Did Muslims prove their love of the Prophet or extremism? [Archives:2006/931/Opinion]
Ali Al-Moqri
During protests against the Prophet Mohammed cartoons by Danish artists, some insisted that Muslims not tolerate disgracing their prophet (pbuh), bearing in mind that Muslim indifference may encourage Westerners to disgrace Allah.
Such thinking does not seem to recognize the status of religion. Did anyone hear of any criticism or insult against a religion in the West? If Western societies' relations have been transformed into spiritual relations, they tend to gravitate toward art by architects and artists in Christian culture or interpretations of the Bible's Old and New Testaments. This is manifested in the form of geometric shapes in churches and holy shrines, coupled with wonderful paintings by such great artists as DaVinci, Michelangelo's statues and Bach's music. Otherwise, churches may break their relations with society members, demonstrating traditional relations on particular occasions.
In light of primary education, society's culture turns secularist based on respecting the human mind and freedoms of ideology, intellectualism and expression. Some people don't know that there are numerous Western faculties and institutes specialized in studying religion without making a distinction between Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism or Hinduism. Some of these faculties and institutes are devoted to studying a certain religion. Any visitor to a comprehensive and specialized library will see thousands of books in this area.
There are many books by intellectuals, one of which is Nietzsche's on God's death, which earned a reputation in the West. Many years ago, a book entitled, “Christ: Reality or Myth?” was translated into Arabic by a number of researchers.
According to most studies worldwide, Allah is the only one in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. So, what about prophets, the presence of which has been doubted?
The West currently defends Christianity and Judaism. No destruction of a single church is accepted since the church is considered an aesthetic sight no less important than DaVinci's portrait or Michelangelo's statues.
As for what is debated by Muslims concerning skepticism about the Jewish Holocaust, it is a political issue created by whimsical conditions through which Europeans expiate their acts against Jews. Nevertheless, research and criticism by intellectuals and researchers like France's Roger Garudi and Britain's David Erving never stopped and the issue was handled legally. Despite this, the firm law can be always amended if it was seen as a restriction of people's freedom.
Can one compare between extremism regarding dealing with the Holocaust issue and the extremism in the way Muslims reacted to the cartoons? Where is the distinction of Islam that attracted large numbers of non-Muslims? Garudi considered Islam and Hinduism the most important world religions for supporting the rights of religious multiplicity and respecting one another.
Protests against the Prophet Mohammed cartoons reflected his holy and prestigious status in the eyes of Muslims. Consequently, they opposed any disgrace or insult against him. From another perspective, the protests expressed political attitudes through extremist religious groups that refuse the modern era's culture and do not accept dialogue with any party.
Thus, we find that Arab and Islamic media never shed light on the Danish newspaper's apology, except at an earlier time, when it apologized immediately after the incident. Religious scholars set conditions beyond the debated matter, particularly as the issue concerned a single individual and a single newspaper. The issue had no relation to any government, Europe, or the West in general necessitating an apology by everyone in the required way.
The Danish paper renewed its apology on its web site (www.jp.dk) in Arabic, English, Danish, French, German and Spanish. The media never published such apology, except after the first week, while some newspapers cast doubt on its authenticity and clarity in the six languages. Here is the translated Arabic version of the apology to Muslims:
“Dear Muslims, Al-Salaam alaikum wa rahmitullah wa barakatu. Let us first confirm that our newspaper Jyllands-Posten believes in and values freedom of religious affiliation, backs democracy and respects every individual. We apologize for the misunderstanding about the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) cartoons which inflamed Danish people's feelings and caused Muslims to boycott Danish products. So please allow me explain to you some points, in the hopes of ending any misunderstanding on the matter.
“On September 30, 2005, Jyllands-Posten newspaper published 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh) produced by Danish artists. It is of crucial importance to indicate that these cartoons were not meant to disgrace the Prophet Mohammed (pbuh). They were meant to serve as an approach to dialogue about freedom of expression, in which our country takes pride. At that time, we never perceived that Muslims living in Denmark and other Muslims worldwide would be sensitive to the matter. Publishing the caricatures does not contravene Danish press laws.
“The caricatures seemed to have sparked tension among millions of Muslims across the world. So, we do not apologize for what happened, as the newspaper had no malicious intention to disgrace Muslims or their prophet, particularly as it received an award from the European Union after publishing many articles in a supplement calling on people to enjoy peaceful living and establish mutual respect between Danes and other minorities in the country. The supplement included many subjects highlighting the positive points of Islam and Muslims.
“What later happened is that caricatures and drawings disgracing Muslims and their prophet were published in the Muslim world. Our newspaper never learned of these cartoons. We care for high morals and values based on respecting principles. So, we express deep sorrow for the misunderstanding; however, some still believe we have connections with these cartoons.
“Coming back to the 12 cartoons we published, they were misunderstood due to cultural differences. They were believed to be a campaign by us launched upon Muslims in Denmark and other parts throughout the world. We denounce such an idea and reject it, since we believe in freedom of religions and adore freedom of an individual to practice any religious rituals he or she likes. We never had an evil thought to assault any religion and we are sorry for the misunderstanding.
“As part of a series of attempts to end such misunderstanding, we held many meetings with representatives of the Muslim community in Denmark. Meetings proceeded in a positive atmosphere and dialogue was constructive. By all means, we worked on bringing about a spirit of relationship and dialogue with Danish Muslims. Enjoying peaceful living worldwide is the be-all and end-all of our desire at the newspaper and we hope a spirit of dialogue will dominate the nation, even if viewpoints differ.
“Last but not least, on behalf of Jyllands-Posten, I announce my apology for what happened and denounce any attempt to disgrace religions, minorities or nations. By this, I hope I put an end to the misunderstanding. Good luck,” Carsten Juste, Jyllands-Posten Editor-in-Chief.
From this perspective, if people believe (and I am one of them) that Muslims have the right to express their rejection of any disgrace to their prophet through peaceful demonstrations then the burning of embassies and other acts of vandalism have somehow justify the wrong image about Muslims.
The last question, which the Muslims did not ask, is whether if the Prophet PBUH were living, would he be angry at these cartoons or exploit it to his benefit? Indeed, he would not as forgiveness was one of the principles he championed.
Does the situation necessitate overreactions which reject even apologies, or were there other reasons that incited them into that reaction?
Ali Al-Moqri is a Yemeni poet and journalist. His interests include religion and the future of globalization.
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[archive-e:931-v:14-y:2006-d:2006-03-23-p:opinion]
