30 most shocking South Park moments ever
By Jeremy Dick
12. The prophet Muhammad puts South Park in hot water
When South Park was reaching its 200th episode landmark, Trey Parker and Matt Stone wanted to do something grand. They did just that with a compelling two-parter episode, aptly called “200” and “201”. The story sees Tom Cruise, and every other celebrity the show has been mocking over the years, filing a class action lawsuit against South Park.
As a part of the storyline, Cruise agrees to drop the suit under one condition. If he is able to meet the Muslim prophet Muhammad, he won’t pursue the case. This is Stone and Parker’s way of pushing the envelope, based on the controversies stemming from cartoonists depicting Muhammad in their art.
In the episode, the boys go to great lengths to avoid showing Muhammad. This includes dressing him up as a mascot, for example. Stone and Parker heavily satirize the media’s deep fear of showing anything with Muhammad.
After airing the episode, controversy comes to the network. Fearing reprisal from radical Islamic groups, Comedy Central pulls the episode from syndication. It’s not available to stream online and you can only see it on the DVD release.
Furthermore, Sri Lanka banned South Park completely based on the episode’s depiction of Buddha snorting cocaine.