I’ve spent the last couple of weeks doing nothing but replying to comments on my blog, entering forums, leaving comments on people’s blogs, just to defend Arabs in general and Muslims in particular.
I’ve reached a point where I’m truly and utterly FED UP! Some people just don’t want to listen, they keep blabbering and asking pointless questions for no reason but to say: hey, gotcha!
Well I really don’t care anymore. Think whatever you wish, we’ve been living with wrong impressions and a stinky reputation for ages, we sort of got used to it, we’re trying to get the message across that we do have people who are worth respect, but no use, so here’s my decision: no more replying to offensive and rude comments left on my blog; no more entering pointless discussions; and no more defending, we’re a lot more better than wasting our whole time on defending our stands and explaining our culture as well as our religion to those who are not willing to listen with an open-mind in the first place.
I’ve had enough of this whole cartoon issue, I’m not shocked for the reactions of non-Muslims, and I don’t blame them for hating us even more after the stupid violent reactions of some Muslims during protests burning embassies and threatening innocent civilians. And here I am again for the millionth time condemning those violent reactions, there is no justification whatsoever, they are of no use, they are disgusting and have caused us Muslims more damage than the cartoons themselves.
BUT, not accepting violence and condemning it does not mean I deny Muslims the right to be offended and react any peaceful way they choose, no matter how silly and pointless their choices seemed to non-Muslims.

What shocked me, or better say disgusted me, was the reaction of some Muslims to this issue. They are not condemning violence only, but the simple right of Muslims to be offended in the first place.
In what twisted logic is it ok for ALL people to express how they feel towards others freely with no restrictions, but when it comes to Muslims it becomes really “not cool” and “not civilized” to do the very same?
I mean when the hell are you going to finally stop kissing asses to win admiration and be called modern and open-minded!! Or is it that you got used to saying sorry no matter what!
To all those who consider people like myself to be dumbasses, whether you’re Muslims or non-Muslims, believers or non-believers, I ask: Who is standing for the so-called freedom of expression when Muslim women are getting kicked out of schools and are getting fired for simply putting a harmless piece of cloth on their own heads?
Who is apologizing for Muslims who are being expelled from countries they’ve been living in as constructive members of society for ages just because of their religion? Where does freedom of expression exactly fit when some countries are forming Arab-speaking police units to track the speeches of Imams in mosques? Who is defending Freedom of the damn expression when Israel lobbies against tagging Paradise Now as a film from Palestine, because to them there’s no such thing as Palestine! Where is Freedom of Expression when a petition is created and signed by over 11,000 Israelis to force the withdrawal of this Palestinian movie from the Academy Awards?!

Why get out of the topic, let’s stick to cartoons. Being offended by a cartoon mocking our prophet is stupid, conservative, backward and intolerant? What should WE say about our Palestinian cartoonist NAJI AL ALI, who was assassinated because he dared express the suffering of Palestinians in his cartoons? Huh! Or are our cartoonists pieces of trash!

If you want freedom of expression, you need to apply it equally regardless of religion or origin. Freedom of expression loses all its sense when you practice double standards.
If you really believe in freedom of expression, you need to respect the differences and know the fine line between expressing yourself for a cause, and hurting someone in the name of expressing yourself.
And most important of all, you need to know that freedom of expression was never disregarding the other part or freeing yourself from ethics and responsibility, because if you reached that point, what’s the use of calling you human!
I guess there’s nothing better to end this post than the Charles Kingsley quote I’ve been typing all over the blogosphere lately: “There are two freedoms – the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought”.

Ah, I didn’t know that we: “the officially backward intolerant airheads”, 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 years”… 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 intolerance”, 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?”

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 hateful”.
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 reasonable”. 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.