Daily Times: by Yasser Latif Hamdani
The film falls squarely within the category of “fighting words” as defined by the United States Supreme Court
The film Innocence of Muslims has to rank as the most terribly imbecilic and ridiculous attempt to malign the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to date. It is a deeply offensive film, which has caused genuine anguish to not just religious Muslims all over the world but all reasonable people who have read a thing or two about the history of Islam.
The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was a symbol of tolerance and one of the earliest advocates of human rights in our collective history. Long before the age of enlightenment, the Holy Prophet (PBUH) spoke of religious freedom and the rights of women. His charter of Medina was an unprecedented legal document for its time, practically giving the city of Yathrib and its tribes a semblance of civil government based on the rights and obligations of its dwellers who — regardless of their faith — were declared one ummah or community. It is therefore a travesty to malign such a historic personage whose contribution to not just the Muslims but the world is unparalleled.
By the same token must also be stated that the Holy Prophet (PBUH) would have never approved, under any circumstances, of the violent reaction that has led to the killing of the US Ambassador in Libya just as he would have never approved of the mistreatment of religious minorities in Muslim countries. Violence and chaos under any circumstances is reprehensible and is absolutely forbidden in Islam. The only course of action that Islam endorses is a legal and constitutional non-violent method. Of course, for a community that has for the last few centuries associated the spiritual concept of jihad i.e. effort with armed struggle, this is not the most automatic presumption.
Categories: Americas, Behaviour, Bigotry, Blasphemy, Double Standard