A Caricature of Diplomacy!
So much has been said and done about the offensive cartoons depicting the Prophet (pbuh) in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September, that I had to debate whether I should even bother to write anything more about it here. And regardless of how I feel about it or the significance of this event, does it belong in this blog which was about action items rather than a venting forum? I finally decided yes – as long as I restrict myself to specific action items.
What is being billed as the ‘clash of the civilizations’ is looking more like a ‘contest of the generally-challenged’ (generally standing for mentally, politically, diplomatically, sensitively, …). On the one hand, there was the Danish newspaper taking pains to ensure they were being flagrantly offensive (by publishing offensive cartoons of the Prophet (pbuh) instead of testing the waters by publishing inoffensive cartoons or offensive write-ups), and the other European newspapers seeking to increase their circulation under the guise of promoting free speech (giving a new twist to free by re-publishing the copyrighted cartoons free of charge), and the Danish government taking diplomacy to new depths by wording apologies that were neither apologetic nor acceptable. In the other corner, you had Muslim mobs rioting as if bent upon proving the stereotypes right. Protest rallies generally protesting disrespect to the Prophet (pbuh) but with no specific message for their audience, and Islamic scholars unable to resolve for us whether the (greater) insult was in portraying the image of the Prophet (pbuh), caricaturing him (pbuh), attributing terrorism to him (pbuh), or refusing to apologise. ‘Muslim’ governments upping the ante by boycotting Danish products and breaking diplomatic ties (does not inspire much confidence for the long-term given their history of weak-kneed capitulation), and the conservative US government (and their ‘staunch allies’ – read ‘blind followers’) trying to score points by promoting religious sanctity over press freedom. Had the Danes done this out of ignorance, they needed to be told what they could have done instead to avoid hurting Muslim sensibilities; but since they did this with the express purpose of offending and have managed to cause the furore they wanted even if it took four months, they obviously need no advice from me. So, let me fill the space here with a list of ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ for Muslims instead.
Caveat: I am no Islamic scholar, so be sure to get my opinions here endorsed by someone you trust. (The opinions expressed here are those of my employer – I am self-employed.)
Do not:
1. Do anything un-Islamic.
2. Transgress the laws of your country.
3. Do anything that shows Islam and Muslims in an unfavourable light.
4. Disrespect other religions or symbols sacred to others.
5. Hide behind vague statements like ‘Islam is a religion of peace’ while ignoring the less-than-peaceful behaviour of certain Muslims.
6. Expound Jewish or CIA conspiracy theories – they are wearing thin.
7. Kick Great Danes (they are much bigger than French poodles).
Do:
1. Recognise that all this is happening and all that will happen is through the will of Allah, and we have to do whatever we have to do because we are accountable for our actions, not because we are capable of achieving any results.
2. Pray to Allah to guide us and guide everybody towards the truth.
3. Present yourself as a role-model citizen.
4. Treat this as an opportunity for Dawah – satiate people’s curiosity with the truth.
5. Be gentle and use polite language – using crude language and attacking critics are the signs of hypocrisy.
6. Ask our scholars to get together and prepare a unified position statement with supporting Quran/Hadith evidence, so that all Muslims can understand clearly the ramifications of what happened and what we need to do.
7. We all like to take refuge in saying that a few radicals do the wrong thing, the media focuses on them, it ends up giving our religion a bad name. The vast majority of Muslims are moderates, and almost by definition apathetic and inert. But as committed members of an ‘Ummat-ul-Wast’, we have to be extremely, radically, truly, and actively moderate in word and in deed.
8. Unequivocally condemn the rioters, the embassy and flag burners, the hackers, the assaulters, etc., without reservations, and with no references to justifications or provocations.
9. Be specific about what has offended us – statements like ‘the Prophet (pbuh) was not a terrorist, he was the greatest human being ever’ (though absolutely true) raise questions like whether it would have been all right for them to publish 'respectful' cartoons of the Prophet (pbuh).
10. Seek legal counsel and file a case against the Danish newspaper if a case can be made for it under Danish laws.
11. If you are convinced by conspiracy theories, hire professional investigators to uncover the evidence.
12. Boycott Danish products – but write letters of apologies to the Danish companies for being forced to do so. At least we should know the pain of being punished for the mistakes of others representing us.
13. Try to understand that there are many on the other side who are doing this only to cause mischief but there are many others who really believe in their cause. And that given their culture of a lack of respect for religion and religious figures, it is impossible for them to feel or even understand our reverence and sensitivities.
14. Forward the link to this website to 100 friends each and ask each one of them to forward it to 100 friends of theirs each!
So much has been said and done about the offensive cartoons depicting the Prophet (pbuh) in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten in September, that I had to debate whether I should even bother to write anything more about it here. And regardless of how I feel about it or the significance of this event, does it belong in this blog which was about action items rather than a venting forum? I finally decided yes – as long as I restrict myself to specific action items.
What is being billed as the ‘clash of the civilizations’ is looking more like a ‘contest of the generally-challenged’ (generally standing for mentally, politically, diplomatically, sensitively, …). On the one hand, there was the Danish newspaper taking pains to ensure they were being flagrantly offensive (by publishing offensive cartoons of the Prophet (pbuh) instead of testing the waters by publishing inoffensive cartoons or offensive write-ups), and the other European newspapers seeking to increase their circulation under the guise of promoting free speech (giving a new twist to free by re-publishing the copyrighted cartoons free of charge), and the Danish government taking diplomacy to new depths by wording apologies that were neither apologetic nor acceptable. In the other corner, you had Muslim mobs rioting as if bent upon proving the stereotypes right. Protest rallies generally protesting disrespect to the Prophet (pbuh) but with no specific message for their audience, and Islamic scholars unable to resolve for us whether the (greater) insult was in portraying the image of the Prophet (pbuh), caricaturing him (pbuh), attributing terrorism to him (pbuh), or refusing to apologise. ‘Muslim’ governments upping the ante by boycotting Danish products and breaking diplomatic ties (does not inspire much confidence for the long-term given their history of weak-kneed capitulation), and the conservative US government (and their ‘staunch allies’ – read ‘blind followers’) trying to score points by promoting religious sanctity over press freedom. Had the Danes done this out of ignorance, they needed to be told what they could have done instead to avoid hurting Muslim sensibilities; but since they did this with the express purpose of offending and have managed to cause the furore they wanted even if it took four months, they obviously need no advice from me. So, let me fill the space here with a list of ‘Do’s and Don’ts’ for Muslims instead.
Caveat: I am no Islamic scholar, so be sure to get my opinions here endorsed by someone you trust. (The opinions expressed here are those of my employer – I am self-employed.)
Do not:
1. Do anything un-Islamic.
2. Transgress the laws of your country.
3. Do anything that shows Islam and Muslims in an unfavourable light.
4. Disrespect other religions or symbols sacred to others.
5. Hide behind vague statements like ‘Islam is a religion of peace’ while ignoring the less-than-peaceful behaviour of certain Muslims.
6. Expound Jewish or CIA conspiracy theories – they are wearing thin.
7. Kick Great Danes (they are much bigger than French poodles).
Do:
1. Recognise that all this is happening and all that will happen is through the will of Allah, and we have to do whatever we have to do because we are accountable for our actions, not because we are capable of achieving any results.
2. Pray to Allah to guide us and guide everybody towards the truth.
3. Present yourself as a role-model citizen.
4. Treat this as an opportunity for Dawah – satiate people’s curiosity with the truth.
5. Be gentle and use polite language – using crude language and attacking critics are the signs of hypocrisy.
6. Ask our scholars to get together and prepare a unified position statement with supporting Quran/Hadith evidence, so that all Muslims can understand clearly the ramifications of what happened and what we need to do.
7. We all like to take refuge in saying that a few radicals do the wrong thing, the media focuses on them, it ends up giving our religion a bad name. The vast majority of Muslims are moderates, and almost by definition apathetic and inert. But as committed members of an ‘Ummat-ul-Wast’, we have to be extremely, radically, truly, and actively moderate in word and in deed.
8. Unequivocally condemn the rioters, the embassy and flag burners, the hackers, the assaulters, etc., without reservations, and with no references to justifications or provocations.
9. Be specific about what has offended us – statements like ‘the Prophet (pbuh) was not a terrorist, he was the greatest human being ever’ (though absolutely true) raise questions like whether it would have been all right for them to publish 'respectful' cartoons of the Prophet (pbuh).
10. Seek legal counsel and file a case against the Danish newspaper if a case can be made for it under Danish laws.
11. If you are convinced by conspiracy theories, hire professional investigators to uncover the evidence.
12. Boycott Danish products – but write letters of apologies to the Danish companies for being forced to do so. At least we should know the pain of being punished for the mistakes of others representing us.
13. Try to understand that there are many on the other side who are doing this only to cause mischief but there are many others who really believe in their cause. And that given their culture of a lack of respect for religion and religious figures, it is impossible for them to feel or even understand our reverence and sensitivities.
14. Forward the link to this website to 100 friends each and ask each one of them to forward it to 100 friends of theirs each!
posted by Riaz at 5:41 PM
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