MSNBC tells us that the heads of Islamic nations have just concluded a high level meeting at Dakar, Senegal. The Muslim heads of states are worried how Islam is portrayed by Western countries. The delegates were each given a tome prepared by the Organization of the Islamic Conference, chaired by the Senegal President, Abdoulaye Wade. The tome records all the anti-Islamic rhetoric of the past year and some more from older times. The consensus reached is that Islam is under attack and there is an urgent need for settling old scores. In short, the repercussions of the summit may prove detrimental in the long run.
Then, do I mean that attack against the Prophet be allowed or allow Islam to be ridiculed? No, not at all. We have to understand that people who lampoon Islam are often the same people who ridicule Christianity and Hinduism. They do so primarily for being unable to understand the reality of God. Islamic clerics’ anger is justified but the expression of the same often reinforces the militant image of Islam in non-Islamic minds. Another aspect which has to be considered is that often religions including Christianity are lampooned by the media not because they want to defame religion or God but because satire and lampoon are time honored vehicles of artistic expression. Often the attack is not against God but unjust social structures. The Puritans long ago in England did not understand this and if in today’s’ day and age, Islamic fundamentalists do not understand this, then their decisions will perpetuate violent reactions.
Often art and religion do not go together but essentially both their functions are similar. Both try to change society and reform human nature. The problem arises is when either side believes that they only have unique access to the truth. The summit –leaders would have done well by meeting sarcasm with sarcasm, laughter with humor and insults with Holy Silence. God needs none to defend Him. And the God who loves the righteous also loves the errant. When we understand this, we shall have peace. Those who maliciously malign any religion including Islam are not worth paying attention to. A blog like Darvish’s blog does more for Islamic causes than any angry reaction can ever achieve.
Source: MSNBC
