Some very good points Alhamdullilah. I agree that a huge factor missing from many Muslims unfortunately today is knowledge. The K’ab Ibn Al Ashraf story is relevant too, but in this society I don’t see how such an approach is going to give a better impression of Muslims.

It is sad that some Muslims are acting without knowledge of their deen whilst perhaps some other Muslims with knowledge are not doing all they can to spread that knowledge to the less educated Muslims in particular.

I feel that much of the prejudice against Islam, particularly in this day, is purely out of ignorance. People think that quoting a single verse from the Qur’an or a single Hadith is going to justify their actions, whilst others are just blindly following what the media and others around them are saying without thinking about the consequences.

“The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”
Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)

What would the Prophet, Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, do in the case of the cartoons? Precedent is available. It is worth considering the story of K’ab Ibn Al Ashraf, for instance; being slightly more relevant than the trash on the doorstep story.

It is also important to consider that our history isn’t written in a secret code that non-Muslims cannot decipher; they can easily read the verses of jihad and their tafsir, they can read the history of Muslim raids on caravans, about the Banu al-Nadir and about Khaybar etc. If we are not reconciled ourselves with these aspects of Islam, our history, and the deeds and character of Rasulullah, Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, we are dangerously unprepared for any discussion with non-Muslims. Allahu ‘Alam

Thank you for replying to Flanstein, you said pretty much the same thing I was going to say - but I would say maybe that few Muslim countries rather then no Muslim country because I know for one then when I went to Iraq there were many Churches and Christians lived in peace there, at least before the US/UK occupation.

Usayd, since when were people not insulting us or our Prophet? And since when did we have the right to deny them? I’m saying I disagree with it being a form of art (which I believe it is) as it is directly depicing the Prophet’s face, which is unacceptable. People insult Islam and everything that goes along with Islam everyday, its nothing new. It’s the way we deal with the issue that changes the views. The Prophet was the best example, insults had no effect on him, but he would try his hardest to change the minds of those disbelievers, in a peaceful manner. Thats why I thought the link you posted ‘What Would the Prophet Do?’ was well-placed, good job.:wink:

Yes, I’ve noticed all those catholic churches springing up in Saudi Arabia?

Three cheers for the Muslim world. Three cheers for people who will not simply fall down and allow their most deeply held religious beliefs to be spat upon and treated as garbage.

I personally found this quite an engaging approach. Although I don’t fully agree with the article, I find that it is encouraging that someone sees the situation from a more considerate perspective. He concludes with a very bold statement that basically rips apart any argument which is made to justify the cartoons in the first place:

If you draw a cartoon that intends to offend, don’t be surprised when it has the desired effect.

Flanstein: Your statements are actually incorrect. Freedom of worship does indeed exist under the Islamic Law, perhaps you refuse to believe so but unfortunately for you it does. Islam says that there is no compulsion in religion and it is not allowed for a Muslim to force someone else to become a Muslim.

Seb: Thanks for sharing your opinions on the matter. As I said before, just because a different faith was insulted in the past - that doesn’t make it right. Imagine the uproar if Homosexuality was mocked in todays society. Read the article I quoted in this comment, it also addresses previous issues that were similar to this. I also was against the violent reaction of some Muslims as I said.

Qasim: I disagree with you to call this art - it is a political cartoon aimed at insulting. That is a fact, there is no argument even against that. I also think that you are stepping into dangerous waters by saying that you would accept the cartoon had it not been a drawing. It is the message behind the cartoons which is more insulting then the drawing of the cartoon.

There is also an issue of Islamophobia which I think is very much true - and I believe this phobia comes from a lack of knowledge about the true Islam.

The way I see it, the publishers knew the uproar and controversy the comic strip would cause, and thought what with the current height of media coverage in the Islamic world ‘the time is right, who cares about ethics!’ So in a way, the pureness of the artistic intention is crossed out by this. This is shown by how they told the artists exactly what they wanted, and how they had trouble finding artists willing to work for them. What makes it worse though is that they’re using freedom of speech as an excuse to hide behind all the negatives they can see. If they felt they really were free to do it they would not need any justification to protect their ideals, they wouldn’t need laws to protect themselves. This brings us to the conclusion that the matter isn’t really as controversial as people make it out to be, there is no serious ‘clash of cultures’ I can see from this. It is merely down to individual’s views of what is acceptable and what is not. Thankfully over here in Britain, there is the general view that the strip toes the line of acceptability, and to my knowledge no mainstream publishers have had anything to do with it.

To sum up, personally I would have accepted the comic strip’s validity to be published had it not been a direct drawing of the Prophet (peace be upon him), but a mention. But a mockery loses my respect and attention straight away.

For many centuries religions have been mocking each other and the cartoons printed in the Danish press are no different. I think Muslims would have a point to this uproar if they were being singled out and were the only ones being targeted by satirical images but they’re not. All religions at some point suffer the criticism of the 21st century and stable religions should be able to withstand it. I am not condoning the idea of satirising religious icons but it happens to all the religions and yet you don’t see them reacting in such a violent way. Let me give you an example:

I remember a picture posted on the internet of Jesus on a Cross smiling because of the use of No-More-Nails?:neutral: - Many Christians saw this as viscous and offensive and in most aspects you could say they were right, but I don’t recall Christians parading in county capitals offending other British citizens by telling them to expect another 9/11.

I think I should leave everyone with the following quote: An eye for an eye would make the world blind.:idea: