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A
non-Muslim friend from my interfaith group
has just left me a voice mail
thanking me for guiding him to a seminar about the life of Mohammad,
which was held in response to the cartoon controversy. Eric says “I
found it enlightening and moving. This is a heavy time for you so keep
your dignity and humour and you’ll get through it.” Thank you Eric.
The past two weeks have been spiritually, emotionally and
physically trying for many of us caught up in the jihad (struggle) to
uphold respect and reverence for our Prophet while condemning irrational
and violent reactions in some parts of the Muslim world.
Now
that the furor and fury is dying down a bit, I’m eating a Danish in
solidarity for ordinary Danish people who have been swept into the
current cartoon controversy. Just like I don’t want to be blamed for
the actions of a few radical extremists, similarly I don’t think all
Danes should be blamed for the mischief of an editor and an Imam.
I
also have a message for Muslims, non-Muslims and Media. “Enough is
enough – grow up and let’s learn to live together!” Why? Because
the world is now a global village and a joke in
Denmark can have ripple effects causing tremors
from Delhi to Dakkar. As the Sufi poet
Saadi wrote: Human
beings are like parts of a single body; if one part is wounded, the rest
hurts. You, unmoved by the pain of others, are not worthy of being
called human.
Many
important lessons for humanity have emerged from this cartoon crisis and
perhaps the best thing we can all do right now is to sit back, take stock and educate ourselves
about each other, before we criticize.
From
purely a faith perspective, this is a time when many faith communities
have spoken out against willfully demonizing ‘the other’. Those who haven’t are also encouraged to speak out and show
solidarity and support for each other, even at the risk of being taunted
for being “cowardly” or “wishy washy”. As well this is a wake up call for Muslims not to taunt or
ridicule others because they now know how it feels to be on the
‘other’ side. Respect for each other is a hallmark of the Canadian
mosaic and I applaud the individuals and organizations who have spoken
out against hate mongering.
And
hate mongering it is. Another lesson to learn is that if one community
is saying out loud and clear that they find demeaning their faith,
insulting, please listen to them. They are your neighbors, friends and
fellow Canadians. The same Charter of Rights and Freedom that some
editors want to use as an excuse to print the offending cartoons, also
gives Canadians the right to object to hate propaganda. If my
freedom impinges on your rights,
then it’s no longer freedom.
In
the political arena, we’ve learnt that Muslim leaders have
misappropriated the cartoon caper to pursue their own agenda for power
and control. As a Muslim I find it totally hypocritical that the same
people, who didn’t speak out when the 1400-year old house of Prophet
Muhammad in Makkah was being razed to the
ground by Saudi authorities, are now
using violence as a means of protest. Obviously they aren’t out in the
streets for love of the Prophet – more like love of profit!
Where were they when the
Taliban blew up the Buddha statues
in Bamiyan?
Every
Muslim needs to ask the question: Is this what the Prophet would have
done? The answer is a clear No. Once they know the answer, they need to
loudly and clearly condemn those actions that are against the Quran and
practice of the Prophet.
Simultaneously
it should be imperative that conservative Muslim countries like Saudi
Arabia and Pakistan teach Judaism, Christianity,
Hinduism and Buddhism in schools. More
importantly they need to teach respect for diversity within Islam.
It’s ironical that a cartoon caused riots in Pakistan, but 32 shias
killed last week didn’t even warrant a protest.
Rights
of minorities in Muslim countries should be protected just like rights
of Muslims in Canada.
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