A good response to the depiction & cartoon publications, from
City Muslims.
http://www.citymuslims.org/depictionofprophet.asp
We note that the depiction of the Prophet Muhammad was not a piece of art, a painting of beauty but an attack and insult to his integrity by depicting him, and therefore his followers, as terrorists. Although in Islam all depictions of Prophet Muhammad (s) are forbidden, this particular case has caused more insult and offence by demonising the Prophet (s) and by implication his followers i.e. Muslims, as terrorists. One drawing showed the prophet with a bomb and a lit fuse in his turban, another showed him saying to suicide bombers that he has run out of virgins in paradise, and another showed him grinning wildly, with a knife in his hand.
We ask, would depiction of a stereotypical Jew as a money hungry cheating banker be an acceptable form of freedom of speech? Would depictions that imply that Sikhs are rapists be an example freedom of speech? Such expressions of ‘freedom of speech’ were tolerated in Hitler’s Germany to demonise a community to the rest of the nation, making normal people capable of persecuting that minority. Those that have done GSCE history on Nazi Germany will know the power of propaganda via depictions, drawings or paintings in newspapers about a community. It is via demonising propaganda (radio in the case of Rwanda), that mentally prepares a nation to persecute a section of its own. This cannot be justified by the notion of ‘freedom of speech’.
Libel, slander, privacy laws, OFCOM regulations, race relations laws, the press complaints commission, the official secrets act, and many more acts of law place responsible restrictions on freedom of speech. We regret that there is nothing in place to stop demonisation of religious communities as a whole, just as previously in Europe there were no laws to stop the demonisation of the Jewish people. We kindly ask all not to forget the lessons of History.
FACTS SCARCELY MENTIONED BY THE MEDIA
- The offence is not simply because of a depiction, but because of the stereotypes promoted.
-The Jyllands-Posten, the paper that first published the cartoons rejected cartoons of Jesus 3 years ago, on grounds that they could be offensive to readers. [see here]
- The cartoons violated Danish law but the government refused to even meet Muslims to discuss this. So the argument the Danish government used to say they have no power to do anything is false. Section 266-B of the Danish Criminal Code says: "Any person who, publicly or with the intention of wider dissemination, makes a statement or imparts other information by which a group of people are threatened, insulted or degraded on account of their race, colour, national or ethnic origin, religion, or sexual inclination shall be liable to a fine or to imprisonment for any term not exceeding two years."
Section 140, which deals with blasphemy, reads: "Those who publicly mock or insult the doctrines or worship of any religious community that is legal in this country, will be punished by a fine or incarceration for up to four months" [see here]
- In the 1920s and 1930s, Jyllands-Posten was infamous for its affinity for Italian fascism and the German Nazi dictatorship. In 1933, it argued for the introduction of a dictatorship in Denmark.
- Daniel Pipes, a Bush adviser, avid Zionist, Islamophobe, known for his rantings on 'Islamic Supremacists' while at the same time preaching that the only solution to the Middle-East is a total Israeli military victory, is a close associate of Flemming Rose, the cultural editor of Jyllands-Posten.
- The EMHRN - a regional human rights network with its headquarters in Denmark said, "The fact that the cartoons among others things identified Islam with terrorism can only increase the xenophobia and racism that these populations are already victims of in Europe. Furthermore, this kind of image contributes to discrediting entire countries and their populations."
Our view is not extreme or trying to impose Shariah in the west. The US State Department issued a statement opposing the publication of the cartoons too, saying "We fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression, but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable."
For Muslims This Is A Man Who...
1. Gave women souls, defined them as human beings, whereas in Europe 900 years later it was still a debated issue if women had souls or if they were like animals.
2. Abolished the trade in women as objects of exploitation.
3. Gave women rights of ownership of property, business, and allowed them to be completely financially independent of men.
4. Obligated education for women as much as men and encouraged them to be educated.
5. Abolished the widely practiced tradition of the ancient world of burying newborn baby girls due to want of boys, and established the tradition that girls were more of a blessing than boys.
6. Abolished the dowry tradition of extortionate amounts of money being paid by a woman or her family to marry a man.
7. Phased out slavery at a time when every civilisation in the known world practiced it.
8. Abolished forced marriage and gave children, male and female, the right to choose.
9. Established the fist known constitution with an appended 'bill of rights' in Medinah.
10. Outlawed distinctions between race and tribe.
11. Encouraged interracial mixing and marriage.
12. Punished racial discrimination by establishing what were probably the first 'race relations' laws.
13. Gave Jews, Christians and other religious minorities equality under the law, or an elevated status with less tax (Jizya), and not obligating them to serve in the army, nor forcing them into Muslim religious practices.
14. Established the first state to give free healthcare (like the NHS) to all citizens Muslim or not.
15. Was the founder of a civilisation that lasted as the leading civilisation for 1000 years which among other things encouraged science, debate, enquiry, and discussion, preserving the ancient greek sciences which were passed on to Europe 1000 years later.
16. And gave many more liberating and wonderful things to the world.
