February 4, 2006

The Muslim Public Affairs Council commends the Bush administration for publicly condemning the Danish publication of a series of cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a terrorist and called on other American religious and political leaders to follow suit in order to calm rapidly expanding tensions.

"We find them offensive, and we certainly understand why Muslims would find these images offensive," the Bush administration said of the cartoons. "Anti-Muslim images are as unacceptable as anti-Semitic images, as anti-Christian images, or any other religious belief."

SEE: "U.S. Says It Also Finds Cartoons of Muhammad Offensive" (New York Times, 2/4/06)

Simultaneously, MPAC calls on American opinion leaders to examine anti-Islamic rhetoric that's coming from American religious and opinion leaders as well. The most effective way to respond to hatemongers is to isolate them, and make them bear economic and political consequences. MPAC also commends the American Muslim community for responding to the incident with calm and reason, relying on mainstream avenues to discuss the fine line between free speech and hate speech.

International religious and political leaders have condemned the cartoons and implored for calm. In a statement issued this morning, the Vatican deplored the violence but said certain forms of criticism toward any religious tradition could represent an "unacceptable provocation." German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she "understands" the outrage felt among Muslims, but warned against using the drawings to justify violence.

Muslims in Europe and the Middle East have reacted angrily to the cartoons, with crowds reportedly burning Danish flags, pulling dairy products made in Denmark off store shelves and threatening violence. Thousands of outraged Syrian demonstrators stormed the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus, setting fire to both buildings. This week, Saudi Arabia and Syria also recalled their Danish ambassadors. Hundreds of Palestinians protested in the occupied territories, and the leader of Hamas told Italian daily Il Giornale today that the cartoons should be punished by death.

The cartoons have touched a raw nerve in part because Islamic law is interpreted to forbid any depictions of the Prophet Muhammad. Aggravating the affront was a cartoon in which Prophet Muhammad is shown wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse, which many have viewed as further confirmation of the notion that America is waging a so-called "war on Islam".

In the late 1980s, MPAC condemned both Salman Rushdie's "Satanic Verses" vitriol and the violent reaction to it. Then, just as now, resorting to violence in order to "defend" Islam and the Prophet is a violation of both the Quran and Prophet's own example. In the Quran, God says: "..Never yet came any apostle but they said, 'A spellbinder is he, or a madman!'... Nay, they are people filled with overwhelming arrogance... Turn, then, away from them and thou shall incur no blame" (51:52-55).

The sanctity of human life and human accountability are core Islamic tenets. In response to those who subjected him to repeated ridiculing and contempt, Prophet Muhammad offered kindness and forgiveness rather than anger, hate or violence. Muslims should not pervert the legacy of the Prophet by making Islam appear intolerant and violent.

A Gallup poll conducted last year, 10,000 Muslims across North Africa, the Middle East and Asia were asked to describe in their own words what Western societies could do to improve relations with the Muslim world. While the poll results have yet to be formally released, the San Francisco Chronicle reports that the most frequent reply was that Western societies should "respect Islam, stop treating us like we're inferior, stop degrading Muslims in your media".

Last week, MPAC National Director Ahmed Younis appeared on PBS' "NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" to discuss the cartoons' ramifications. To hear the interview, click here.