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Name
Habib
-
Profession
Question
Do you think reprinting the offensive cartoon is part of the debate on freedom of expression or another provocation to stir commotion in the Muslim world?
Answer
It was meant to provoke Muslims. They know that the freedom of expression was not under any threat. By printing these cartoons, what they are saying is that we are only concerned about our freedoms and our way of life. We do not care about others. We do not care about the feelings of others. This is a very self-centered view, a dangerous view, a view that in the past has lead societies to coerce others.
Name
Mona Elsayed
-
Profession
Question
What are the motives behind the cartoon republication? Why has it become bigger this time - 17 newspapers while it was just few papers last time?
Answer
There are several motives.
1. Some are genuinely concerned about freedoms. They do not want to give sacrosanctity to any religion or any ideas. They believe that in a modern world, they have every right to say whatever they want to say. They argue that we have published cartoons against Christianity, pope and Jesus, why should we treat Muslims differently.
2. Some are genuinely concerned about Muslim presence in Europe. They perceive Muslims as aliens, and as people who need to be civilized. They think that without asserting their values, they would not be able to demonstrate their real identity. Hence, they make use of every possible opportunity to do that.
3. Some people want to provoke Muslims so that they may get out in the streets, and burn their own shops and institutions, or commit acts of violence against innocent people. These acts would prove, according to them, once again, that Islam is a religion of intolerance and hence has no place in the modern world.
4. Some people publish these cartoons because they are filled with hatred against Islam and Muslims.
5. Some people do it primarily to create news headlines and promote their agenda.
6. Some people want a 10- minute media publicity.
We can say that there is no single motive; there are several and each is complimenting the other.
Name
Shuaib
- Austria
Profession
Question
Some people say this campaign is led by Denmark as part of the Scandinavian countries that were not known for their hostility of Islam and did not have a history of clash with Muslim immigrants, to change the way these countries will deal with Muslims in the coming phase? Is this true?
Answer
The people who live in Scandinavian countries will be better to respond. However, the Muslim communities could have adopted a different approach to counter the so called hostility of some people.
Muslim immigrants are now the citizens of their new countries. It is their responsibilities to contribute to the welfare and well beings of their fellow citizens. Unfortunately, in many countries where Muslims have immigrated in large numbers, they have not identified with their countries and communities. Hence there exists a distance between them and the natives. That distance complicates things.
Name
maham
-
Profession
Question
As-Salamu`alaykum sir, if these people call it freedom of expression and label us as extremist then can't we reply to them in the same mode? What can a common person do in this regard?
Answer
No, we cannot misuse the freedoms given to us to vent out our anger. We are responsible to a higher authority. We must have patience and the belief that Islam will not get weakened by these assaults. We must empower ourselves with knowledge. We must communicate with others in a language that is the language of reason and reverence.
Name
Khalid Hassan
-
Profession
Question
Why can't Muslims accept any depiction of Prophet Muhammad?
Answer
Allah and the conveyer of his message, Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings of God be upon him, clearly warned the believers against engraving any depiction of our Prophet and for that matter any prophet.
Non-Muslims have no reverence of this Muslim edict. We wish if they had respected Muslim sentiments in that. If they don't, we cannot force them to do that. We cannot force our ideas on others. We have to develop a strategy to deal with those who indulge in these efforts in a manner that serves the fundamentals of our faith, rather than the agenda of anyone else.
Name
Shuraikat Aktar
- United States
Profession
Question
Do you think it is an organized campgain against Islam and its Prophet? Is this part of the "Clash of Civilization" theory?
Answer
No it is not a clash of civilization. People have always held different ideas about everything. They have differences on almost every issue. These differences don't necessarily mean that we human beings are constantly clashing others. What they simply mean is that we want to perceive the reality in a different manner.
In European environment, religion has lost all its significance. Reason has become the "supreme court" for people. It is the reason that determines everything that goes on in their environment. Religion or more specifically, Christianity especially in the near past, was considered an anti reason faith. They viewed Christianity as a faith that prevented them from learning about the basics of nature for almost 1700 years. They view every religion and religious expression with suspicion.
Islam is viewed by them as alien and as a faith that identifies itself more or less with Christianity in terms of its origin. If Christianity was irrational, then Islam must also be irrational, they argue.
It is up to Muslims to make efforts to present Islam in a manner that is understood by others in the context of the history of Islam and not in the context of Europeans experience with Christianity.
Name
M
- Pakistan
Profession
Faiz
Question
Why should countries publish cartoons of the Holy Prophet to displease and exasperate the Muslims? They know fully well that Muslims would never tolerate this. Why All this?
Answer
They view this intolerance of Muslims as a sign of the tyranny of Islam. They view Islam as a totalitarian religion. They want Muslims to treat Islam and Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in the same way as they have treated Christianity and Jesus for several centuries. They do not understand the real reason for Muslims' reverence of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and their love for Islam.
It is the responsibility of Muslims to tell others about the reasons of their reverence and love for the Prophet. It cannot be done by shouting slogans or demonstrating in the streets. It is to be done through dialogue and civil conversation.
Name
Mohamed Amjad
- France
Profession
Question
Is silence an effective way of response since anger has just escalated the problem?
Answer
One of the effective ways to respond is to engage with others in communities and societies where Muslims have migrated. The natives have a right to know how Islam addresses some of their concerns. Anger will never solve any problem. Actions based on anger are totally discouraged by Allah and the Prophet, peace be upon him. We are invited to prefer patience over anger.
Name
barryinsweden
-
Profession
Question
The cartoons were republished in response to plots to kill the artist, a step taken to show that bullying is not acceptable.
Breaking taboos is old hat these days. However, if a taboo is enforced under pain of death, someone is going to react to it, precisely because they feel bullied. That's not to defend the motives of Jyllands Posten, or to suggest that the ensuing rabble rousing from the right is excusable, but it is terribly predictable.
Answer
Those who were accused of plotting to kills were not acting on behalf Muslims or Islam. They shoul,d have been treated as criminals. When someone violates the accepted rules in a democracy, we donot take a collective action against his race, or religion or community. For instance, every four minute a rape is committed in Europe, as many reported published recently have indicated. Now, we do not punish the race or the family of the perpetratorrs for that.
In fact every sensible Muslim would abhor that. Publishing of these cartoos against a few plotters whom the Muslim community didnot even know was one of the most foolish and irrational acts that I have come across in recent history.
There is no justification of either actions. They both are deplorable in their utter insensitivities.
Name
funwithwhips
-
Profession
Question
I fully applaud the Danish newspapers for reprinting the cartoons, it is about time that free society put it's foot down and says that it won't be cowed by islamic bullying. Redrawing the cartoons isn't racist, it is a courageous stand.
I always find it EXTREMELY hypocritical when muslims talk about islamaphobia and racism and anti-muslim feeling. Just ask even the most "moderate" muslim about thier thoughts on Israel and the Jewish right to exist.
Answer
You have every right to stand for what you believe. Muslims have every right to believe in what they believe in. Islam believes in freedom of speech. Islam does not put any restriction on these freedoms. However, Muslims have always exercised their freedoms in a responsible manner as their institutions and communities have by and large remained respectful to these freedoms.
There is no Islamic bullying. Most Muslims look at this issue of cartoon, show their patience and move forward. Some react and still some other overreact. This is not justified in any manner.
Jews have every right to exist so has Israel. But are Jews and Israel willing to accept the Palestinians to exist in their homeland, a land they have been living for centuries? Are Jews or Israel willing to grant the Palestinians the same dignity and respect and freedoms in defense of their homeland as they want to grant it to Jews?
What is happening in Holy lands is contrary to everything that the word holy stands for. We must all put our common efforts together to ensure that the dignity and life of each and every human being, Palestinian as well as Jews, is respected and preserved.
Name
Anonymous
-
Profession
Question
Death threats, flag burnings, murder plots...is the best way to respond to these ongoing provocation.
Answer
No, this is not the best way. It is the worst way. Those who do that are the enemies of Allah even if they do so to defend Allah. Allah and His Prophet do not need defense? No provocation, no flag burning, no threats and no murder plot. This is the answer of Islam.
Name
Denis
-
Profession
Question
Why did Dr. Qaradawi, whose fatwas are almost considered binding by the majority of Muslims all over the world, has recently called for "calmness" over the cartoon issue, while in the first wave of the crisis, he called for "anger" over the Denmark's refusal to apologize?
Answer
Dr. Qardawi is better equipped to answer this question. He has every right to seek the apology from those responsible for this as the others have right to refuse an apology. We all have our perspectives and we should move on once we have made our viewpoints known. However, the anger and the angry response to anger must come to a halt.
Name
Salah Na'eem
- United Arab Emirates
Profession
Question
Is the recent refusal of Wikipedia to remove pictures of Prophet Muhammad, an indication that American has joined the battle?
Answer
No. People have different perspectives. We Muslims must be able to express our dissent in a manner that is in line with our faith and the values that the faith promotes. Our faith does not want to coerce people to change their ideas and beliefs.
We must, nevertheless, express our viewpoint in a civil manner and move on. We must not freeze in time because others are not listening to us. They might listen to us tomorrow if they are not listening to us today.
Let us create an online encyclopedia to show to the world our way of dealing with issues. Let us show others our standards of respect. Our faith and the status of our Prophet, peace be upon him, would not diminish by a negative publicity. The truth will ultimately prevail.
Name
Hatem
-
Profession
Question
Do you think what the Arab countries did recently, I mean summoning their ambassadors to Denmark, is enough? Is political boycot effective?
Answer
I do not think that boycotting Danish goods would solve the problem. Boycotting is a kind of coercion that Islam prohibits. The world of Islam is not at war with Danish people. Why should we force them to believe in what we believe in through economic sanctions? We should not put the entire Danish population in the category of conspirators against Muslims, while the act was committed by a few. If we want others to be respectful to our ideas, we must demonstrate respect to others.
Let us produce one more book in Danish language on the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, and let Muslims in Denmark stand on every corner to distribute it to anyone who is wiling to understand the Muslim point of view.
Let us produce one more movie about the life of Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, in Danish language and distribute it throughout the world.
Let us demonstrate patience, respect, love and compassion to those who do not understand us. Was this not the practice of the Prophet? He stood for the life of even those who plotted against him. We must say to all those who are plotting in his honor that we would not allow that to happen in Islam. If you do that you would be considered misguided and we would want you to face the charges of plotting or attempting to kill like any other person.
Our prophet and our Qur'an are strong enough not be hurt by a few cartoons here and there.
Name
Hadith Haymour
- Canada
Profession
Question
You seem to be against demonstrations. What is wrong about peaceful protests and taking this issue to the street to tell everyone that it is not civilized to make fun of prophets and religious figures of any faith?
Answer
Use alternative means to achieve what you want to achieve. If anyone wants to have demonstration to vent out anger, then the anger can be vented out in more positive manner.
In a demonstration, you have no control over what the demonstrators can do. Anyone and everyone can join a demonstration and in a highly impersonal world we do not know who is what. Anyone can be sent by anyone to provoke a group of people and do things that are un-Islamic in order to frame the entire demonstration.
Here is what we can do.
1. What about writing and distributing flyers, books, small tracks on the life the Prophet, peace be upon him?
2. What about organizing small meetings for non Muslim neighbors on the life of our Prophet, peace be upon him?
3. What about inviting a non-Muslim neighbor to your home for a dinner and informing him or her about Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him?
4. What about living the values that the Prophet, peace be upon him, lived and stood for?
5. What about living a life of honesty, and decency and humility?
Name
Editor
-
Profession
Answer
Finally, we would like to thank Dr. Aslam Abdullah for taking the time to answer the questions of Islamonline viewers today, and we also thank all those who participated in this dialogue. We encourage our readers to join us in upcoming sessions.
