The cartoon blasphemy is raging unabated. The global Muslim community has reacted strongly to the uncalled for provocation. Many have sacrificed their lives while protesting against blasphemous cartoons. Here and there the protesters became violent and in some countries people have lunched a boycott of Danish products.
Not only westerners but some so called moderate Muslims, too, have voiced concern over what they call Muslim overreaction. However, what they have failed to realize is that the provocation, too, was unforgivable. It is easy to lecture that the Muslims should observe restraint or may even forgive the cartoonist who blasphemed against the Prophet (Pbuh). Forgiving is the excellent quality that God likes and, therefore, Muslims too are enjoined to observe it. but the case here does not concern an individual; instead it has hurt the sentiments of the entire global Muslim community. Moreover, the one who forgives is usually strong and powerful whereas the Muslim community has been at the receiving end in its confrontation with the West. The victim’s psychology is one of protest and reaction which hardly leaves scope for forgiveness.
There is a method in Western madness which ought to be understood properly. The author of the blasphemous caricatures and those who are defending him in the name of freedom of expression are clever people. They surely believe in clash of civilization, and this they have sought to achieve through their latest provocation. An academic rebuttal of Huntington’s theory of clash of civilizations is one thing and its practical espousal is another. A large number of Western scholars have criticized and rejected Huntington’s idea of civilizational clash but there are many who seem to have embraced it. There is strong evidence to suggest that a good number of Western intellectuals as well as politicians have already got engaged in the so called civiliztional clash. Here it must be borne in mind that the civilizational confrontation that Huntington and others have talked about would not necessarily take place in a military battlefield but also it may occur in other forms. Disfiguring the shining image of Islam through various means may be one such method.
The West, and their followers among us, jealously want to protect their freedom of expression. We also cherish it as a fundamental right but we do not want it slip into the realms of slander and blasphemy. It is slander and blasphemy against which the Muslims have reacted strongly, even violently, hence their behaviour can not be questioned by employing the right to freedom of expression.
The Muslim community has always tolerated intellectual criticism of our religion, even of our religious personalities. Western and Christian writers have a long tradition of criticising Islam, the Holy Quran and the personality of the Prophet. For them Islam is a “false” religion, Quran a “blasphemy” and the Prophet an ‘imposter”. We concede that if they would not do so, they will cease to be Christians. We also concede that surely they have a right to remain Christians and reject or criticise Islam in an academic manner. Over the centuries the Muslims have tolerated such critical writings and responded to them in purely academic manner. The Muslims have also used their right to criticism to object upon some Christian beliefs. But in so doing no sincere and devout Muslim ever crossed the limit. After all we respect Jesus and Mary as much if not more than today’s Western Christians do.
What Muslims need to realize that they are faced with a real civilizational clash which is multidimensional. Emotions matter in human life but a proper and effective use of our intelligence is what we require the most right now. The enemy in front of us is clever, educated, subtle and sophisticated, and has tremendous technological and financial resources that we can only imagine of. Therefore we need to realize where we lag behind and make our preparations accordingly. The battle ahead is difficult and long one which we can win by “weapons” of mind and not by mere outpouring of emotions. As said earlier, emotions are important, but along with these, the Muslims must also make progress in every walk of life.
[February, 2006]
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