RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE AND ISLAM

The recent explosion of violent demonstrations against Danish Embassies and products in reaction to some cartoon strips on Muhammad published back in September in a small local paper raises some important questions.

​If Islam is a religion of peace, then how does so much violence, arson and destruction of property demonstrate that?

If Muhammad was a holy prophet of peace, then is killing people in his name the best way to illustrate that?

And if publishing cartoons depicting Muhammad as a blood thirsty womanizer is offensive, then what about the many hundreds of cartoons published regularly in the Arab media throughout the Middle East that depict Jews as blood thirsty, hook nosed oppressors seeking world domination?

Can the worldwide Muslim protests, riots, burning of Danish flags, etc be described as “spontaneous” when the incident they are reacting to occurred over 4 months previously?

And how “spontaneous” are riots and demonstrations, which have a supply of Danish flags in remote Middle Eastern and Asian capitals?

Are those people, organisations and publications, which are so indignantly criticizing the Danish cartoons, speaking out as forcibly against the anti-Semitic and anti-Christian articles and cartoons regularly prominent in Muslim media worldwide?

For example, one cartoon, which in 2003 won a national prize, depicted Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon eating the head of a Palestine baby with a city burning in the background. The prize-winning cartoonist depicts Sharon saying: “What’s wrong? Haven’t you seen a politician kissing a baby?” As far as can be determined, no Jewish mobs rioted anywhere in the world in reaction to that highly offensive cartoon.

When a journalist concerned that people reading of the violence and destruction caused by Muslim protestors worldwide might conclude that Islam wasn’t peaceful, he wrote: “It isn’t for us to identify what true Islam should be. But why not listen to the several million Muslims now encircling the Ka’aba in Mecca? They are not obsessing about Jews, Christians or Al-qaida… They are focused on personal salvation, repentance and prayer…”

Interestingly enough, that very week, film clips were broadcast of Muslim pilgrims in Mecca shouting: “Death to America, the great satan!” Here is a transcript of this Hadj in Mecca, broadcasted on Iranian T.V 9 January 2006:

Crowd: “Israel is the enemy of Allah.”

Man: “May the hands of the infidels be chopped off.”

Crowd: “May the hands of the infidels be chopped off.”

Man: “Chopped off from the land of the believers.”

Crowd: “From the land of the believers.”

Man: “Death to America!”

Crowd: “Death to America!

Man: “Death to Israel!”

Crowd: “Death to Israel! Death to America!”

Man: “Death to America!”

Crowd: “Death to Israel! Death to America! Death to Israel!”

Man: “ All together now: Death to America! Death to Israel!

Crowd: “Death to America! Death to Israel! Death to America! Death to Israel!”

Crowd: “Allah akbar! Allah akbar! Allah akba!”

The chanting led into an inflammatory speech including encouragement to produce and use nuclear and chemical weapons to destroy the great satan “The American and British governments!”

One wonders whether any of those outraged by the Danish cartoons would consider these chants during the Hadj to Mecca as “hate speech”?

Others have questioned why similar widespread Islamic outrage has not been expressed over Muslims flying hijacked commercial airliners into office buildings in New York. Or why Muslims worldwide didn’t protest when school girls in Saudi Arabia were prevented from escaping from a burning building because they did not have on the mandatory veil?

How many Muslims protested worldwide when Muslim mobs cut the heads off three teenage Christian girls on their way to school in Indonesia? In the Name of Allah.

How much Islamic outrage has there been when Muslims murdered tourists with car bombs outside cafés and hotels in Egypt? Or when Muslims, in the name of Allah, slaughtered hundreds of children and teachers in Beslen, Russia? Or the firing of rocket propelled grenades into schools full of children in Israel?

How many protests were held worldwide over Muslim terrorists murdering more than 50 commuters in attacks on London subways and buses? All in the name of Allah?

Surly such actions are far more offensive than some cartoons?

Actions speak far louder than words, or cartoons

Dr. Peter Hammond 
Frontline Fellowship 
PO Box 74 
Newlands 
7725, Cape Town 
South Africa 
Email: [email protected]