Hatred in The Air
Ah, I didn’t know that we: “the officially backward intolerant airheadsâ€, would provoke so much hatred towards us, simply because we said: we don’t accept this!
I still see no problem in us expressing how we felt in a peaceful way, as MMM wrote: “We’ve let go of a lot of things, we’ve tolerated a lot of disrespect and racism over the yearsâ€â€¦ but no credit was given to us because we ARE SUPPOSED to shut the **** up no matter what! So now that we finally spoke, it’s awkward, and offensive!
You know, excellent posts were written about this topic, Omar wrote a fantastic one about the inconsistency in this issue and the double standards used when Arabs are involved.
I’ve also come across an : excellent post that suggests ways, the prophet (pbuh) himself would have reacted to the cartoons. The ways mentioned are great, and certainly a lot better than the boycott, but we’re not prophets, and boycott was the first peaceful way we thought of to express our feelings, is it such a crime!
I think the world should give us a break and let us express ourselves freely as long as it’s peaceful.
After the boycott, I got many comments and read many posts on the blogosphere saying that Muslims shouldn’t have done this and that, and should’ve dealt with the matter in a more civilised way! Then I heard the news of other European countries republishing those cartoons, I didn’t know how to react! I couldn’t just get it!
Why do they judge our reactions and forget all about theirs?
Why instead of reprinting these cartoons in the name of freedom of expression and “fighting religious intoleranceâ€, why didn’t they focus on better ways of dealing with the issue?
Reactions to the re-printing varied, I’d go for what MMM perfectly said: “In fact this French daily says it’s also doing it to fight religious intolerance. So, just to get this straight, they’re fighting religious intolerance by attacking another religion and its prophet! What kind of tolerance is that?! And do they think that publishing the caricatures with others of God and Christian and Jewish figures makes it better?
Of course it doesn’t. In Islam we believe in God and all his prophets, and we find it unacceptable to portray any of them in such tasteless manners.
And as for Buddha, it’s unacceptable too because we should respect our brother buddhist’s religion as well.†He continues: “aren’t we also entitled to this same freedom of expression?
Isn’t it normal for us too to express ourselves and say that we’re unhappy about these cartoons and act upon it in peaceful ways like demonstration or boycott?â€
Also Naseem said as a reaction to the reprinting: “To do this just out of spite, just out of thumbing your nose at the Muslim world, well that’s just hatefulâ€.
A while ago I got to watch the Danish prime minister speaking to a news agency and expressing his and his country’s understanding to the reaction of Muslims, saying that Muslims in Denmark have been positive members of society and that the cartoons do not represent the feelings of the Danish people towards Muslims… he also pointed out that the Danish police will punish anyone who burns the Quran, after they’ve discovered online and mobile invitations to a protest that will be held on Saturday in which the protesters will burn the Quran as a reply to the Muslim anger towards the cartoons.
I really hope such a thing wont take place, just like I truly wish that some of the Arab militants who are sending threats and showing tendency to use violence, I wish they’ll will cut it out and think in a responsible way. There are hundreds of peaceful ways, with witch we can express ourselves and gain respect, and if you use violence, it’s way worse than what you’re protesting: the cartoons! So let’s be reasonable.
Speaking of being reasonable, the editor-in-chief of the weekly independent Jordanian newspaper Shihan published few of the cartoons under the title “Muslims of the World, be reasonableâ€. He says: “What brings more prejudice against Islam, these caricatures or pictures of a hostage-taker slashing the throat of his victim in front of the cameras or a suicide bomber who blows himself up during a wedding ceremony in Amman?”
Now although I understand that he published and said this in an attempt to cool things down, but it must be made clear that Muslims do protest and condemn terror, the one taking place in Iraq, or the one that took place in Amman, or any place in the world. Showing our dislike to the cartoons peacefully doesn’t mean we are neglecting bigger and more serious issues.
Anyway, I can’t but wish this issue will be always handled peacefully, and that other cultures will respect us and that we will respect them despite our difference, and never cross the red lines while dealing with each other.
