February 5, 2006

Original Article (English)

Below are the Some of Cartoon Images that
Have Set the Muslim World Afire, Published in
Dutch Newspaper Jyllands-Posten.

— BBC NEWS VIDEO: Culture editor of
Danish Newspaper Jyllands-Postenaper reacts
to the protests, Feb. 4 00:01:29

I have had a look at the cartoons undermining the great prophet of Islam and humanity, Mohammed. [SEE IMAGES ON RIGHT]

They are not innocent. They are an attempt to destroy the picture of Islam as a mission of tolerance disseminating knowledge, science and coexistence among peoples and tribes.

Muslims Protest Offensive Cartoons
After Friday Prayers in Baghdad.

[ SLIDE SHOW: Muslim Fury].

In this view I am not referring to the illicit and unqualified 21^st century religious scholars and clerics, whose interpretations have transformed Islam into an easy target for societies organized around different ideas.

At the outset, those abominable cartoons are not the product of freedom of expression as some say. They are an upshot of the U.S. campaign on terrorism.

Under the guise of regional and international "legitimacy," this [anti-terror] campaign has turned at least half of Iraq into a wasteland, and we are awaiting the destruction of the other half.

However, there is another side to the issue.

Generally speaking, Muslims are to blame for failing to disseminate their religion's mission as a platform for principles that can consolidate world peace and promulgate virtue and respect for human rights, particularly those of women.

Arab diplomatic missions from nations who are in the first place afraid of their own people, are preoccupied by monitoring members of groups opposing their regimes.

Having said that, there must be some way to respond to these cartoons; but the question is how? 

A boycott is not enough, and perhaps Muslims themselves will be harmed by it. Muslim countries lack a solid-enough economic base to stand on.

But fighting those tarnishing the image of Islam, whether through old-fashioned ideas and worn-out methods, is a must.

But Muslims also need to maintain a dialogue - meetings, conferences, symposiums - to inform others about the tolerant identity of their religion, rather than the way it is currently viewed.  

There is a huge gap between the true identity of Islam, and the way many of its followers have chosen to portray it.

What will we do if all industrialized nations opt to publish these cartoons. Would our countries survive without food, medicine, commerce and industry?

We the Muslims have not woken up to the extent of the ruin we have experienced under the shadow of governments that have turned their nations into [terrorist] hideouts and ganglands, rather than States that are proud of their peoples.