Quite unfortunately, the West, showing total disregard and ignorance towards religious sensitivities of over a billion people all across the globe, have been expressing surprise over spontaneous expression of anger over disgraceful publication of caricatures of Holy Prophet of Islam (PBUH) by a third grade Danish newspaper subsequently reprinted by a French newspaper and naming it just a “cartoon controversy.”

The Muslim anger and ire rages own, however, the Western media has all  along tried to downplay the significance of the foolish act of a second rate, insignificant cartoonist who in the diabolical urge to catapult himself to fame or in decrepit indulgence of utter foolishness, drew those cartoons to disregard and disrespect the feelings, emo-tions and religious sensibilities of over a billion Muslims on all continents of the globe.

The West especially the US completely failed to notice the spontaneous nature of processions condemning the act and blamed Iran and Syria for fomenting the controversy in the Gulf.

On Feb 8 the US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a joint news
conference with Israel’s Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni in Washington
accused Iran and Syria of stoking Muslim anger against the West over the ‘cartoon controversy.’ She said, “Iran and Syria have gone out of their way to inflame sentiments and to use this to their own purposes and the world ought to call them on it.” Conversely they are the most violent and fierce in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

On the same day a French weekly Charlie Hebdo reprinted all 12 of the controversial cartoons first published by a Danish newspaper, as well as a new front-page caricature of its own. According to its own statement it sold 400,000 copies in several hours on four times its normal circulation. In travesty to justice the issue hit newsstands the day after a French court refused to grant an injunction to Muslim organisations that tried to have it banned for inciting racial and religious hatred.

However, Charlie Hebdo is not alone in this diabolical race of hate, disgust and abhorrence to the most enlightened religion on earth. Several other French newspapers such as Le Monde, Liberation and France-Soir, have already printed some of the caricatures in a show of solidarity with the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. Other European publications have also done likewise. There are certain aspects of this upheaval that need greater understanding on the part of West that can mitigate the heavily charged atmosphere all over the world and prevent any such catastrophe in the future.

The world needs to understand that the personality of Holy Prophet (PBUH) is central to Islam. Any attack on the personality of its prophet tantamount to striking at the very root of the religion. In the Holy Qur’an  God says, “ I swear by the star when it goes down. Your companion (Muhammad PBUH) does not err, nor does he go astray; Nor does he speak out of desire. It is naught but revelation that is revealed (whatever he has said is revelation” 53:3-4.

Muslims pray to God, and ask for blessing on Holy Prophet (PBUH) and his progeny five times a day at least. God in the Holy Qur’an says “Surely Allah and His angels bless the Prophet; O you who believe! Call for (Divine) blessings on him and salute him with a (becoming) salutation. ” 33:56 and believers are advised that “ … whatever Apostle gives you, accept it, and from whatever he forbids you, keep back …” 59:7.

A Muslim’s love, respect devotion and submission to Holy Prophet is absolute, unreserved and unconditional in all respect so much so that Prophet of Islam is dearer than a believer’s own parents, children and even to himself.

Therefore, the reaction against the publication of caricatures is not due to the instigation of some terrorist, fundamentalist or reactionary organization. It is spontaneous, expected and natural.

God has cursed them who do not show respect to His apostle and says, “Surely (as for) those who speak evil things of Allah and His Apostle, Allah has cursed them in this world and the hereafter, and He has prepared for them a chastisement bringing disgrace.” 33:57.

Love for Holy Prophet and his progeny is the basic element of Islamic belief, culture and civilization that has tied firmly the Muslims of all continents together and made them into a single whole called Ummah: this fortunately is the miraculous bond which is independent of all polity, cultural differences, linguistic discrepan-cies and political exigencies and cannot be taken away from Muslim Ummah.

The West does not have any such things, therefore, cannot appreciate the real significance and magnitude of this phenomena. Therefore, Western media called for restraint, rightly so though, at the same time tried to downplay the event calling it just a “cartoon controversy.” Many a secular Muslim, having none at all or very modicum knowledge of Islam, were shown on TV screens to belittle the uproar and anger of Muslim masses, calling it unjustified, ill timed and unthoughtful. How preposterous! It rather added a fuel to fire and being counter-productive helped nobody. Whereas, a proper apology would have been in order, however, then miserly souls little do realize the sensitivities attached to such issues.

Even the Danish foreign minister came out with a folly on freedom of expression. He was more concerned with Danish tradition of unrestrained _expression than the hurt it caused to over a billion people. In a Europe where any talk questioning the veracity of holocaust is considered as cognizable offence, the talks of freedom of _expression cannot be more ludicrous and West’s duplicity could never have been more glaring and obtrusive ever before.

However, in all subsequent comments on the controversy, the West fell in line with the Danes and called for restraint on the part of Muslim agitators. One is reminded of Huntington’s clash of civilization not as a thesis of any real significance and thrust but as an exposition of West’s religio-cultural psychology acutely partial to their dogma and extremely intolerable to dissenting opinion.

In case of Islam, the Quran preaches tolerance and forbearance to others’ point of view and has called upon Muslims to calls to the way of God nicely. “And do not dispute with the followers of the Book except by what is best.” 29:46 The blockheads like Osama Bin Laden are not the product of Islam rather they are the reactionary breed of West’s myopic, intolerant, and biased attitude towards Islam.

Information

The West especially the US completely failed to notice the spontaneous nature of processions condemning the act and blamed Iran and Syria for fomenting the controversy in the Gulf.

First appeared in Pakistan Observer on February 19, 2006