The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on 19 February deplored the violent depiction of Jesus in a recent NBC ”Saturday Night Live” (SNL) skit. According to NBC’s description of the skit: “In Quentin Tarantino’s new historical revenge thriller, ‘DJesus Uncrossed,’ Jesus emerges from his tomb and has the Romans on his radar.”
In a statement, CAIR National Executive Director Nihad Awad said: “Such misrepresentation of what Jesus, peace be upon him, stands for is extremely offensive to Muslims and to all those who believe in his message. While we understand the use of shocking imagery and bizarre juxtapositions to provoke a humorous response, we believe such a distasteful portrayal of a religious figure revered by billions of Muslims and Christians worldwide crosses the comedic line. We strongly support free speech rights for all, but one would hope that common decency and respect for the beliefs of others would help avoid such unfortunate depictions.” Awad noted that many people are unaware that Muslims revere and love Jesus as one of God’s greatest messengers. Every time Muslims mention Jesus’ name, they add “peace be upon him.”