“Any depictions of the prophet are considered blasphemous by Muslims,” wrote Agencies, as reported readily by Aljazeera.net English. The above statement is meant to fully summarize the reason behind the outrage that arises in
Tako poenostavljena razlaga tako zapletenega vprašanja.
Ni zanikanja – in ni sramu – dejstva, da večina muslimanov svojega preroka zelo spoštuje. Kljub nenehnemu zmanjševanju števila vernikov v vse bolj sekulariziranih zahodnih družbah se muslimani še bolj oklepajo svoje vere. Vendar, medtem ko je ogorčenje zaradi zadnjega prestopka nekega uporabnika Facebooka in njegovega "Vsi narišite dan Mohameda!" se lahko zdi kot preprosta novica – zgodba o zahodnih vrednotah proti muslimanski ozkogledosti – resnična podlaga ogorčenja sumljivo manjka.
Naivna upodobitev zahodnih medijev navdušencem nad "svobodo izražanja" olajša obsojanje muslimanov, ker so ponovno padli na preizkusu demokracije.
The latest Facebook episode is a remake of the same old story. Some ill-intended ‘artist’, under the guise of freedom of speech, takes on a confrontational mission, knowing fully the response such an act would generate, and perhaps the lives that would be lost. Muslim masses, predictably, respond through angry protests, burning flags, denouncing
To pa daje več streliva islamofobom, ki nenehno poskušajo podžigati ogenj, da bi potrdili svoje rasistično dojemanje muslimanov. Takšni, kot so Daniel Pipes, Alan Dershowitz in drugi 'strokovnjaki', vdrejo na naše televizijske zaslone in prevzamejo odgovornost sveta pridigati o islamu. Uporabljajo enak redukcionistični in rasistični jezik, ki so ga leta uporabljali pod krinko akademskega žargona.
Zakaj pa si ti 'akademiki' in 'intelektualci' želijo diskreditirati islam? In zakaj jim muslimani igrajo ravno na roko?
It behooves us all to remember that some of those who champion freedom of expression are selective in their advocacy. Freedom of expression becomes important when the holiest symbols of Islam and its Prophet are paraded, ridiculed and stereotyped. However, these very advocates are enraged when the opinions being expressed are inconsistent with their own agenda, which is overtly militant and hegemonic, and refuses to take into consideration any honest opinion on
It must be stated, however, that discrediting Muslims and Islam is not a random strategy. It is very much in tandem with an overriding agenda that has occupied the thinking of many rightwing and Zionist ideologues for years, especially following the wars in
Zakaj muslimani igrajo ravno v tem scenariju? Pravzaprav niso, čeprav se zdi drugače. Dejstvo je, da so številni muslimanski narodi ujeti med dve plasti zatiranja: tujcev – vojne in okupacijo, vmešavanje v zadeve njihovih držav, vse oblike ponižanja in izkoriščanja – in notranje pritiske – korupcijo, zatiranje in odrekanje pravic, vključno z , ja, svoboda izražanja, govora, zbiranja in sama demokracija. Te pravice odrekajo prav tiste države, ki veljajo za "proameriške".
Pod temi zunanjimi in notranjimi pritiski muslimanske družbe še tesneje sprejemajo svoje večne islamske simbole. Islam za mnoge muslimane predstavlja več kot le način življenja in odgovor na nezemeljska vprašanja. Prav tako daje občutek upanja in pomaga vzdrževati raven solidarnosti in družbene kohezije. Čim težja so življenja ljudi, bolj ko so obubožani, zatirani in zlorabljeni, tem močnejša je njihova vera.
Glede na vse to je žaljenje islama, prikazovanje preroka na ponižujoče (ali kako drugače) načine, zmerjanje islamskih simbolov in vrednot enakovredno odrekanju muslimanskim množicam njihove zadnje in edine možnosti za dostojanstvo in upanje.
Those who are under the impression that Muslims are opposed to freedom of expression are only seeing a small part of the picture. Those versed in history understand that it was Muslim advancements in science, art and literature, and their most impressive translations of the great works of ancient civilizations that allowed
Moreover, those who are sensible enough to see the big picture will understand that when a Pakistani woman chants “Death to Facebook” – as pitiful and confusing such phrase may sound – she is not actually referring to a social networking website. Far from it, especially since numerous Muslims have utilized Facebook to share their own ideas with the rest of the world. What the woman is chanting against is the manipulation of freedom of expression to further humiliate her people. She is standing in solidarity with European Muslim communities who are under a most intense attack on their civil rights and liberties. She is angry at the war in
Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) je mednarodno združeni kolumnist in urednik PalestineChronicle.com. Njegova zadnja knjiga je "Moj oče je bil borec za svobodo:
ZNetwork se financira izključno z velikodušnostjo svojih bralcev.
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