Beyond Mere Cartoons
| Khatib : |
Sadullah Khan |
| Khutbah No: |
188 |
| Khutbah Date: |
03/03/06 |
[b]وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ قَوْلًا مِّمَّن دَعَا إِلَى اللَّهِ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا[/b] [b]وَقَالَ إِنَّنِي مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ[/b][i]And who could be better in speech than the person who calls fellow human beings unto God, and does what is just and right, and says, “Verily, I am of those who have surrendered myself to Allah”?[/i][b] [Qur’an 41:33] [/b]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 world. Our peaceful and dignified protest in our town at at UCI this week was lauded by the local paper as “absolutely super”.
Misinformed and MisconstruedAs for those Young Republicans at University of California-Irvine, who unveiled the despicable depiction of the Prophet in those caricatures, thereby deliberately attempting to mock the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in those images; the insensitivity of publishing something so unnecessary despite awareness of the offensiveness thereof was nothing short of provocation. [list][*]Their attempt to try an equate the anti-Israeli cartoons in some Middle Eastern magazines as proof of how some Muslims offend Jews; and hence have no right to be upset about the cartoons about the Prophet; is absolutely idiotic. Being critical of a repressive Zionist state is not an attack on the revered tradition of Judaism (whom we consider as People of the Book) nor on our beloved Prophet Moses (peace be upon him) [/*][*]One of the panelists; Rev Jesse Lee Peterson, president of BOND; was reported in the Irvine World to have said: “I am sure not all Muslim people are evil, but the religion itself is evil.” WRONG! Some Muslims (like many from other faiths) may be bad, but those who truly follow the teachings of Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Muhammad (peace be upon them) can never be evil! [/*][/list]
Defamation of CharacterMany of the cartoons are deeply offensive because they are hateful, slanderous, and inflammatory and racist. These cartoons pander to the basest prejudices, defaming the Prophet’s character with gross stereotypes of Arab culture, equating the mistakes of his followers with his personage. The cartoonists knew that those images were going to be as provocative and insulting; and it is absolutely clear that they were meant, not to open dialogue, (as the editors who requisitioned them claim) but to provoke a negative reaction. It is hardly customary or productive to start a conversation by slapping someone in the face of the person you wish to talk to. If any attempt at humor is insulting and humiliating, then it is indeed defamation of character.
FreedomWe do value the freedom of expression, but it shouldn't be abused to provoke hatred and division between communities. Freedom of expression is not a license to attack a culture or religion.The right of freedom of speech in all societies and all cultures has to be exercised responsibly and does not extend to a license to insult.Freedom of expression confers rights, it is true - it also imposes the duty of responsibility on those who are speaking out. The same Charter of Rights and Freedom that some editors want to use as an excuse to print the offending cartoons, also gives those offended the right to object to hate propaganda. If my freedom impinges on your rights, then it’s no longer freedom. The moral responsibility that goes with freedom of expression implies that we at least be truthful, honest, and that we not wittingly transgress the respect and dignity of others. We unreservedly deplore the actions of those who profit deliberately from the offence caused to religious feelings using this to formant violence. With freedom of speech comes responsibility not to use it to promote or condone bigotry, hatred, and the dehumanization of any group. Everyone should take note of that, and more specifically Muslims too.
Dark Week for Muslim HistoryIt is also with utter dismay that we have last week witnessed the diabolical and callous destruction of the shrines of the respected Imam Ali al-Naqi and his son, Imam Hasan al-Askari at Samarra. The nature of such attacks has unleashed a chain of events which benefits neither “shi’ah” nor “sunni”, rather it undermines Islam and hurts the already “wounded” people of Iraq even further; and it has caused a deep and ugly scar on the history of Muslims. People of Faith and people of conscience unequivocally condemn those who perpetrated the heinous act, which in turn has led to the subsequent deaths of many scholars and damaging of numerous mosques.We should also question ...who benefits from all this? and why is this happening now?
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