An Islamic court in India has issued a fatwa, or religious decree, condemning to death the 12 artists who drew the controversial images of the prophet Mohammed.

The decree was issued on behalf of the Idar-e-Sharia Darul Kaza Islamic court in northern Uttar Pradesh state by its religious head in the state capital, Lucknow.

"Death is the only penalty for the cartoonists who had drawn sacrilegious cartoons of the prophet," Maulana Mufti Abul Irfan, the religious head of the court, said overnight.

The court's ruling is binding on Muslims, but can be challenged under Indian law.

Calling Alan Dershowitz? Actually, a serious Muslim jurist could do us all a favor with a serious shariah-based legal challenge. Let's not forget that the cartoonists remain in hiding.