Let Muslims, instead of fretting and fuming over the gross disrespect to the Last Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), which is understandable hundred per cent, realise the onerous responsibility of Dawah or dissemination of the message of Islam, pleads DR. S. AUSAF SAIED VASFI.
It is with pain that the thinking sections of over-a-billion strong world Muslims have noted the inexplicable brazenness demonstrated by the morbid minds of the west with regard to the Last Prophet’s indisputable status in Islam rather the world. The cynics added insult to injury on Sep 19, when in France, a periodical Charlie Hebdo front-paged a series of cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), most of them depicting him in the nude and in pornographic poses.
Of course, and admirably so, swift came rebuke from the government in France, headed by Mr. Francois Hollande, who had earlier asked the magazine not to publish the offensive stuff. But his request was given a short shrift. The editorial director, Mr. Stephane Corbonnier chose to remain defiant and unapologetic: “Mohammad is not sacred to me. I don’t blame Muslims for not laughing at our drawings. I live under French law. I don’t live under Quranic law.” So said Mr. Corbonnier, who wanted his audience to believe through his logic that for the appreciation of any divine prophet in the nude, mankind should have low taste. Is it noble and gentlemanly also to heap insults and filth on the Apostle? That perhaps is not his forte.
Would he mind to be told emphatically that the one-fourth of mankind disagrees with him? In Islam all the Prophets, all the Apostles, all the Messengers of Allah are beyond lampoon, beyond caricature, beyond comparison – just because they represent Allah upon earth. It is so because they are sent here as Models or Ideals to be pursued by mankind. Does this innocuous concept run into the face of free world, free from the grain of decency and humanity?
It all started with a derogatory film, ironically titled “Innocence of Muslims” produced by one Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, an Egyptian-American Coptic Christian. It is believed he is the author of blasphemy, published on YouTube on July 2, 2012. What sort of author this crook is can be imagined from the fact that he has 15 aliases: Sam Bacile, Mark Basseley Youssef, Yousseff M. Basseley, Nicola Bacily, Robert Bacily, Erwin Salameh, Thomas J. Tanas, Matthew Nekola, Ahmad Hamdy, Amal Nada, Daniel K. Caresman, Sobhi Bushra, Kritbag Difrat, PJ Tobacco, and Malid Ahlaw. He is a self-confessed ‘Israeli Jew’ using the pseudonym Sam Bacile. According to the western sources, he scripted the film in jail and produced it with his son Abanob Basseley. Money spent on the film is said to be between $50000 and $60000, all from the Jewish contributors.
According to reports, the blood-cuddling film depicts the Last Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him) as “a womaniser, child molester, thug and criminal”.
Almost all major countries have experienced protests, some of them bloody involving police firing and deaths. Four Americans, including US Ambassador to Libya, Mr. Chris Stevens, were killed.
What is significant is that the Muslim leadership the world over took strong exception to bloody protests and found them potentially counterproductive and unnecessarily provocative to Muslims. Some of the world organisations which saw through the game are Ikhwan al-Muslimoon and Freedom and Justice Party of Egypt, the Islamic Circle of North America, Council on American-Muslim Relations, Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, and Jamaat-e-Islami of Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Here it appears to be somewhat relevant to ask the cynics of the west, where, long ago, civilization ended: Have they ever (repeat ever) found a Muslim, even totally illiterate, in any part of the world, who spoke irreverently, much less lampooning or caricaturing, about any Prophet sent towards the followers of Judaism and Christianity? Do they know that all Muslims recognise all the Prophets sent to the Jews and Christians? They all are part and parcel of Islamic faith. A person cannot be a Muslim, who, for example, refuses to believe in the prophethood of Christ, Moses, David, Jacob or for that matter any other Prophet. Muslims believe in them all.
In this background we fail to appreciate the logic behind the sustained serial of insults against the Last Prophet. What is the rationale behind their abject behaviour? We expect them to substantiate their case, if any. Do they not see the irrationality, the indecency and ignobility of their scheme of things?
Perhaps there is no law in the west which can prohibit insulting the Prophets. Here we find ourselves absolutely incapable of appreciating the attitude of Christians towards Christ and Jews towards Abraham (blessings of Allah be to both of them). Do they pay lip service to the Prophets in the cathedrals and pagodas? And, does this keep them satisfied?
The disquieting silence of judiciary in the west also passes our commonsense. Each and every state established by law gives primacy to judiciary in critical cases. Judiciary takes cognizance of several cases on its own, which is usually called suo moto. Why judiciary over there feels hesitant to take action against the idiots.
In the original Judaism and in the original Christianity there was a strong case of “Asmat-e-Ambiya” or absolute innocence of Prophets or the Prophets’ total freedom from sin. The provision is the strongest possible in Islam, which is the last and complete version of the Divine Guidance earlier sent to the Abrahamic religions. Islam is of the view that the Prophets are beyond question, beyond criticism, beyond finding fault. So is the case with the Last Prophet, Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allah be to him). May be the Jews and Christians find it difficult to digest this divine thesis. But, can’t they show at least the conventional respect to the Last Prophet? Is it tantamount to asking for the moon?
Let the world Muslims control themselves with the entire strength at their command. First and foremost is the fact that the entire western hemisphere has not gone crazy. All of them are not mad. There are saner sections who are capable of objectivity. It is a matter of satisfaction that at several places non-Muslims have expressed their total displeasure at the blasphemy. That they had not moral courage to apologise to Muslims for the offence is also true. But the drubbings that they have given to their misrepresentatives should be considered almost sufficient. They have made it clear that they do not subscribe to dirt thrown upon the Last Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him).
Let the Muslim intellectuals accept this uncouth challenge and flood the western markets with books on the concept of “Asmat-e-Ambiya”. Perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that the Muslims the world over are more informed on the Abrahamic Prophets than the Christians and Jews.
Let Muslims, instead of fretting and fuming over the gross disrespect to the Last Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be to him), which is understandable hundred per cent, realise the onerous responsibility of Dawah or dissemination of the message of Islam. Have they forgotten that they are the salt of the soil, the only candle in the dark? They have to discharge their religious and moral obligation of being Ummat-e-Wasat (moderate nation) and Khair-e-Ummat (the best nation). Violence is not in the DNA of Islam and what goes unsaid is that violence is counterproductive also in the given situation.