Shenanigans
over Quran desecration
B.
Kisan
2005/05/22
Recently
after a report later retracted by Newsweek magazine of disrespect being
shown to the Quran by placing it on toilets and also flushing it down a
toilet Muslims around the world have been taking the opportunity to have
anti-American flag burnings around the globe. This also comes as a useful
pretext for retaking the moral highground after their co-religionists have
been rather spoiling the propaganda war with bombings of Shiites and mass
killings of civilians and beheadings of hostages.
The
hardcore Islamists like Yamin Zakaria came out with internet articles
urging urinating on US and Israeli flags and then using the more
traditional venue of fomenting hatred (Friday prayers) the Imam of a
Mosque in Calcutta led his congregation of around 500 to
burn, spit on and urinate on an American flag.
Meanwhile
the liberal Muslim intellectual Muqtedar Khan was opining
for the consumption of Westerners:
Without
wasting anytime in criticizing his less liberal brethrens responses he was
putting this in context for Western ears:
He
wrote:
This
is worse than Abu Ghraib; Abu Ghraib represents the physical and
psychological torture of a few Muslims, Quran desecration represents
the spiritual, emotional and psychological torture of all Muslims.
The
severity of the offense was outlined by him in the above language, a books
supposed desecration was torture of all Muslims. This may seem like
hyperbole to ordinary folks but it is something that we need to understand
to tread carefully around.
Just
a couple of weeks ago a man called Ashiq
Nabi learnt this the hard way after being said to have damaged a copy
of the Quran deliberately he was chased by a crowd of 400
"spiritually, emotionally and psychologically tortured Muslims",
to borrow Muqtedar Khans prose, and after seeking refuge up a tree was
shot dead.
Thus
Ashiq Nabi was saved being taken to court for blasphemy an offense that
carries the death sentence in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. (link
to petition against this law)
Muqtedar
Khan continues in his article with various half–truths and apologia
like:
“for
Muslims things that are sacred are indeed sacred.”
This
is a half-truth if ever I’ve seen one. Things here mean Muslim things
not any old sacred things. When Mohammad destroyed the sacred gods in
Mecca
these sacred things to others were destroyed and the feelings of others
disregarded.
Throughout
history whenever pious Muslims destroyed temples and idols they did out of
religious conviction without considering the sacredness of what they
destroyed in the eyes of others. When the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed
by the Taliban this was done knowing it hurt the feelings of those with
other beliefs. However Islam inculcates disrespect for others sacred
beliefs. In Quran
3:85 it says “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm,
it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of
the losers. “
In
summary for Muslims their own religion and it’s associated elements are
sacred and it is not sacred things that are sacred. Desecrating the
religious idols of others and doing so is the Sunna of Mohammad and an act
of religious merit.
Actually
Muslims are whipped up into a frenzy to frighten anyone from critiquing
Islam as this has been a successful strategy over time. An ideology based
on lies cannot stand being criticized like it criticizes other ideologies.
It must be protected by blasphemy laws where it rules and where it
doesn’t rule it’s apologists must seek for it special space free from
criticism. This is being done by calling anything critical of Islam
Islamophobic a newly minted word meant to shut down critical debate and
shame those who dare question anything to do with his privileged ideology.
Muqtedar
Khan continues:
“Condemnations
for Quran desecration and expressions of respect for Islam and Muslims
must come from all sections of the society.”
For
him it is not merely sufficient that Condoleezza Rice bent over backwards
stating this action if it happened at all is against US Govt. policy as he
quotes, but all the sections of society need to become involved in
condemnations and expressions of respect.
He
wants craven dhimmitude from everyone.
It
is a shame that self-described Islamic liberals are engaged in selling us
our duties to respect Islam and failing to critique their less liberal
brethrens actions.
|