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What would Prophet Mohammed have done?


February 3, 2006

By TAREK FATAH
The Globe and Mail

Keep to forgiveness (O Mohammed), and enjoin kindness, and turn away from the ignorant.
- The Koran, Chapter 7, Verse 199

During his lifetime, Prophet Mohammed endured insults and ridicule on a daily basis. His opponents mocked his message and used physical violence to stop him from challenging the status quo.

At no stage during this ordeal did the Prophet lose his temper or react to these provocations. Tradition has it that he would, instead, offer a prayer of forgiveness to those who showed contempt for him.

Today, however, many followers of Prophet Mohammed are acting the exact opposite. Reacting to the provocative Danish cartoons about the Prophet, they are burning newspapers, threatening journalists, issuing bomb threats, yet claiming they are standing up for the Prophet himself.

I have seen the cartoons published by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. There is no question they are meant to hurt the feelings of Muslims. As I saw them, I had to restrain my anger. Once more, Muslims were being depicted as a violent people. (One particularly derisive cartoon showed the Prophet wearing a turban with a bomb inside it.)

No one in the Muslim community is willing to buy into the notion that these cartoons were not meant to promote racism against Muslims. The editors may say otherwise, but the community knows better when it is depicted as the "other," to be scorned and sidelined.

Caricaturing racial minorities has been a tradition in Europe and North America since long before it became acceptable to deride Muslims. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it wasn't uncommon to see Jews and blacks depicted negatively. Today, thanks to the great work of many civil rights and anti-racism activists, no newspaper would invoke press freedom to
depict Jews and blacks or their leaders the way the Danish paper depicted the Prophet.

Having said that, the way some Muslims have reacted to the provocation leaves a lot to be desired. Provoked, they walked blindfolded into a trap set for them, and came out worse than what they started with.

In Canada, we had a similar case, if not of the same magnitude. In the mid-90s, a Toronto man distributed highly inflammatory literature against Islam and the Prophet. Unlike our European colleagues and some fanatics of the Middle East, Canadian Muslims took up the case with the police and the gentleman was charged under Ontario hate laws and convicted. End of story.

In the Danish case, the Arab world's reaction, led by the Egyptian government, suggests there is more to it than meets the eye. Thousands in the Arab world have protested against the publication of the cartoons. The Danish paper has received bomb threats. Two armed groups threatened yesterday to target Frenchmen and Norwegians in the Palestinian territories,
as well as Danes, after the caricatures were published in their countries.

Many believe that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's government is acting not for the love for Islam, but for love of the power it has usurped for decades.

Egyptian-American journalist Mona Eltahawy, a regular columnist for the London newspaper Sharq AlAwsat, wrote in the Egyptian newspaper Al-Dastour:
"Perhaps the Muslim governments who spearheaded the campaign -- led by Egypt -- felt this was an easy way to burnish their Islamic credentials at a time when domestic Islamists are stronger than they have been in many years."

For the Arab League to demand that the Danish government shut down the newspaper Jyllands-Posten shows how deeply entrenched dictatorial practices are in many Muslim countries. They are so accustomed to closing down their own newspapers, they could not understand why the Danish government could not issue a decree closing the Jyllands-Posten.

This posturing by Arab governments and Islamist movements is not in the tradition of Islam. These zealots should ask the question: What would Prophet Mohammed have done when faced with this insult?

He would, I suggest, have said a prayer for the cartoonist and "turned away from the ignorant," as Allah commanded him to do in the Koran.


Sources:
[www.theglobeandmail.com]
ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20060203/
COMUSLIM03/TPComment/


Notes:
Tarek Fatah is host of a weekly TV show on CTS-TV, The Muslim Chronicle, and is the communication director of the Muslim Canadian Congress

Dear Yasmine
Many thanks for this piece wonderfully written by Tarek Fatah.

Excellent analysis. Right on the spot.

Salaam,

Thank you for this article.


Indeed the prophet SAAWS is wiser than those who pretend defending Him... Maybe they are sincere but defintly they are ignorant of the high morals of the man they are following...


I will never trust any thing coming from Arab countries under dictatorship. It is not Moubarak of Egypt who is going to defend the prophet SAAWS.

I think Europe and the US should boycot all arab countries living under dictatorship and should start financing movements so that police regimes like the one in Egypt will fall.


The danger to Europe and US are not the Muslim masses but the dictators governing the Muslim world.

Salamu Alaykum Dear Brothers ans sisters,

I ve created a blog containing the best links to the websites that introduce our Prophet (PBUH).
I want from you to widespread it and try to add your comments and help us to do some positive things to let non muslim people know about our beloved Prophet (PBUH)...

here is the link to the blog...

[muhammedprophet.blogspot.com]


Salamu Alaykum

well done! I just wish more people knew this!

hello everybody,
I just want to thank you for this article. more than that, i want to add that what's happenning now might be beneficial to our religion. in my opinion this, will attract the attention of many non-muslims. they will be curious to know everything about the one to whom muslims bear great respect and love. the person so much people venerate. by thus doing, they will know the real personality of our beloved prophet(PBUH). as a result, more people will convert into islam. "aassa an tkrahu chyaan wahua khaurun lakum"
thanks

Wake up dear Shushita from your dreams !

Actually, I'm not dreaming dear. After what happenned in USA, many Americans converted to Islam. Nothing is impossible and God Allmighty says "youridoun an youtfiou nour allh wa lallah mutimun nourahu walaw kariha lkafirun".

salut

Dear Shushita
Would you please explain us why US american convert after what happend.
What makes them attracted to Islam by watching muslims destroying embassies, burning US flags etc.
Thank you

Quote
mdlazreg
Salaam,




The danger to Europe and US are not the Muslim masses but the dictators governing the Muslim world.

they don't know that and they will always laugh at anyone saying something like you. in materialistic life, those govs present alots of interest for the west.

Quote
yussuf2005
Salamu Alaykum Dear Brothers ans sisters,

I ve created a blog containing the best links to the websites that introduce our Prophet (PBUH).
I want from you to widespread it and try to add your comments and help us to do some positive things to let non muslim people know about our beloved Prophet (PBUH)...

here is the link to the blog...

[muhammedprophet.blogspot.com]


Salamu Alaykum

that's nice work, Kudos.

Quote
shushita
Actually, I'm not dreaming dear. After what happenned in USA, many Americans converted to Islam. Nothing is impossible and God Allmighty says "youridoun an youtfiou nour allh wa lallah mutimun nourahu walaw kariha lkafirun".

you are right. forget about krim? he sounds little boy doing the clown here. he sneaks to the computer when his mom leave

Answer my question to demonstrate who is the little boy or may be who is the silly little boy.

Quote
Krim
Answer my question to demonstrate who is the little boy or may be who is the silly little boy.

he he he, I will answer but when your mother by. I ain't pedofile and I don't talk to minors alone

no comments



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/28/2006 05:00 by Krim.

Quote
Krim
Dear Shushita
Would you please explain us why US american convert after what happend.
What makes them attracted to Islam by watching muslims destroying embassies, burning US flags etc.
Thank you

hello, krim
first, I'd like to say sorry for answering late. Well, you know? Europeans and Americcans are keen on doing research and they want to know about everything. When they notice that huge numbers of muslims are so attached to the person of their prophet, and that they are ready to do anything to defend him, they will start wondering about the kind persons he is. they are going to do querries to know every little thing about him. that way, they will have the chance to realize and find out the real image of islam, cause we are not or most of muslims aren't a good example to follow when it comes to religious matters. and as Ex Cat Stevens 'Youssuf Al Islam' said " i thank God for knowing Islam before knowing the muslims
I hope that i answerd your question

[www.islamfortoday.com]

Dear shushita, the link above give an example which is in accordance with what you said.
Many thanks

hi krim,
i hope that my response satisfied you. but you didn't give me yours.

Dear Shushita
I gave the link to just tell that some people got curious about Islam after 9/11 and convert for whatever reason. We do not have number and statistics about who feel attracted by Islam after 9/11 and those who are feeling the opposite. My feeling and throgh discussions with germans, 9/11 did deteriorate the image of muslims and Islam as a religion.This can also du to mass media and others in exploiting 9/11 for other interests.I use to travel to the US, My muslim friends are not at all happy with the situation.
So may be some convert but many have a lot of fear.
Regards



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/26/2006 11:12 by Krim.

Hi krim,
I totally agree with you. I have a cousin living in USA and he told me that after the events of 9/11 Muslims were treated badly, mainly by the policemen. But now, things have changed or are changing. You know that many TV Channels broadcast programs about our proghet (PBUH); his life and his way of treating others; especially the non-muslims. What's amazing is that the people who talk about Him are no other than Amercan Christians. Moreover, after what happenned in holland, many emminent personalities organised a trip to holland where some of the muslim youth could meet young people there and discuss all things about our religion and our prophet. This initiative enabled those europeans to have a new image of us. They had the chance to get in touch with a category of muslims who have nothing to do with terrorism and murders. I hope that you've seen the program on TV. Nowadays, there is an islamic centre in USA that will organise a tour in north America ; USA and Canada to inform people about everything related to Islam.