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.

Dear questioner, thank you for your question, which reflects the views of many people haven't had the chance to learn about Islam. It is important for you to know the background behind the cartoon conflict and the importance of the Prophet Muhammad in Islam. It is important to learn the truth behind widespread misconceptions and to be tolerant and understanding of others.

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was merciful to all people. His mercy extended to include even his enemies who attacked and harmed him. Islam's stance is clearly against bigotry, racism, and violence. It calls upon humanity to recognize the sacred bond that unites all people.

In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

You are correct in suggesting that some Muslims need not have reacted as violently as they did to the insulting cartoons depicting the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). However, your unfair suggestion that Muslims had no reason to take offense at the racist and Islamophobic overtones that were disguised as freedom of expression indicates that you have only considered one side of the discussion.

For example, the Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that originally published the cartoons, hurriedly sent one of its editors on an "extended leave" after he suggested the paper would be publishing Holocaust cartoons.

I am sure that you would agree that this tells us something, namely, that there is a double standard. How else can "the sacred law" of freedom of expression be invoked to insult Islam and Muslims but no one else?

In other words, the message is loud and clear: It is OK to offend some people but not others!

It is precisely this kind of double standard, bigotry, and racism that makes Muslims upset. And it is this anger and frustration that is, sadly enough, too often expressed through violence in the Muslim world.

However, it must be noted that such expressions of despair and frustration are not the exclusive domain of Islam and Muslims.

All unbiased observers must certainly recall that a person was killed in France in the course of violent protests staged by offended Christians against the movie The Last Temptation of Christ. Furthermore, any observant Christian would surely be upset if Christians were widely stereotyped according to self-styled Christian cult leaders such as David Koresh or Jim Jones.

Additionally, a former Israeli ambassador to Canada called, on live television, for the assassination of Canadian author Victor Ostrovsky over his book By Way of Deception.

Do such examples mean that these people, who claimed to be ardent followers of their faiths, were behaving outside the dictates of their respective religion? Or instead, that all Christians and Jews are quick to temper and violence?

I believe the former, and I trust all others would as well.

Why, then, is there a double standard where the grief and frustration of Muslims and Islam are concerned? Some Muslims behaved terribly in response to the cartoons. However, much like in the above examples, the world cannot believe that all Muslims and Islam condone such behavior. In fact, the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) often forgave and prayed for those who had harmed him in many ways.

It is also worth mentioning that protests that have taken place in countries such as Canada have been altogether peaceful, a fact which the media often overlooks in its pursuit for sensational news.

Islam's stance is clearly against bigotry, racism, and violence. It calls upon humanity to recognize the sacred bond that unites all people. God says in the Qur'an:

[O mankind, We have created you from a single pair of a male and female, and rendered you nations and tribes so that you might know one another. The most honorable of you in the sight of God is the one who is most conscious of Him. God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.] (Al-Hujurat 49:13)

[God enjoins justice and compassion and giving freely to the next of kin, and forbids lewdness, wickedness and oppression.He admonishes you so that you may take heed.] (An-Nahl 16:90)

[But good and evil cannot be equal. Repel (evil) with that which is better; you will see that he with whom you had enmity has become your dearest friend.] (Fussilat 41:34)

If only we were to heed these words, the world, our global village, would become a better place for all of us.

It would be most appropriate to conclude by quoting the great Prophet Jesus (peace be upon him) who said, "Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" (Luke 6:41-42).

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from www.islam.ca .