Unless you have been living under a rock, you know how European newspapers and publications in countries such as Norway, France, Germany and last but definately not least Denmark, posted the caricatures of the Prophet PBUH last week. The images showed the Holy Prophet PBUH wearing a turban fashioned as a bomb (Naoozobillah), among other things. This created wide spread protests in all the muslim world in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Pakistan, and almost every other muslim country on Earth.
Now that you know the premise for this post, let me start by saying that the Europeans have gone daft. Their affrontry by saying the cartoon was a in the priciple of freedom of speech, makes me believe they think the muslim world is stupid and dumb. To throw the veil of "freedom of speech" at us, over such a blatant disregard for another religion and its pacticers. Truly sad and disgusting. Samar, Aisha, Huda and Fahad among others, have beautifully potrayed their feelings on the issue. I would suggest all muslim bloggers to at least publish one topic if not more, on the issue and potray a united muslim stand from a blogging point of view. Compared to the amount of other crap we post about everyday, our Savior and Prophet PBUH deserves at least that much.
So what is freedom of speech honestly? Is it freedom to say or act whatever you want to do? Well looks like it. But should this so called freedom of speech be limited to a country's own boundary or should it cross into the world. In the end it doesnt matter and we don't care. The end result is that due to this so called freedom of speech, an insult was hurled at the muslim the world over. A veiled insult that has the cowards uttering it, hiding behind the petty and disgusting excuse of "freedom of speech". If freedom of speech gives you the right to hurl insults at others, then damn it I say. If common decency, maturity and respect for others has no place in your everyday life, then such speech is moot and only a free ticket to utter foul crap whenever and wherever you want to.
Denmark today refused to apologize for the cartoons. Hardly surprising since their government wants to commit hara kiri and suicide itself economically with the amount of lost exports to Arab and Muslim countries. I say go for it guys. When you go out to shop, do not buy any French, Norwegian, Italian, Danish and German goods. Trust me, you can find alternatives to everything made in these countries from other countries. We don't have to be extremists to send a clear signal.
Extremists are people with little or no rational thinking. Let us potray that we are indeed pissed and mad yet potray it in a civil and forthright manner. The Prophet PBUH himself, would have wanted us all to remain calm in this. We aren't perfect. He PBUH, was. But let us at least follow the teachings of the man we are protecting here. Going gung ho and killing innocents is something he never wanted and it shoudn't change here either. So if you meet someone who is pissed enough to go gung ho, remind them that there are other more islamic, peaceful and caustic methods of getting back at those that have maligned the name of the Savior of both worlds, our Prophet PBUH.
UPDATE: More and more Western countries are purposedly provoking the muslims at this stage by republishing the cartoons. New Zeland and Ireland are the latest example. "Freedom of Speech" especially when you know when its offensive to those in your target audience or a subset thereof, is abuse. Abuse of "freedom of speech" in itself.
Chronological News:
September 30, 2005:
- The Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed PBUH.
December 9, 2005
- The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), which represents 56 Muslim states, lodged a formal complaint against Denmark with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
January 11, 2006
- The Swedish paper Dagens Nyheter felt the Danish government was right to side with Jyllands-Postens in the Mohammed cartoons debate and insist on freedom of the press and freedom of opinion.
January 17, 2006
- Norwegian newspaper Magazinet reprints the controversial cartoons around or on this date.
January 26, 2006
- Saudis recall ambassador to Denmark as protest over caricatures.
January 27, 2006
- In response to the cartoons, the Danish paper Dagbladet Information reports that Egyptian companies have started to boycott Danish products.
January 29, 2006
- Libya closes embassy in Denmark over Prophet cartoon
January 31, 2006
- Carsten Juste, editor in chief of Jyllands-Posten publishes an open letter addressed to Muslims all over the world in which he apologises for the cartoons' impact (in English and Arabic).
February 1, 2006
- Die Welt publishes one of the cartoons on its front page. Other German newspapers such as, Die tageszeitung, Tagesspiegel and Berliner Zeitung print them as well.
- Fatwa was pronounced against Danish soldiers stationed in Iraq and the Jyllands-Posten offices in Arhus and Copenhagen had to be evacuated after a bomb threat.
- France's Soir becomes the first French newspaper to publish the cartoons.
- Syria recalls ambassador from Denmark over cartoons.
February 2, 2006
- The editor in chief of France Soir, Jacques Lefranc, is fired. The French-Egyptian owner of the paper, Raymond Lakah, apologises "to the Muslim community and all those who were insulted by the publication."
February 3, 2006
- New Zealand paper prints Islamic cartoons.
- The United States backs Muslims on against European newspapers that printed caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad in a move that could help America's battered image in the Islamic world.
- Venezuelan internet media publishes controversial cartoons.
- Angry protests over Mohammed caricatures spread in countries such as Pakistan, Malaysia, Egypt, Turkey, Indonesia and Bangladesh.
- Brunei Parties Join Global Islamic Outcry.
- Jack Straw attacks European press over cartoon furor.
- Iraq's top Shia Muslim cleric Ayatollah Ali Sistani condemns the publication, but says militant Islamists were partly to blame for distorting the image of Islam.
- Vatican cardinal criticizes cartoons satirizing Prophet Mohammed PBUH.
- Europe Warns Saudi Arabia Against Danish Boycott.
February 4, 2006
- New Zelands's Dominion Post and the Christchurch Press re-print the Danish cartoons.
- Danish embassy in Syria torched.
- Denmark orders its officials out of Syria.
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