Something about Cartoons
A colleague walked toward me today: - What is the deal with these Muslims over Cartoons? -How the hell I am supposed to know? They are angry, it has been a last drop and many are abusing it to make themselves heard -No matter what we do Muslims hate us, those who are in charge fill them with hatred. Out of sudden, I a Shi’e and an Iranian became the representative of 1.2 billion Muslims from several backgrounds divided in dozens religious groups, some I have not even heard of. There are a few things that must be said about these recent events. First of all there were two kinds of protests against these cartoons. One organized by Muslim population, either immigrants living in Europe tired and angry at their negative image and their isolation [1] or Muslim population in Islamic countries. Governments organized the others. Some made their anger known through official channels; this includes all governments even secular Uzbekistan and some organized mobs. After all since when three people can get together in Damascus without Syrian intelligence being on their tail? What happened in Tehran, Beirut and Damascus were organized by a minority in a minority to make a political statement abusing an opportunity created by Danish naivety. Radicals cornered by the lack of tact and their diplomatic inabilities grabbed these cartoons as a God sent opportunity to push their people to the old lines dividing Corrupt West and Pure Islamic World. Why our governments do not protect the dignity of Islam and our Prophet, may angels salute his soul, by having higher moralities, a better conduct a more efficient system?
Those who love power use any opportunity to abuse it in order to hold to it. The have abused Islam, they have abused our love for prophet and Islam, they have betrayed both our national interests and Islam and They are abusing our rights, our freedom and us in the name of Islam and our national interests.
The day a President or a King in Arab countries have assumed whole power, and stop letting his opposition to be heard, he has insulted Prophet who always consulted his followers, who let those who disagreed with him to be heard. Today rulers such as Qaddafi and Emirs of UAE are rolling in money, cash and luxuries while our Muslim brothers and sisters are cold in Pakistani mountains, but nobody calls this an insult! To a Prophet who ate just three dates a day when his followers did not have food, who bought an Aba[1] for just 4 silver coins instead of a better one for 12 so he could buy and free a slave with 8 left, isn’t this an insult? Our governments insulted our prophet by letting his teaching to become limited to veil for women. None recalls his manner in running a government, his accuracy in keeping public accounts and his modesty toward his followers. We are living in a time that our rulers consider themselves even closer to God than our beloved Prophet, more righteous than him who so many times told his followers: “I am a human like you” They are not anything like him, the best thing they can do to defend his dignity is to leave him alone and to stop justifying themselves and their actions in his name and in the name of Islam. I wonder why we are not protesting those who in his name have done so many wrongs?
[1] An Arab Dress covering from shoulders to toe over a long shirt and trousers