Cartoons of Prophet Muhammad

Upon viewing the cartoon depictions of the prophet Muhammad that were published by Jyllands-Posten, the largest daily newspaper in Denmark in September, 2005, I wish to issue a condemnation of the entire episode, stating that it was both distasteful and lacking of any respect for a religious figure. Religious tolerance must be adhered to, especially when we live in a world so intertwined.

In issuing this condemnation, I wish to also examine the circumstances surrounding this debacle and investigate why the reaction by the Muslim world was so violent. On Saturday last, the Danish and Norwegian Embassies were set ablaze in Damascus, Syria, and on Sunday, the Danish Consulate was torched in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon.

First to begin with, the cartoons have angered Muslims across the world because Islam forbids the human representation of the prophet, and many believe that some of the images ridiculed the prophet. One cartoon, submitted by Kurt Westergaard included a picture of a bearded Muhammad with a bomb fizzing out of his turban. Another, submitted by Jens Julius included a picture of the prophet Muhammad speaking to tribesmen and captioned “Stop Stop- We have run out of virgins.” Another, submitted by Franz Fuchsel epitomizes the essence of this debate. Its caption read: “Easy my friends, when it comes to the point, it is only a drawing made by an unbelieving Dane.” This included a picture of the prophet Muhammad instructing his followers not to bear arms against the originator of that cartoon.

In a statement last week, the Anti Defamation League in Israel made the point that despicable anti Jewish caricatures appearing daily in newspapers across the Arab and Muslim world have been overlooked in the whole controversy. Whilst it is true that this does occur, it is no excuse to defile, or degrade the name of any religious leader, particularly a prophet. According to the Qur’ an [10:47;16:36], “To all peoples and in all ages, God has sent prophets or messengers to proclaim the Oneness of God and to warn humanity of the future judgment.” To defile the prophet Muhammad is essentially to do the same to Jesus or any other religious figure. It is uncouth and reprehensible. It must not be tolerated.

The cartoons have caused much controversy throughout the world with Saudi Arabia and Syria withdrawing their Ambassadors to Denmark, the Editor in Chief of the French newspaper “France Soir” being fired for reprinting the offending cartoons, and BBC coming in for some criticism for showing the cartoons during its 1 p.m. news bulletin on Thursday February 2, 2006. There has been protest across the world in Afghanistan, Indonesia, Syria, Lebanon, France, Egypt, West Bank and Pakistan to name a few countries. One must recognize that Islam is the fasting growing religion in the world today, a subject for another article, and that to offend the prophet Muhammad is to insult the very nature of their existence and being.

The reaction has been fierce and violent, but Muslim leaders are now calling for calm. Afghanistan’s President Hamid Karzai stated last Sunday “Therefore, as much as we condemn it strongly, we must stay above the dispute and not bring ourselves to equaling ourselves to those publishing the cartoons.”

The matter, of course, could have been avoided if handled better at the early stages. In examining the events leading to the publication of these cartoons, we can take a closer look at arguments presented by both sides to the dilemma.

In September 2005, Danish author Kare Bluitgen was set to publish a book on the prophet Muhammad, but couldn’t find an illustrator. This led to Jyllands-Posten running a contest to choose the best depiction of the prophet Muhammad. They eventually printed 12 depictions, most of which were thought to be uncomplimentary. In response, Danish Imam Raed Hlayhd demanded an apology, but Jyllands-Posten refused. Carsten Juste, the paper’s editor in chief said at the time stated, “We live in a democracy. That’s why we can use the journalistic methods we want to. Satire is accepted in this country, and you can make caricatures. Religion shouldn’t set any barriers on that sort of expression. This doesn’t mean that we wish to insult Muslims.”

Suffice it to say, this didn’t help ease the tension that was mounting. In late October last year, Ambassadors from 11 Muslim countries asked Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen for a meting to discuss the brewing controversy. They called it a “smear campaign” against Muslims in Denmark. Rasmussen declined to meet with them saying “I won’t meet with them because it is so crystal clear what principles Danish democracy is built upon that there is no reason to do so.” He added: “I will never accept that respect for a religious stance leads to the curtailment of criticism, humour, and satire in the press.” The matter, he said, was beyond his authority. “As Prime Minister, I have no tool whatsoever to take actions against the media and I don’t want that kind of tool.”

Thousands of Muslims protested in Copenhagen in November 2005 and this began the great cartoon debate. Two cartoonists fearing for their lives went into hiding and the Pakistani Jamaaat-e-Islami party offered five thousand kroners [Danish currency: 1 Krone equals 0.16 U.S. dollars] to anyone who killed any of the cartoonists.

The Jyllands-Posten editor in chief continued to defend his actions. He stated, “We must quickly point out here that the drawings illustrated an article on self – censorship which rules large parts of the Western world. Our rights to say, write, photograph and draw what we want to within the framework of the law exist and must endure- unconditionally! If we apologize, we go against the freedom of speech that generations before us have struggled to win.”

The debate rages on, and no matter which side of the fence one takes, if not conducted carefully, these escalating riots have the potential to place the Muslim world diametrically opposed to the West. As Alexander Chase puts it, “More and more people care about religious tolerance as fewer and fewer care about religion.” Whilst I do not condone the caricatures that have caused such an uproar, I am calling on Muslim leaders across the world to ease tensions by continuing to call for calm. Violence is not the answer to such a despicable act of blasphemy!