“And when thou seest those who engage in vain discourse concerning Our Signs, then turn thou away from them until they engage in a discourse other than that” [6:69].
Source/Credit: Stanford County Sun
By Shehla Ahmad | February 18, 2015
"One cannot provoke, one cannot insult other people's faith, one cannot make fun of faith." … "There is a limit. Every religion has its dignity ... in freedom of expression there are limits."
These remarkable words of Pope Francis are at the heart of interfaith tolerance.
When terrorists resorted to condemnable violence in the name of religion on the plea that they were provoked, they did it under the false notion to avenge an insult. To me as a Muslim, those killers were the real blasphemers of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him). They ridiculed his message of peace and forgiveness.
But the question remains that when someone insists on offending a large population knowingly and repeatedly by mocking someone they hold dearer than their own lives, should it not be simply disapproved and rejected based on core human values? Is apathy not an abuse to humanity?
In the words of Pope Francis:
“In theory we can say a violent reaction to an offense or provocation isn’t a good thing, that one shouldn’t do it. In theory we can say what Gospel says, that we should turn the other cheek. In theory we can say that we have the freedom to express ourselves. But we are human. And there is prudence, which is a virtue of human coexistence. I cannot insult or provoke someone continually because I risk making him angry.”
These statements reflect universal human values common across all faiths and people.
When Muslims say we are deeply hurt by controversial expressions of free speech, it may confuse someone that Islam is against free speech. This is not true. But Islam does suggest limits on free speech for Muslims. These are limits of sensibility, mutual respect and common sense. It’s the same concept we apply in our daily lives at personal levels all the time. But this does not give any right to a Muslim to enforce Quran’s teachings on others.
Once a Jew complained to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about Abu Bakr -- the First Caliph (May God be pleased with him) for saying that Prophet Muhammad is above Prophet Moses (peace be on him), which naturally had hurt the feelings of the Jew. Prophet Muhammad asked Abu Bakr about the matter. Abu Bakr explained that in fact the Jew had first said that he swore in name of God of Moses, whom God has exalted over the whole world. Abu Bakr clarified that only in response he said that he swore by Muhammad, whom God has exalted over Moses. But Prophet Muhammad was completely against anything aimed at hurting the feelings of others. He said: "You should not have said this, as the feelings of other people should be respected. Nobody should exalt me above Moses.”
This is the high standard of mutual respect which Quran requires from Muslims. On the contrary, no matter what they may have to face, Quran requires them to be patient and dignified. There are many verses which give this message to Muslims. No violence is allowed in any circumstances.
“And when they hear vain talk, they turn away from it and say, ‘Unto us our works and unto you your works. Peace be to you. We seek not the ignorant’ ” [28:56].
“And when thou seest those who engage in vain discourse concerning Our Signs, then turn thou away from them until they engage in a discourse other than that” [6:69].
“So leave them alone to indulge in vain discourse and amuse themselves” [43:84].
“…and when they pass by anything vain, they pass on with dignity” [25:73].
The worldwide head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, Mirza Masroor Ahmad, speaking on the subject said:
“In this day and age the media has great power – if it is irresponsible then it can fuel disorder and unnecessarily provoke, but if it is responsible then it can play a great role in creating peace and harmony within society.”
The ultimate goal of free speech would be promoting goodness without fear. I am unable to understand why in the name of free speech we need to defeat the very cause it upholds. I wonder if we are promoting free speech through unnecessarily hurting feelings of others. Is free speech really a means to an end or an end in itself. How do we perceive a world without empathy, care and mutual respect? As a student of religion as well as economics, I wonder if this form of free speech is worth it.
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Shehla Ahmad, a Stafford County resident, is a member of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and strives to promote peace and understanding through her writings. She can be reached at muslimsforpeace1@gmail.com.
Read original post here: Mocking prophet insults human decency
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