Looking at the bad press Islam receives on it's adherents reactions to “offenses” the kind of which other religions take in their stride, one would think that by now hard-line Muslims might learn to check their natural impulse to indulge in violence on provocations and blasphemies against Islam. Yet, the Muslims do not react to such things – a cartoon here, a remark there, a book depicting Mohammed in unflattering light, with dignified silence. They still, after all the odium from the world public, react to apparently minor provocations with extreme outpourings and violence. Why?
Those who have not studied Islam have one of the two reactions. The ones sympathetic to Islam show exasperation and make yet another desperate effort to segregate “extremists” from “mainstream” Muslims and valiantly try to draw parallels between extremists of all religions. It is another matter that they are increasingly devoid of conviction in such efforts and perhaps don't take even themselves seriously any more in defense of Islam. Those who are antagonistic to Islam point out to another proof of inherently violent nature of Islam. Neither of these views, however, answers the question why Muslims are not able to learn making tactically more sensible responses to attacks on their religion.
Once someone has studied Islam, however, and has put himself in the shoes of common Muslim, the answer appears clear.
Muslims are mortally afraid that perfect freedom to express opinion of Islam and depict all it's prophet's deeds will be so embarrassing for them that they will have a tough time explaining why they are at all continuing to be adherents of Islam. To elucidate, I give below my e-mail to a truly moderate and sensible Pakistani, in response to a column of his on why Muslims could not ignore offenses such as Koran burning in the USA:
Hi xxxxx,
I had much to say on this column of yours, but I will only try to tell u why they can't "hit delete and move on". [Note: This was the heading of his column – Why can't they hit delete and move on]
Those who indulge in violence at the announcement of Koran burning (even without the actual event taking place) know that once such actions are ignored (as you advise), it will be followed by more such actions. There will be, for instance, cartoons depicting Mohammed torturing Kinana and taking his wife for himself, or maybe episodes on History Channel showing the massacre of Bani Quraiza in all it's gory details.
They know that if they don't try to suppress such actions with their collective might, who knows, some uncouth infidel might one day make a movie on Mohammed, showing Mohammed's face too, maybe played by an arch villain of Hollywood or Bollywood, and the movie shows all the incidents of his life that Muslims would hate non- Muslims to know. They know that if such things were to happen, more and more infidels will question if Islam is a religion like all others, or it is a brutal and totalitarian political ideology.
People will question prophethood of Mohammed. They will ask why such a man should be considered at par with Jesus and Moses. They know that more and more Muslims might start asking that question. They know it might lead to apostasy on a large scale. They know that most probably, the apostates will look more developed mentally, more free, modern and liberal than Muslims. That will further reinforce the idea that something is fundamentally wrong with Islam.
They fear that if taken to its logical conclusion, ignoring such events will lead to abolition of Islam!!
That is why the desperate desire to suppress all such actions NOW. To prevent the infidels from saying and doing anything that truly free people might want to say or do about Islam!!
That is why they cannot "delete and move on"
I have to say this, with due respect, that they are the ones who really understand Islam. Sorry, but I had to say this bluntly once I read your column.
I am sure you know though, that I respect you as a person.
Cordially
Sanjay
I am tempted to produce my entire exchanges with him in the course of which, he tried to draw equivalence of Islam and other religions and actually attempted to pass off falsehood in support of his hypothesis. However, it is not easy to lie in this age of Internet and I confronted him with the lie. At that point, he simply made an embarrassing face saving statement saying that I have encouraged him to study more and then he pushed off!
But coming back to the original point - why so much support for killing of Pakistani minister for supporting change in blasphemy law? Why the extreme reaction to Mohammed's cartoons, why the violence against Taslima Nasreen? Why the threat of widespread violence against Koran burning?
I have attempted to answer that question after studying the Muslim mind. Muslims cannot afford freedom of speech. Nor, for that matter, or religion. And once these premises are accepted in a Muslim society – that there will be neither freedom of speech nor of religion, the supremacist discriminatory laws against non – Muslims is a logical step. Indeed, this is the root cause why Muslims cannot live with non – Muslims as equals on permanent basis. Islam cannot stand modern day paradigm of equality of religions and freedom of speech.
The picture is from: http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/05/2082367.htm
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