Lighten Up Already! (pun intended)

[A*O]

From the Melbourne Age newspaper today. It's good to see another calm, measured response to a bit of gentle mockery. Yet another SOHB moment in international multicultural relations. I'm sure God thinks it's a hoot to see his 'defenders' trying to kill each other. But when it comes to religion it was ever thus.

Embassies torched over cartoons
February 5, 2006 - 2:20PM

Thousands of Syrians enraged by controversial cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus - the most violent demonstration after days of furious protests by Muslims around the world.

Faced with spreading violence and international concern, political and religious leaders have urged calm.

The demonstrations in Damascus began peacefully yesterday with protesters gathering outside the building that houses the Danish Embassy.

But they began throwing stones and eventually broke through police barricades.

Some scrambled up concrete barriers protecting the embassy, climbed into the building and set a fire.

"With our blood and souls we defend you, O Prophet of God!" the demonstrators chanted.

Some replaced the Danish flag with a green flag with the words: "There is no god but God and Mohammed is the messenger of God."

Demonstrators moved on to the Norwegian Embassy, about 6km away, also setting fire to it before being dispersed by police using tear gas and water cannons.

Hundreds of police and troops barricaded the road leading to the French Embassy, but protesters were able to break through briefly before fleeing the water cannons.

Anger swelled in Europe too. Young Muslims clashed briefly with police in Copenhagen, the Danish capital, and some 700 people rallied outside the Danish Embassy in London.

In Gaza, Palestinians marched through the streets, storming European buildings and burning German and Danish flags. Protesters smashed the windows of the German cultural centre and threw stones at the European Commission building.

Iraqis rallying by the hundreds demanded an apology from the European Union, and the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas called the cartoons "an unforgivable insult" which merited punishment by death.

"We should have killed all those who offend the Prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully," Mahmoud Zahar told Italian newspaper Il Giornale.

At the heart of the protest are 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed first published in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten in September and reprinted in European media and two New Zealand newspapers in the past week.

The cartoons have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depiction of the Prophet Mohammed. Aggravating the affront: one caricature of Mohammed wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse.

Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he cannot apologise for his country's free press. But other leaders tried to calm the storm.

Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said she understood Muslims were hurt - though it did not justify violence.

"Freedom of the press is one of the great assets as a component of democracy, but we also have the value and asset of freedom of religion," Merkel told an international security conference in Munich.

US President George W Bush's press secretary Scott McClellan said in a statement that "the Government of Syria's failure to provide protection to diplomatic premises, in the face of warnings that violence was planned, is inexcusable".

"We will hold Syria responsible for such violent demonstrations since they do not take place in that country without government knowledge and support," the statement continued.

The Vatican deplored the violence, but said certain provocative forms of criticism were unacceptable.

"The right to freedom of thought and expression ... cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers," the Vatican said in its first statement on the controversy.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who has criticised European media for reprinting the cartoons, said there was no justification for the violence.

"We stand in solidarity with the Danish government in its call for calm and its demand that all its diplomats and diplomatic premises are properly protected. It's incumbent on the Syrian authorities to act in this regard."

State-run Syrian Arab News Agency quoted Sheik Ahmed Badr-Eddine Hassoun as saying protests should be made through "guidance and teaching, not through killing, harming and burning".

Iran's president ordered his commerce minister to investigate cancelling all trade contracts with countries whose newspapers have published the caricatures.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said the caricatures showed the "impudence and rudeness" of Western newspapers against the prophet, as well as the "maximum resentment of the Zionists (Jews) ruling these countries against Islam and Muslims".

In South Africa, a court banned Sunday newspapers from reprinting the cartoons.

- AP

[moomies]

I personally find Norwegians and Danes very civil people.
I guess they don't have the Satire channel in Damascus...(one thing in common with the P. moms!! ).

At the same time, I can understand how it feels to be stereotyped and racially prejudiced but I don't agree with resorting to violence...which I think just reinforces the particular stereotype (bombs, violence) depicted in the cartoon.

[Barbara]

FREEDOM. OF. THE. PRESS.

Our local newspaper got into trouble a few years ago because of a cartoon representing the prophet Mohammed, it was not insulting in anyway but it was a darn representation.

"We should have killed all those who offend the Prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully," Mahmoud Zahar told Italian newspaper Il Giornale.

Great... to avoid double standards, I think Christians should go and kill all the muslims who say Jesus is not God but just a minor prophet. That has to be unbearably offending, too.

The cartoons have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depiction of the Prophet Mohammed.

I'm cool with that. But why would the non-muslims have to abide?

Aggravating the affront: one caricature of Mohammed wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse.

That is the real problem here IMO, there is the risk of associating Muslims and terrorism and the cartoonist treaded on too thin ice.

[A*O]

Bah - I was going stop walking on PC eggshells and say something here, and it should be pretty obvious what, but I learned the hard way that you cannot reason or argue with people who are so entrenched in their sense of either Victimhood or Righteousness or Misunderstoodness so I won't bother. However, I will say that I DO NOT consider burning down embassies and threatening to kill the people who work there a rational or appropriate response to a cartoon in a foreign newspaper.

[gonflable]

I think this is scary, to be honest, especially since I LIVE in Norway, and in the capitol...

If there are more threaths and this become more violent, then I'm out of here and my bf has no other choice than to come with. He works right beside potential terrorist goals, and I don't want to fear for his life everyday.

Like one of my friends said; "it looks like the third world war is coming, and it will be the toughest yet; now it's not country vs. country, it's country vs. a whole religion."

I feel kind of hysterical, but I can't help realising that this could kill many many Norwegians... it's a yucky feeling. What has the world come to...

In 2003 Jyllands-posten refused to print a caricature of Jesus of fear that they would piss of Christians. I can't quite imagine the Christians burning down embassies, I think they would just preach a whole lot more

[A*O]

No matter how rabid and intolerant we may find their beliefs, and no matter how much we mock them for it, I don't see many news reports about hardline Southern Baptist suicide bombers. Even the Scientologists haven't resorted to anarchy and murder in order to get make their point (yet) and they must be the most mocked and ridiculed 'religion' in the world at the moment thanks to the great PR job Tom Cruise is doing.

"We should have killed all those who offend the Prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully," Mahmoud Zahar told Italian newspaper Il Giornale.

Gee, that's really big of you Mahmoud.

[Elise]

I don't agree w/ the actions of a few of those Muslims, but I was incredibly offended by the cartoons. You will NEVER EVER see anything which is anti-Semetic in a major newspaper, why is it okay to print something which only exists to anger the Muslims?

I do NOT agree w/ resorting to violence & have been told that we should forgive those who unfairly portrayed our Prophet as a terrorist, but it is hard when many do not even TRY to understand the religion.

& Jesus is NOT a minor prophet in Islam--he is very important, & if people actually tried to LEARN something & not just follow misguided stereotypes, they might realize that.

I'm sorry, but there is so much anti-Islam sentiment around the world & it feels like it is something that is okay to mock & say terrible things about w/o truely trying to understand what the religion & the Prophet means to many people.

I read this on a really good website:

I think all of you have heard about the cartoons that have caused anger across the Muslim world since they were published in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten last September, and were reprinted in France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain, among other European countries. As a reactionary measure, Muslims began to boycott Danish products but the fierce campaign against the Prophet increased as if some European countries are making a counterattack against the reactions of Muslims and the boycott, which has caused the loss of millions of euros to Denmark.

How should Muslims react to such continous fierce campaigns throughout the world? How can Muslims take both official and non-official actions to put a quick end to the current media campaign against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Thanks for your question, and we implore Allah earnestly to rescue the Muslim Ummah from all sources of evil encroaching Islam and Muslims everywhere.

The fierce media campaign against the Prophet is actually a single incident in a series of measures that have been practiced on a wide scale by some people in the West whose influential positions cause their voices to become heard in the world media. It is not actually a common case in the European context, as such campaigns are backed by some members, not the whole European family.

The role of all Muslims worldwide is to take all legal and constitutional channels to champion their rights and repel the aggression done against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), using all peaceful means to disseminate the true teachings of Islam. Muslims should seize this incident to shed more light on the great nature and enlightenment of the Prophet Muhammad in an attempt to educate those who ignore many aspects of his great character and how he can be a model to follow in today's world.

Responding to the question, Sheikh Hussain Halawa, secretary general of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, and imam of the Islamic Cultural Center of Ireland, states the following:

First of all, I would like to stress that the caricatures, which have caused anger across the Muslim world since they were published in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten last September and were reprinted in many European capitals, are one of the single measures within a systematic media campaign that aims at tarnishing the image of Islam. This media campaign is led by the people whose keen interest is to deteriorate the relations between Muslims and people of other religions. That is why we see them, from time to time, publishing provocative statements, books, laws, and lately cartoons that are no more than an extra measure within a larger context.

In addition, the above systematic trend is not fully adopted by all people in the West, but it is only led by SOME people who have much influence on international media, and hence their voices are widely heard.

In this context, Muslims should try their best to —

1. Declare before the whole world their complete condemnation of and dissatisfaction with what is happening against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)
2. Stage peaceful demonstrations and protests here and there in order to pressurize the public opinion in order for such media campaign to stop what it is doing
3. Make use of such events to present the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) as a role model in the modern world, as there is no doubt that the West and those who are attacking the Prophet know nothing about him.
4. Avoid hurling insults against the people of other religions as a result of publishing those provocative cartoons against the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). There is a direct prohibition to this retaliatory behavior, as Allah Almighty says: [Revile not those unto whom they pray beside Allah lest they wrongfully revile Allah through ignorance. Thus unto every nation have We made their deed seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, and He will tell them what they used to do] (Al-An`am 6:108).
5. Boycott the products of the countries that have published those provocative cartoons or that are still publishing them, as the boycott is a universal weapon that is by Muslims and non-Muslims as well.

In addition to the above, I call upon all mosque imams, especially those living in the West, to start shedding more light on the great aspects of the Prophet's personality and his rich morals that today's world is in need of. With this, imams will be educating their respective communities about the great personality of the Prophet Muhammad and they will be forwarding an indirect message to those who are ignorantly attacking him to derive lessons from his life and character.

One last message to those who chant about democracy and freedom of expression. Why do they say that Muslims have no right to condemn the publishing of those cartoons, claiming that Muslims are against democracy and the freedom of expression, while they fight tooth and nail against those who even talk negatively about the Holocaust? Why do they put them on trial? Why does freedom of expression appear in their dictionary here and disappears only when the Prophet of Islam is attacked? And why do they deny Muslims the right to freedom of expression? This is really against the very basic norms of human rights, which call for respecting man's religion, creed, and keeping his religious affiliations untouched.

I urge all concerned Muslim authorities in the West and the Muslim World to raise the issue before the United Nations and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) as well as other influential organizations to take the necessary measures in this regard, as the issue is very serious.

Moreover, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, A Senior Lecturer and an Islamic Scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, adds:



It is unfortunate that some elements with vested interests in the modern Western societies are driven by Islamophobia. They are stirring up hatred against Islam and Muslims in every possible way. It has now become a fashion with others as well. In this context, Muslims must think deeply before acting emotionally and erratically. For overreacting to such campaigns will only make things worse. Overreacting includes using other than the lawful, peaceful means. Resorting to violence should never be an option. Let me list a few steps we can take:

1. The best way to deal with the situation is to resort to peaceful ways of protest.

2. We should use all legal channels to stop this campaign of hatred against Islam and Muslims. For Muslims, every prophet is worthy of utmost respect, and the Prophet Muhammad, being the final one, is dearer to Muslims than their own parents, children, and all people.

3. It is the duty of those Muslims who are legal experts to do everything possible to bring the perpetrators of hatred to justice so that they are forced to pay dearly for the harm they are doing.

4. Muslims should use this opportunity to take the message of mercy as conveyed by the beloved Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to everyone who is desirous of knowing the truth about the Prophet. An excellent book that I recommend to every Muslim is the Messenger of God Muhammad by Fethullah Gulen. It should be read by every Muslim and given to those who wish to know the truth about the message of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

5. As all Muslims should consider themselves an ambassador of Islam, it behooves them to educate themselves in their religion.

6. Finally, I advise all Muslims not to react emotionally, but to follow the decisions of the responsible leadership in their own country. We must always be disciplined, peaceful, and organized in our approaches to such crucial issues.

May Allah grant us true love of Allah and His Messenger, and may He grant us the grace to be gathered under his noble banner on the Day of Resurrection. Ameen.

http://www.islamonline.net

[Grimmlok]

I don't agree w/ the actions of a few of those Muslims, but I was incredibly offended by the cartoons. You will NEVER EVER see anything which is anti-Semetic in a major newspaper, why is it okay to print something which only exists to anger the Muslims?

Have you any idea the amount of times Moses has been lampooned? Hell, Charlton Heston played the guy in a movie, that should be enough.

[Elise]

^^Yes, I am aware of the fact that Moses has been insulted before, however, I do not think that anybody would dare satire Judaism, so why is Islam okay???

[A*O]

Somebody made the VERY good point on talkback radio today that there is a South Park episode where the Prophet Mohammed is not only portrayed but also mocked a thousand times more offensively than some lame cartoon in a scandinavian newspaper. Should Trey be worried about a fatwah too? As for satirising Judaism, you obviously haven't heard any Jewish jokes or seen a production of The Producers. How many Islam jokes do you know, yes? anyone?? hello??............. deafening silence.

[pacific breeze]

Virulently anti-Semitic cartoons, speeches, articles -- you name it -- are the foundation of many media outlets in the Muslim world. That's why I find the recent "outrage" over something that happened last September to be nothing more than manufactured bullshit designed to draw attention away from continuing atrocities in the Arab world such as the murder of 22 unarmed Sudanese protesters in Cairo a short time ago.

There is no such thing as a "spontaneous outburst" in those countries, which are police states. Just look at what happens to people who try it, i.e. the Sudanese. For the Egyptian president to cry foul over the cartoon is the epitome of hypocrisy and feigned outrage, IMO.

Not to mention the fact that there is NO freedom of the press in those countries, let alone free speech.

[Grimmlok]

People satire judaism all the time, and christianity i think is a complete running joke

Why is Islam excempt? You don't see christians running around blowing shit up when someone makes fun of jesus.

[pacific breeze]

^^Exactly. You don't get it both ways, ever, in this world.

[Grimmlok]

True, and just cuz someone poked fun or whatever doesn't give license to go around trashing things like neanderthals

Seriously, they need to grow up and act like adults instead of children having a tantrum.

[Elise]

There is a hatred of Islam in the West. So many people refuse to even try to understand what it means. People say the most horrible things to me & my friends because of the religion--questioning our rights as women, asking about 'jihad', etc. I know of a woman in my town who was wearing the hijab & hit by a car becuase the driver thought she was a terrorist.
To me, it seems that it is okay to hate Islam & Muslims but no other religious group.
I find it offensive that the Prophet would be portrayed in such a manner, but I would never participate in lighting buildings on fire.

The recent beheading of two Americans have added fuel to the angry backlash against Arab-Americans and Muslims that began after the 2001 terrorist attacks.

The killing of Paul Johnson and Nicholas Berg triggered increased hate mail, verbal attacks and anti-Muslim graffiti.

Death threats against American Muslims have risen and mosques have been vandalised.

"Since 9/11, every time there is an incident overseas attributed to Muslims or Arabs, we go on orange alert ourselves," said immigration solicitor Sohail Muhammad.

"There are individuals here who are off the wall, who think that every woman who wears a hijab or every man named Muhammad is out to blow things up," he added.

Dissidents thought to have ties with al-Qaida in Saudi Arabia decapitated Johnson, an American engineer, after warning that they would kill him if the Saudi government did not release detainees. Berg, a businessman, met a similar fate last month in Iraq.

Anti-Islam sentiment

Following Johnson's death, anti-Islam signs surfaced around the rural New Jersey neighbourhood where he once lived. One read "Stamp Out Islam" next to a drawing of a boot over a crescent and star. Another, hung on a mailbox next door to Johnson's sister's home, was more detailed.

"There are individuals here who are off the wall, who think that every woman who wears a hijab or every man named Muhammad is out to blow things up"

Sohail Muhammad,
Immigration solicitor

"Last night I wasn't a racist, but today I feel racism towards Islamic beliefs," it read. "Last night Islamics (sic) had a chance to speak up for Paul Johnson, but today it's too late. Islamics better wake up and start thinking about tomorrow."

The New Jersey attorney general sent bias crimes investigators to the area, along with stepped-up state police patrols. The signs are gone now, replaced with hand-lettered placards on utility poles that say "Our prayers are with the Johnson family."

But more anti-Muslim graffiti appeared on Thursday at a Muslim man's home in Egg Harbour Township.

'Worst fears'

"It's really our fear coming true," said Faiza Ali of the New Jersey chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"It indicates a hatred that could turn into something violent."

Relatives of Johnson, in a statement made through a church pastor after a memorial service on Saturday, said that they hope his legacy is one of peace in the land he grew to love during more than a decade abroad.

"When history is written on the war on terrorism, let Paul's death be the catalyst that led to thousands more Westerners working in harmony with people in the Middle East to ensure fear and barbaric acts against free peoples come to an end," Reverend Kyle Huber of Greentree Church said.

The day after Johnson's death, a coalition of Muslim groups in Paterson, the heart of New Jersey's Arab-American community, held a rally to condemn the killing

Mosques vandalised

A few days later, vandals tossed empty liquor and beer bottles at a mosque in Union City as congregants inside mourned a teenager who died in a car crash.

Some Americans have threatened
to behead Muslims in the US

"If they are throwing empty bottles today, they could be throwing rocks, or worse, shooting at us tomorrow," said Aref Assaf, president of the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee's New Jersey chapter.

Two mosques in Florida were vandalised in the days after Johnson's killing.

In the Tampa suburb of Lutz, someone broke into the Islamic Community Centre and scrawled "Kill All Muslims" on the mosque's interior walls, then smashed windows. In Charlotte Harbor, someone vandalised a mosque's sign and left threatening phone messages.

In the St Louis suburb of Ballwin, Missouri, vandals painted a swastika and the word "Die" on the wall of the Dar-al-Islam mosque.

Mosque construction protested

In Texas, dead fish were dumped near the entrance sign to a mosque under construction in a suburb of Houston.

And in the Chicago suburb of Orland Park, residents urged officials this past week to reject a mosque's building application.

A Baptist pastor told a public hearing he feared it would attract Islamic extremists and violence. The centre was approved over boos and catcalls from the audience.

"I believe the time is coming when Muslims will not be safe inside the US borders," one man wrote to the Washington, DC-based Council on American-Islamic Relations.

"I see nothing wrong with us doing the same things to them that they are doing to innocent people."

"It is high time you people wake up and smell the blood," another man wrote to Assaf's group in New Jersey.

"Turn in the terrorists. They are your relatives, in a lot of cases. Cousin Omar. Uncle Mohammad. You know what I mean. Until you come forward to help us stamp out this vermin, you are as bad as they."

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exer...5EFE28FF97.htm