More Thoughts on the Danish Cartoon Row

I hope this will be the last time I post about this subject. The recent violent events in Damascus and Beirut, the tons of article and analyses on the internet, and the comments of many readers of that blog, all helped me refine my opinion on the Danish cartoons controversy.

I have no doubt that the cartoons were very offensive and insulting, with racist overtones. Muslims are not only angry that their Prophet was depicted in a cartoon (which is forbidden in Islamic tradition) but because he was insulted when described in these cartoons as dumb, terrorist and womanizer. Muslims are angry because European newspapers showed unexplainable disrespect of their feelings when they republished the cartoons despite all the anger and protest they triggered. There is a feeling of bitterness because had the cartoon been mocking other religions or ethnicities, it would have been considered racist or anti-Semitic.

People behind the cartoons and those who supported their publishing showed either spite and malice or deep ignorance of the Islamic World and its culture. The Muslim world is still very religious. Muslim societies (just like Western societies decades ago) do not accept any mockery of religion. Now if and when they will "learn" to accept it like people in the West do is up to Muslims themselves to decide. They cannot be "taught" by outsiders how to tolerate making fun of their prophet and calling him dumb.

Many countries have limits to freedom of speech when it comes to religious sensitivities. In 2003, Greece sentenced a cartoonist to 6 months in prison because he depicted Jesus in a book he published. So the idea of "having limits" is not so alien in Europe. The cartoonists and the newspapers knew that Muslim societies are even less ready than Greece to accept such a violation of the "limits." Why did they decide to test the Muslim limits? Why would they hesitate to test the limits of other ethnic groups and religions? The absence of convincing answers make Muslims feel that they are victims of racism and that their religion is under attack.

I wanted the Muslim reaction to be different. The sit-ins and vigils that were organized in Damascus before Saturday's violent demonstrations were very peaceful and civilized. The idea of boycotting Danish products was also a good idea. Everything went well until the mobs took out to the streets on Saturday. It is quite unfortunate to see that the Muslim street is still controlled by extremist ideas that are, in fact, very un-Islamic. The mobs harmed the cause and gave another blow to the image of Islam. If this is what protests will be like, they should stop immediately. As long as the extremists control the street, moderate Muslims will fail to defend their religion properly and will always find themselves between a rock and a hard place.

Extremist and ignorant people exist on the other side too. I have received a lot of hate e-mail, and many comments left here expressed racist and provocative ideas. In my opinion, those who insist on insulting Islam and Muslims over and over again are not really different from the mobs of Damascus and Beirut, in the aspect that they share the same level of close-mindedness and the intention to never allow things to calm down.

Yes, we need to calm down because the matter is going out of control, and the consequences can be grave. Protests should stop and the boycott should stop. We need to sit and talk about how to repair the damage and how to prevent this from happening again. European media should show more understanding of Islamic sensitivities and Muslims should learn how to control their reactions. We should not fall into the trap of generalization. Not all Europeans are hatefull racists and not all Muslims are blind violent mobs. Educated and rational people from both sides should not allow extremists to lead us into more confrontation. Mutual understanding is all we need.

Salaam. Fred. Peace.

Update (2/8): Check Rime Allaf's excellent article about the cartoon controversy: Absolute Freedom to Cause Offense?

Update (2/10): Another great article by Robert Fisk: This Isn't Islam Versus Secularism.