Back in October last year the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten printed twelve cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed including one "showing Mohammed wearing a turban-like bomb, and another as brandishing a sabre, with two burka-clad women behind him". The newspaper had urged readers to send in cartoons as an author had written to them complaining no-one would illustrate his book through fear of the Islamic reaction. Mohammed cannot be depicted.
Apparently, two of the cartoonists are now in hiding and the newspaper has had to hire security guards at it's offices. Muslims have marched on the streets in protest and ambassadors from eleven Muslim countries demanded a meeting with the Prime Minister (who refused).
Friday's Independent carried a tiny little column which noted that the Saudi response was to withdraw their ambassador to Denmark. It was the last sentence, however, that struck me.
"Saudis are boycotting Danish products".
Given I can only think of two Danish products - Carlsberg and bacon - I fail to see this plan denting Danish trade figures.
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1 comment:
The reaction to the cartoon drawing of Prophet Mohammad was by no
means a typical Muslim one. My brother tells me that in one of them
he was drawn not letting extremists into heaven because it had ran
out of virgins (a twisted understanding of Islamic teachings to start with). It is, nevertheless, a reaction of a small number of
Muslim extermists that the media has picked up on and I am saddened
by the fact that people have fallen for it as being the obvious
reaction of a Muslim. The groups you see on TV are Al Hamas, Hizbul
Tahrir and other extremist groups whose views of Islam are totally
opposed to the very teachings of the Quran and Prophet Mohammad. It
is a sham case fully supported by western politics to play a part in
the current US interest in Iran's possible capability to produce and
use nuclear artillery and some intelligent and brave journalists
have picked up on this.
I find that there is currently a concerted effort, to subdue and
supress any rational viewpoint being expressed on Islam. Islamic
teachings are portrayed in the darkest light possible. In any case
those Muslim protestors have sought to inflict immense damage upon
the image of Islam rather than defend it.
When Rushdie's notorious book was burnt in Bradford by members of an
extremist group it was refered to as the reaction of the entire
Muslim world which it was absolutely not. Every single Muslim
country but one condemned the Fatwa against him, yet this is not
what you saw on TV. Hazrat Mirza Tahir Ahmad - Khalifatul Masih IV
(head of the worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community) wrote in his book
which was independantly published the following year and in which he
had exhaustively addressed the issue of blasphemy in Islam, that he
had scored the entire Quran but found not a single reference to any
punishment for blasphemy (other than by God himself in one verse).
He also discussed the question of 'Freedom of Speech' beyond the
mere cliche. Those who read 'Murder in the name of Allah' found it
to be extremely appealing and totally acceptable.
The only rational response to Rushdie's book from Islam's side was
subsequently published by the Ahmadiyya Community which is of
interest. You can read it online at:
http://www.alislam.org/books/rushdie/RUSHDIE_Haunted_by_his_unholy_ghosts.pdf
Finally, the majojrity of Muslim scholars of this age are fools for
twisting the teachings of the Quran and preaching Jihad as well as
remaining hypocritically anti-Jihad to appease the west and receive
their aid and asylum. They do by no means propogate the teachings of
the Quran or the actions of the Prophet Mohammad himself who
enjoined tolerance and understanding at all costs and never condoned
murder under any circumstances.
I wonder what the reaction would have been had the media depictred a Jewish Rabbi with a bomb on his head, let alone a highly revered prophet usch as Moses.
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