricature of a well-known person and a symbol of a larger issue.

Write a 300-500 word essay on any of these topics providing clear examples. Send your completed editorial to NewsHour Extra (extra@newshour.org). Exceptional essays might be published on our Web site.