MINNEAPOLIS — The Star Tribune's publisher apologized Wednesday after Muslim lawmakers described a cartoon as "blatantly racist."
The first panel of Sunday's cartoon shows a man telling a woman that "broadcasting the Muslim call to prayer at all hours will make Minneapolis too noisy."
The next image shows masked gunmen firing outside of the home they're in.
Lawmakers held a press conference Wednesday to address the recent attacks on mosques and hate crime prevention. It was there that DFL Muslim legislators condemned the cartoon.
"No one should be afraid to go and pray at their most sacred space," said State Rep. Hodan Hassan. "I also want to address the cartoon that was created by the Star Tribune."
Hassan represents the district where a suspected arsonist targeted two mosques in the past week. She said the cartoon contributes to hate and people who act on it.
"We're not laughing," said Hassan. "This community is not laughing, especially when the Star Tribune is putting out a cartoon that incites this, that gets people riled up," said State Sen. Omar Fateh. "These are the type of words and actions that causes folks to not feel safe, that causes school shootings, that causes our places of worship to be attacked."
The Star Tribune's CEO and Publisher Steve Grove said in a statement that the cartoon, drawn by recently hired editorial cartoonist Mike Thompson, was "intended to support the recent decision by the Minneapolis City Council to allow expanded use of the Muslim call to prayer." But it "was perceived by many to have missed the mark."
He went on to say, "I agree that the cartoon didn't achieve its goal but instead brought pain to readers and communities who felt targeted and mischaracterized. I'm sorry that the Star Tribune published it."
Grove is in his second week on the job. The editorial cartoonist, Thompson, was also recently hired and works independently of reporters and editors in the newsroom, according to an article by the Star Tribune.
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