February 15, 2006: The Pen is Mightier than the Sword…

by Laura Mansfield

At least it appears that the Muslim world thinks based on their reaction to the cartoons that they claim insult the Prophet Mohamed.

First, let’s call the riots and violence over the publishing of cartoons that the Islamic world didn’t like what it is – a Cartoon Intifada.

This entire charade is every bit as orchestrated as the Al Aqsa Intifada, and every bit as phony. Now I have no doubts that individual Muslims are truly outraged, but that outrage is being orchestrated purely for political reasons that have nothing to do with the name of Islam.

The Muslim world is screaming over the “desecration” of the image of one of the Prophet Mohamed. They cite various quotations from the Qu’ran and the Hadith that prohibit the displaying of images of the Prophet Mohamed.

And the quotations that they cite do certainly prohibit that the Prophet Mohamed be portrayed in any illustration or statue.

But it doesn’t stop there.

The Qu’ran actually prohibits that any persons or animals be portrayed in a picture or a statue.

In March 2001, the Taliban of Aghanistan destroyed two ancient giant statues of Buddha in Bamiyan. The reason: Supreme Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar issued a statement declaring “The real God is only Allah, and all other false gods should be removed.”

Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi is quoted as saying “Islam prohibits statues and three-dimensional figures of the living creatures. The prohibition is even more stressed in case the statue is for a being already dignified i.e. Angels, prophets, the Virgin, or idols like cows for Hindus.”

But the prohibition doesn’t stop there. A strict interpretation of Islamic law also bans dolls if they have human-like faces. Many interpretations also forbid any drawings, photographs, or films where people are shown.

This is why when you walk into a mosque you never see any statues or illustrations of people or animals. Instead you will see intricate patterns in the carpets, woodwork, and inlays. You will see beautiful calligraphy and elaborate designs. But you won’t see statues of photographs.

Obviously this prohibition is enforced rather selectively. After all, there are statues all over many Islamic countries. (Do you remember the statue of Saddam Hussein being toppled in Baghdad?) Even in Iran and Saudi Arabia, two countries where Islamic law is enforced extensively, you’ll find videos and films, as well as cartoons and photo studios.

In fact, if you follow only a narrow interpretation of this prohibition to impact only images of Prophets or “Holy Ones”, you’ll find that it is enforced only sporadically. Under strict Islamic law, images and pictures of Jesus Christ are also prohibited; this means virtually every church in the world, including those in Islamic nations, is violating Islamic laws prohibiting the depiction of a Prophet, since Jesus is considered a Prophet of Islam.

The 1976 film The Message, directed by Mustapha Akkad who was killed in the hotel bombings in Amman, Jordan a few months ago, caused a similar outcry some thirty years ago. The movie was supposed to open in London with the title Mohammed, Messenger of God, but the name had to be changed at the last minute. The reason: the theater received bomb threats because Mohammed's name was in the title.

The Supreme Council of the World Mosque Conference in Mecca and the National Assembly of Pakistan both banned the film; the scholars in Cairo who had previously approved the script now called the movie "an insult to Islam." Turkey and Tunisia were the only Islamic countries to allow the film to be shown.

The problems weren’t restricted to the rest of the world. A group of black Muslim terrorists from the small Hanafi sect, under the leadership of Khalifa Hamaas Abdul Khaalis, invaded the B'nai B'rith building and two others with plenty of weaponry, taking more than 100 hostages. Their demands were simple: cancel the American premiere of Mohammad: Messenger of God. After talking to the ambassadors of several Muslim countries, and meeting with a handful of diplomats who promised to try and stop the film, the group surrendered. Their leader, Khaalis was sentenced to 21 to 120 years in prison for his role.

As this illustrates, bullying and violence in reaction to something that the Islamic world doesn’t like isn’t something new.

To put it simply, this is just a rerun of a technique that we have allowed to work in the past.

It’s time for us to say “No”.

They have their beliefs; we have ours.

If the Muslim world wants us to continue to respect their beliefs and teachings, then it is high time for a little quid pro quo.