Civil Society

The Sacred and the Non -Sacred Between the Muslims and Denmark

By Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim

The vast majority of Muslims around the world had not even heard about a state called Denmark until the publication of the latest offensive cartoons that mocked the Prophet Mohammed.  Even fewer, including the author, knew of either the Danish newspaper Jllands Posten, which published the cartoon, or Flamang Rose, the Newspapers’ head of culture. The offensive cartoons have provoked widespread fury among Muslims around the world. Reaction to the incident has taken many forms; condemnation, official and public protests, as well as the outright violence witnessed in the burning of the Danish Embassies and properties in several countries such as Syria and Lebanon. Visceral passions remain inflamed from Jakarta to New Delhi, Damascus, and Tehran.

In fact, the incident reflects the degradation of the concept of freedom within the Muslim value system. It has also implied that religious, spiritual, and symbolic ideals take the precedence over other values in the lives of Muslims worldwide. Although Muslims have shown tolerance towards the adherents of other heavenly religions, – who chose to personify their prophets in drawings – this sense of tolerance was totally absent regarding insults directed at the Prophet Mohammed (peace be upon him).

Jyllands Posten went further than just portraying the Prophet, an act already absolutely prohibited by Islam, casting Him as a veiled terrorist with a bomb for a headscarf. The consequent nature of the response varied from one state to another. Recourse to violence mainly occurred in states which already have major problems with the rest of the world, and whose population keenly feels injustice and oppression. These states include Syria, which is under tremendous international pressure and is becoming increasingly isolated since the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al Hariri, and Lebanon where peaceful demonstrations escalated into violence and destruction. Similar scenes were also witnessed in Iran, a country where the people suffer from increasing international pressure and isolation due to the continuation of the Iranian nuclear program. Therefore, one could assume that the eruption of violence in those states was politically motivated.

It was clearly noticed that the peoples of the democratic and prosperous Islamic states such as Malaysia and Turkey have expressed their fury in a more peaceful manner than their non-democratic counterparts. It is also telling that Hamas, soon after its success in the last Palestinian legislative elections, was more disciplined and peaceful in expressing their condemnation than its counterpart Fatah, a movement that is less Islamic-oriented. A similar trend is also perceptible in Egypt regarding the Muslim Brothers and the Party of Justice and Development in Morocco, who expressed their opinion in a more civilized and peaceful mode. 

In fact, the Muslim world needs to be self-critical, and accept that it should not attempt to impose its culture upon others, for it would certainly not accept similar attempts on Islam. What is perceived as sacred or unsacred is a comparative issue that differs from one culture to another.  For instance, whereas cows are looked upon as inferior creatures in Muslim culture, Hindus worship them. Moreover, it must be borne in mind that in both Western and Scandinavian states, the concept of freedom occupies the primary position in the hierarchy of values. Conversely, it is religion that forms the pinnacle of the pyramid of values in Islamic societies.

Finally, it is for Muslims to determine whether they will punish states such as France, Germany, Spain, and other Western nations that united in solidarity with the Danish newspaper, in order to support the value of free speech in which they all believe. In fact, it is disappointing that the Muslims only display their muscles when it comes to small peaceful countries like Denmark, Sweden, and Norway which showed a high level of sympathy with Arab causes, and which opened their door to tens of thousands of Arab immigrants and refugees. In the current context, both the Muslim governments and their citizens should refrain from appealing to childish and hostile conduct. Otherwise, they will forever remain aggressors.