Source & Credit: Chicago Islam Examiner
By Qasim Rashid | Chicago, IL | May 17, 2010
When Lars Vilks drew Prophet Muhammad with the body of a dog, as a Muslim I was offended. When he said he would do it again as a further demonstration of free speech, I shook my head in disgust. But, when just a few days ago some Muslims physically attacked Vilks during his guest lecture at Uppsala University in Stockholm, I was truly beside myself. In their failed attempt to injure Lars Vilks, the attackers accomplished something Vilks never could—successfully injure Islam and the 1.4 billion who practice it peacefully. Muslims, not people like Lars Vilks, have become Islam’s worst enemy.
Were this event an anomaly, perhaps the above judgment would be unwarranted. However, real life paints a different story. In 2004, movie director Theo Van Gogh was brutally murdered after he directed a short film critical of Islam. In 2005, the Muslim world launched a maelstrom of violence in protest of the Danish cartoon controversy. In 2007, Vilks drew his cartoons of Prophet Muhammad and received countless death threats. Earlier this year the creators of South Park received similar threats also for mocking Prophet Muhammad. In every situation, words were used to ‘attack’ the integrity of Islam. In every situation, threats of violence defined the radical Muslim response.
Contrast the above actions with the actual teachings of the Holy Qur’an which celebrates freedom of speech (22:40) and condemns compulsion in religion (2:256). In no less than four instances, the Qur’an further advises Muslims to simply “turn away” and “leave the company” of those who insult Islam. Not violence, nor aggression, and certainly not death to the ‘blasphemer’ are ever permitted. Critics of Islam openly exercised their free speech during Prophet Muhammad’s lifetime. One tactic was to twist the Muslim greeting of Asalaamo Alaykum which means “peace be upon you” into Al sam Alaykum which means “death be upon you.” To such critics Muhammad specifically forbade any violence. Rather, a satirical, wa alaykum or ‘and upon you,’ was the only response.
So when the Qur’an and the example of the Prophet Muhammad clearly demonstrate that Islam celebrates free speech, who forgot to tell modern day Muslims? The answer is actually quite simple. Unique to the Muslim world are laws rarely found elsewhere—blasphemy laws. Nations such as Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and recently Indonesia have enacted blasphemy laws, forcibly restricting free speech and criminalizing freedom of religion.
Saudi Arabia forbids the building of churches. Indonesia recently passed legislation discriminating against religious minorities. Pakistan has particularly criminalized the peaceful religious practices of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, and numerous Christian denominations, killing hundreds and persecuting millions. It is one thing if Muslims openly disregard Islamic injunctions. It is quite another if their leadership has literally kept them in the dark. True, every person must be held accountable for his own actions. However, until such laws are repealed and these nations begin to foster freedom of speech, a bleak picture looms ahead.
A solution exists. While influential but minority groups like the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community are speaking out, only sovereign nations like ours can hold these oppressive nations accountable for their actions. No amount of aid one one hand, and threats of drone attacks on the other hand, will foster a solution. For example, America has donated over $15 billion in aid to Pakistan since it’s creation in 1947. To what avail? Our government must recognize that what is fundamentally broken with the inner workings of such ‘Muslim’ nations is not their lack of money or resources, but their lack of freedom of speech. Extremism grows where freedom does not. Establish freedom through accountability of Muslim leadership, and extremism will invariably recede.
We cannot force people like Lars Vilks to stop creating offensive cartoons, nor should we. However, the longer we knowingly fund nations like Pakistan while they strengthen their stranglehold on freedom, the greater the risk to our own freedom.
And that is truly offensive.
Read the original article here: Muslim clergy - not Lars Vilks - is Islam's worst enemy
Qasim Rashid is a contributing member of Majlis Sultanul Qalm, USA (MSQ USA) and regularly writes for Examiner.com and various other publications on topics ranging from Islam to human rights. Leave your thoughts and comments, or email Qasim at 1muslim.examiner@gmail.com
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