Red-hot lava of anger, protest and consequent
violence are manifesting across different parts of the world by a section of
Muslims after an anti-Islam film ‘Innocence of Islam’ was released in US. The
film directed by an Israeli-American film-maker Sam Bacille was allegedly
portraying Prophet Muhammed in poor light. Ever since the reports of the film
flowed across the nations the Muslims who always hold the Prophet with
reverence and devotion got indignant - their religious sentiments badly wounded
and with their blood boiling in their veins, came out into the streets in lakhs,
perpetrated violence, ventillated their anger against the US, European and
Latin American properties, launched attacks on the embassies and other
institutions, in the process many westerners were done to death ranging from
Ambassadors and other diplomatic officials in several nations especially Muslim
nations. The violence manifested in its crude form first in Libya where Muslims
including the militant outfits unleashed a gruesome attack on the Embassy by
setting it afire. Consequently, US Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens and
three other US officials were asphyxiated to death which drew shock,
apprehension and indignation from across different nations of the world.
Anticipating further attacks on their institutions and their people wide
security covers were provided to the embassies in Afghanistan, Pakistan and
such other nations where the irate muslims wreaked maximum destruction of
properties and officials.
Islamists are very sensitive with regard to their
religion since centuries and anyone hurting their religious sentiments, even
mildly, be he a Muslim, will take it seriously and see that one who wounds
their religious sentiments is done away with by stoning him to death, by
beheading him or by hanging him to death in public reminding one of the Middle
Ages. Salman Rushdie, the well-known writer after publishing his novel ‘Satanic
Verses’ even after more than thirty years is still spending his days with a
tight security cover around him. The ‘Fatwa’ issued by the then religious
Supremo Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini is still ‘in force’. It is to be noted that
Salman Rushdie himself is a Muslim. Denigrating Prophet through print, audio-visual
and electronic media is a serious crime far worse when compared with men
belonging to other religions showing Prophet Muhammed in bad taste. ‘Satanic
Verses’ is even now banned in India, Rushdie’s home country, fearing reprisals
from muslim citizens.
A few years back a Danish cartoonist, Kurt Westergaard
portrayed Prophet Muhammed in poor taste which was published in the paper
Jyllands Posten of which he was a staff cartoonist, created an uproar among the
Muslims across the world. The paper stood by its stand citing freedom of
expression, but the cartoonist had to go into hiding and many futile attempts
were unleashed by the Muslim outfits to destroy the Newspaper establishment and
murder him.
Similar attempts at injuring the religious
sentiments of Islamists were made in various countries by setting ablaze Holy
book of Islam – Quran or by urinating on it in public by the people of Western
nations. All such attempts invited the severe wrath of Muslims resulting in
murders and widespread violence across the world.
Now that Islamophobia, a racist term coined by
certain people has come into use like ‘Anti-semitism’ which was already in
vogue.
Recently on the sidelines of United Nations General
Assembly meeting, a meeting of Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) was
held under the sponsorship of Pakistan. All Islamic countries were unanimous in
their view that the US, European and Latin American nations nurturing
Islamophobia was detrimental to religious harmony and adopted a resolution
opposing discrimination, stigmatization, religious hatred etc. Those who had
gathered pointed out, the western nations were/are actually mis-utilizing
freedom of expression and this tendency has to be stopped once and for all. OIC
reminded the Western nations not to distort the meaning of freedom of speech
and expression which is only a pretext according to them called for putting an
end to this deadly game of denigrating the Islam religion.
Responding to the condemnation and show of protest
Barrack Obama, US President while condemning the film ‘Innocence of Islam’
didn’t cow down to the OIC’s demand to curtail the freedom of free speech and
expression and made it clear that his govt wouldn’t restrain the cartoonists,
writers or journalists from expressing their views independently on anything
under the sun, US being a democratic country.
Obama’s statement sends a clear message to all,
especially Islamic countries that the animosity is yet to continue as both OIC
and Western nations are bent upon standing by their views.
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