Some cartoons are just not funny. And I'm not talking about "Nancy". The recent caricature of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) has ignited the issue of religion vs. freedom of speech and I really felt the need to try and clear some misconceptions that have cropped up with this issue.
I guess the first question is, Whay all the commotion over a caricature of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Any pictures of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) is forbidden in Islam because the Prophet instructed his followers not to allow any pictures of him to be made so that his followers would not go astray by idolizing him and in the end worshipping him and not Allah*, Muslims hold the Prophet very close to their heart and have the utmost respect for him but we do not believe him to be God.
Now is this a restriction on freedom? We all know that freedom comes with responsibility and I see a lack of that in this instance. Maybe the cartoonist or the newspaper representatives did not know that such depiction of the Prophet would unsettle nerves in the Muslim world. However, there are certain reports that claim that this entire episode was orchestrated but since I don't know the details I do not want to comment. I think religion is a subject over which people should think twice before making any sort of comment.
The next main question is the nature of protests by the Muslims the world over. I am completely against the way the protestors have reacted. Endangering civilian lives and destruction of property is against the teachings of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). There are other methods that they could have been adopted. According to me, a hunger strike would have been the best form of protest. Maybe we could learn a thing or two from Gandhi. I feel Muslims need to control their hot headedness in such situations cause in the end it makes it even more difficult for people to understand Islam as a religion of peace.
Theres another point I want to make. Islam does not ask people to make fun of/ insult any person's religion/ belief. I feel Muslims need to object on all those cartoons and episodes jesting the God's or prophets of other religions. If there's joke on Buddha, muslims should protest. If someone insults the Prophet Moses (PBUH), muslims should object. There are numerous instances of jokes on the Prophet Jesus (PBUH). I find it astonishing that no muslim objects to this because he too is considered a messenger of Islam. I've actually laughed alot on jokes made on followers of other religions but this incident has made me realize my mistakes and I've taken a personal decision not to let any person put down any one else's religion/ belief.
*I guess you were wondering why I put this asterix against the word "Allah". The reason is that I want people to know the correct definition of the word. In simple terms, Allah can be defined as God but since there is alot of mischief that can be done with this word (eg: made into plural, feminine gender etc.) we prefer to use the word Allah. We also use the term "Rabb" for Allah. There is no proper equivalent for the word "Rabb" in the English language. It means the One and the Only Lord for all the universe, its Creator, Owner, Organizer, Provider, Master, Planner, Sustainer, Cherisher and Giver of security.
