generalspeaking

Judging The Prophet

What those in the West do not seem to understand is that attempting to lower the temperature of suspicion and hatred that is deeply embedded in the consciousness of those who seek to do harm to those they consider to be inferior in any respect, particularly as regards religion or rigid authoritarian ideologies, their soft-spoken words are taken as surrender and greeted with contempt. 

To defer to an enemy is taken as a sign of weakness, as a signal that those being appeased have won the contest of nerves through sheer will and righteousness.

Insulting the Prophet Mohammad is a non-starter in the world of Islam.  Its wild-eyed zealots will never fail to respond with hysterical anguish that spins itself into wild mayhem and only the spilling of blood will assuage the insanity of it all.  This is where those black flags with the legend: "There is no God but God, and Mohammad is his messenger", come in.  Allahu Akbar is the exclamation mark on the legend, accompanying slaughter.

Apologizing in an effort to convey the impression of understanding where zealots come from, of accepting their 'reasons' for anger with the feeling that a little humility will go a long way to establishing better relations, will only work when it represents a conversation between reasonable human beings.  Reason has been abandoned to the most base emotions of rage and humiliation calling out for the restoration of honour on the part of those who are motivated by religious zealotry.

When the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, and when the American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton proffer anything resembling a cultural mea culpa they are simply feeding into the emotional rage of unstable minds, convinced their bile and violence have been validated by those toward whom they direct their rage.  It would have been far more appropriate for a cold detached response to have been given; that under no circumstances is there a cultural provocation so severe it merits murder.

"We firmly reject the actions by those who abuse the universal right of free speech to hurt the religious beliefs of others", claimed the statement issued by the U.S. embassy in Cairo, in its condemnation of "misguided individuals" who happened to have injured the tender sensibilities of Muslims.  The simple fact is those in the West need not be inventive geniuses to provoke rage among the Muslim mobs sent out from Friday prayers by their clerics to avenge insults to the honour of Islam.

Any kind of pretense will do.  The simple fact is that mullahs like the one in Pakistan who tried to leave the impression that an intellectually slow eleven-year-old Christian girl committed blasphemy for the purpose of creating a violent backlash that would have the effect of banishing the Christian Pakistanis from a Muslim neighbourhood, is an all-too-common occurrence.

It was from the prestigious Cairo mosque and institute of higher learning that a highly respected cleric urged Egyptians to go forth and rally for the purpose of denouncing and threatening the official representatives of those believed to have created a short film mocking the Prophet Mohammed and Islam.  It is as though the orthodox Muslim establishment must have an outlet from time to time of exhausting the pent-up rage of the people.

Logically it should be accepted that among Americans the Constitution guarantees their right to free speech.  It has pride of place in the human rights benefits of being an American.  It represents the very foundation of liberty.  Whereas there is no 'liberty' within Islam, only surrender.  Respect and understanding - at the very least civil tolerance - should be reciprocal.

Americans venerate free speech, Muslims venerate spiritual subjugation.  A slogan scribbled near Tahrir Square represented a response to that: "If your freedom of speech has no limits, may you accept our freedom of action."  Can you speak rationally with such a mindset? 

Thought control versus retributive violence.

Labels: Communication, Conflict, Democracy, Heritage, Human Relations, Human Rights, Islamism, Middle East, Traditions, Values

posted by Pieface @ Thursday, September 13, 2012