Internet T-shirt Vendor Profits from Mohammed Cartoon Conflict

You had to know that this was coming. I couldn't link to the t-shirt website. They are already that busy. Here is their notice:

The Mohammed Cartoon T Shirt is in stock!!
Due to exceptionally high traffic, our web server is running slow.We apologize for the inconvenience. Please bookmark this page and try back throughout the day or tomorrow.

PRWEB) February 8, 2006 -- To see the latest creation from conservative t-shirt maker MetroSpy some would think the Muslim world had every right to be upset. MetroSpy's new t-shirts depict an unflattering caricature of the prophet Mohammed with a bomb on his head.

The controversial cartoon, which first ran in European newspapers, has outraged Muslims around the world because Islamic tradition forbids a graphic depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.

Many in the U.S however, are angered by the violence being displayed by extreme Islamic protesters -- torching buildings, desecrating flags and in some cases even killing people. Annoyed by the violent images broadcast from the Middle East, MetroSpy decided to sell t shirts with the controversial caricature emblazoned across the front.

“We can't let the terrorists win. We can not encourage this uncivilized behavior by caving in to their wishes,” said Nate Thomas, product manager for MetroSpy.

On their website (http://www.shopmetrospy.com/), MetroSpy denounces the tactics of Islamic extremists and encourages its customers to stand up against terrorism. "Failing to print these images mean the terrorists have won", the site says.

“We wanted a simple way to exercise our freedom of speech and to stand up to the terrorists. This design was perfect,” said Thomas.

So far, the Mohammed t-shirt has become their best selling item of the year -- more than 120 orders the first day it became available.

Critics of the Mohammed t-shirts say this is a perfect example of why Americans are hated around the world. Finding humor in the desecration of another's religious symbol, even if you disagree, is just plain wrong.

Despite the critics, MetroSpy intends to keep selling the Mohammed cartoon t-shirts.