Bookstores ban magazine issue

Borders and Waldenbooks stores will not stock the April-May issue of Free Inquiry magazine because it contains cartoons of Muhammad that provoked deadly protests among Muslims in several countries.

“For us, the safety and security of our customers and employees is a top priority, and we believe that carrying this issue could challenge that priority,� Borders Group Inc. spokeswoman Beth Bingham said.

The magazine, published by the Council for Secular Humanism in suburban Amherst, N.Y., includes four of the drawings that initially appeared in a Danish newspaper in September, including one depicting Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban with a lighted fuse.

Islamic tradition bars depiction of Muhammad, to prevent idol worship, which is strictly prohibited.

“What is at stake is the precious right of freedom of expression,� said Paul Kurtz, editor in chief of Free Inquiry. “Cartoons often provide an important form of political satire.... To refuse to distribute a publication because of fear of vigilante violence is to undermine freedom of press -- so vital for our democracy.�