“O you who believe! Fear Allah and speak words straight to the point.” [Qur’an, 33: 70]
Being unaware of its boundaries in a civilized society, the champions of free speech have once again sparked unrest in Muslim populations around the world by republishing defamatory caricatures that depict the Prophet of Islam. The French satirical newspaper weekly Charlie Hebdo has published cartoons that show no taste, intellectual sophistication, journalistic standards, religious sensitivity, or even social responsibility. There is no public service in the publication, except for reflecting poor judgment, spurring polarization and incivility. Instead of showing any leadership spine to control the flames, the French President condoned a blatant abuse of freedom of expression and added incitement to the tragic incident by stating: ‘Islam is in crisis.’ He further underscored his commitment that France would continue to produce the cartoons and defend anyone’s right to do so. Obviously, he is not capable of doing anything better. He is aware that the cartoon images of the Prophet Muhammad SAW are very offensive to Muslims, who see them as sacrilegious. In total disregard to the sentiment of the followers of a major religion of the world, many countries, especially in the democratic West have allowed publications that lampoon the leader of Islam. The cartoons were originally published in Denmark in 2005, triggering worldwide protests. Similar images, subsequently, have been published in other countries as an exercise of freedom of expression, irrespective of what is expressed and what purpose is served.
Some of these protests, ironically, have inadvertently turned violent and ugly and must be reprimanded without reservations. Violence defeats the very purpose of protest however genuine to express grievance and it plays in the hands of the culprits who cause the anguish in the first place. It provides them further ammunition to make their case. In fact, it is all factored in their fireworks calculations. It is not a coincidence that they all share a platform of animosity singularly targeting Islam, while they are utterly opposed to each other in many ways. It only illuminates Islam’s veracity and its challenge to their self-invented philosophies. Nevertheless, peaceful demonstrations to vent grievances is a public right. Violence causing lawlessness, chaos, and destruction, endangering public safety, is absolutely prohibited in Islam: “…For (though killing is sinful) persecution is far worse than killing…” [Q, 2: 191] Islam is unequivocally opposed to violence in any form or shape, whosoever commits it and whatever levels it is committed at. Just as a violent reaction is deplorable, so is appalling the provocative action igniting it; and it must be rejected by the civilized societies, rather than tacitly shifting the focus from the real culprits.
Historically, denigration and sacrilege is an ancient tactic to discredit divinely appointed Apostles and to deter their followers: “… whenever a Messenger came to them, they never failed to mock at him.” [Q, 15: 11] It continues today and is not likely to end in the future. Those in positions of authority and influence have always resisted with arrogance any social and moral change that might threaten their political and economic holds masses. When their efforts to suppress the truth appear to fail in yielding results, they don’t hesitate to go to any level of insults and derisions to reignite their campaign of contempt. Allah’s Prophets, such as, Nuh (Noah), Ibrahim (Abraham), and Musa (Moses) were all subjected to this predatory behavior by those who rejected their messages. The pinnacle of this vengeance was the (seemingly) crucifixion of Prophet Esa (Jesus) with utmost humiliation by people of his own community. The Prophet Muhammad SAW could not have been an exception. Nothing was spared to break him down psychologically and mutilate the righteous community he had built.
Barring some initial disappointments, this approach, however, has never been successful in stalling the message of any Prophet. On the contrary, it has only drawn more attention to what was being suppress. In the case of Islam, in its current form, typically three things have been the targets of opponents’ vindictive maneuvers: Allah SAW, the Qur’an, and the Prophet SAW. But, to their frustration, they have not been able to smudge the glory of any and will never be. Despite their surmises “…Glorified be Allah, the Lord of the Throne, above all that they ascribe (unto Him).” [Q, 21: 22] The protection of the Qur’an has been guaranteed and all plans to smear or distort it will fall flat on their faces: “We have revealed this scripture and We are its Guardian.” [Q, 15: 9] Allah SWT and His angels send their salutations to the Prophet SAW all the time, and Allah SWT has promised that He would raise the fame of His Messenger in the world: ” And (O Prophet, have We not) exalted your renown for you?” [Q, 94: 4]
If an incident of willful denigration of Islam or its landmarks occurs, as it often does, or any harm is caused to its followers, legalistically speaking, the injured party is allowed to seek retribution, provided it is proportionate, civil, and within the common law of fairness. But, due to human imperfections, the lines are often crossed in fury to get even and a reverse injustice is inflicted to the original party in guilt. The last thing Islam would permit its followers is to commit a transgression against a fellow human;, therefore, patience and forgiveness is advised: “If you take retribution, then do so in proportion. But if you can bear such conduct with patience, indeed that is best for the steadfast.” [Q, 16: 126] Further, remembrance of Allah SWT, which inspires humility in a person and gives him the strength to control his passion for revenge, is heartened: “So bear patiently with what they say. Glorify your Lord, praising Him…for happiness.” [Q, 20: 130] Those who forgive, after being wronged, in the hope of reform, act honorably: “…Whoever forgives and reforms, his reward is upon Allah…” [Q, 42: 40]
It should be noted, however, that injustice is the core of most human sufferings universally, caused by socio-economic exploitations and aggressive maneuvers by powers with geo-political ambitions. In any conflict, justice becomes the first casualty. In contrast, justice is a moral imperative of Islam that must be upheld at all costs and at all times in every conflict: “O You who believe! Be upright witnesses for Allah in justice, and let not hatred of any people seduce you to deviate from justice. Act justly, that is nearer to Allah’s fear (piety)…”[Q, 5: 8]
It is not enough for Muslims to practice justice in their own dealings; it is their social responsibility to stand up for it and strive for its triumph and do all within their peaceful means to ensure that evil is repelled with goodness and injustice yields to equity and fairness. The scope of social justice is not limited to just Muslims; it extends across all divides. In fact, justice is an absolute necessity in Islam and its universal standards are not adjustable to the considerations of time, location, circumstances, perceived interests, or the parties involved.
In the interest of restoring peace and breaking the senseless cycle of vengefulness, Islam further advises its devotees to take a courageous step beyond mere being patient: “The good deed and evil deed are not alike. Repel evil with what is best. You will see that he with whom you had enmity, will become your closet friend…But none is granted this quality except those who practice patience… [Q, 41: 34, 35] Obviously, when the good and evil are engaged in a conflict and their nature and merits become transparent, people start hating the evil and adoring the good. Ultimately, foes become friends, conforming to the human nature itself.
Some glimpses from the life of the Prophet Muhammad SAW will illuminate his behavior towards his adversaries: The Prophet SAW never responded in kind to an old woman who used to throw trash at him as he walked down a particular path only to torture him mentally. Instead, one day when she failed to show up, he knocked her door being concerned about her wellbeing. In another incident, he went to the community of Ta’if to convey his message. People of the community responded by attacking him with stones. He started bleeding. The Archangel Gabriel appeared and offered to crush the people of the town between the two mountains surrounding the valley. Again, the Prophet SAW declined to respond in kind. In yet another incident, the Prophet SAW was forced to migrate from his birth city Mecca to Medina. Later when he recaptured Mecca peacefully, he astounded the people of Mecca by granting them general amnesty. Thus, even when he was in a commanding position, he chose the path of kindness and reunion for peace.
If there is a genuine difference or conflict, however, and it can be resolved through a dialogue, Islam encourages to at least make a sincere attempt to bridge the gap and it also describes the rules of engagement: “Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and politeness and reason with them in the best manners…” [Q, 16: 125] Without being judgmental and allowing room for further speculations, keep the channels of communication open for better understanding and improving relations in the interest of the common good and conflict resolution later in the future. .
We face an impasse, however, when arrogance, predisposition, and self-approbation overpowers reason, rationality, and inclusiveness. In a broader sense, the double standards and policies of selectivity exercised by many former colonial powers and Western democratic societies are responsible to a large degree for human miseries in many parts of the world and global unrest. The elements of self-righteousness and non-uniformity in the application of universal criteria for the collective betterment of humanity diametrically oppose Islam’s vision of a global society for a just and respectful co-existence.
Among the many virtues, and indeed commendable, that these societies have is the freedom of expression. Ironically, it is the very virtue that is abused the most by those who control the print and the airwaves and the faceless politicians and their subservient. This right is defended more vigorously than anything else celebrated. There is no argument; freedom of speech is a birthright, but it is for everyone on both sides of the aisle. It has some preliminaries and parameters that deserve adherence to. Forthe record, this notion is not new to Islam. Freedom of speech is not only granted by Islam, but its exercise is encouraged too. However, the speech must be upright and straightforward with dignity and respect for all parties concerned, keeping in mind that Allah SWT is aware and will question if this privilege is abused. This right cannot be monopolized to sentimentally hurt others.
In concise terms, freedom of speech comes with serious responsibility and soundness of mind and purpose, forthright communication and sensitivity to social cohesiveness, and respect for what others cherish. Most importantly, free speech is preceded by freethinking, so that what is spoken is soundly anchored in a healthy thought process and not flying off like a gas balloon in unsettled winds. Frequent references in the Qur’an constantly remind its readers to think and reflect to refine and reshape their views about this life and how best to conduct it responsibly. Then, as engaged citizens, they must share diligently their intellectual wealth with others to promote society’s safety, peace, and concord. Extreme caution must be exercised before making any public statements to ensure that they serve public interests and society’s norms.
It is needless to say that ‘thoughtless free speech’ is bound to be reckless, insensitive, and divisive. Free speech cannot include, for instance, lies, insults, distortions, stereotyping, ethnic and racial slurs, defamation of others’ values, and hate-mongering. They all tend to be polarizing and detrimental to society’s cohesiveness. Advocates of free speech consider it as an absolute God-given right and defend it dutifully as if it is a divine call by itself. Regrettably, this approach is self-serving at an enormous cost to the society and its congeniality. It must be recognized that free speech in a civilized society is only a vehicle for freely exchanging and filtering ideas, and having an open debate on issues that concern many in the society for reaching a consensus in the best interests of public service. This is the primary objective in the business of public communication, such as news organizations, magazines, and other media outlets.
Rationally thinking, the argument for unrestrained free speech is without merit. It is utterly thoughtless and irresponsible. No one can grant oneself the right to say anything, anyway, against anyone. Hate speech is not a free speech. Many European countries have laws that define the parameters of freedom of expression. There are specific cases where this freedom has been curtailed in European societies. Their tradition has outlawed, for example, speech that has defamed state religion, such as the Anglican Church in England, and has also outlawed speech denying the holocaust and Armenian genocide.
Britain’s blasphemy law prohibits scurrilous vilification of religion. At the height of hypocrisy, the challenge to the publication of “The Satanic Verses” in 1990 was rejected, however, as the law is restricted only to protect Christianity. The French law prohibits speech that is anti-Semitic. A Paris court, in 1998, fined French philosopher Roger Garaudy $40,000 for statements in his 1996 book: “The Founding Myth of Israeli Politics.” European Court of Human Rights rejected his appeal to reverse the judgment. In 2001, the European Court of Justice ruled: “The European Union can lawfully suppress political criticism of its institutions and of leading figures, sweeping aside English Common Law and 50 years of European precedents on civil liberties.” Ernst Zundel, Germar Rudolf, and David Irving served time in European jails for voicing their views about the holocaust. The champions of free speech, however, failed to stand up for these victims.
These are tense moments for Muslims everywhere. When it comes to Islam, no hold is barred. The orientalists, journalists, evangelists, intellectualists, newspaper columnists, TV experts, talk show zealots, political pundits, and retired gurus, just to name a few, all practice their shots obstinately at this second of the three major religions of the world spread across the globe. Sometimes their atrocious assaults bring them instant fame, like the ‘Satanic Verses ’ authored by a British novelist in 1990 and the publication of offensive cartoons of the Prophet SAW by a Danish newspaper in September 2005. Similar to the former publication, the latter has also ignited an already explosive situation and triggered worldwide protests by Muslims. These riots followed four months of peaceful efforts and petitions against the publication of the caricatures but were largely ignored under the pretext of freedom of speech. Many religious communities have felt equally offended by these malicious drawings and have banded together with fellow Muslims in voicing their disapproval of the blatant abuse of free speech. They feel that the denigration of one religion is a denigration of all.
With some exceptions, the American media outlets have largely refrained from publishing the controversial cartoons. They find no journalistic insight in callously drawn caricatures; which have no educational value, provide no public service, don’t serve any national interests – security, peace, or social harmony, and aren’t even amusing as they poorly reflect on the intellect and judgment of the artist and the editor, who made a concerted effort to make them as ugly as mentally crippled themselves. Thus, it is not surprising that the US media acted responsibly rather than playing their card of free speech.
The issue here is not the depiction of the Prophet SAWor that it is derogatory. The simple matter is that, in Islam, the imaging of any Prophet – Ibrahim (Abraham) Musa (Moses) Esa (Jesus), or any other – is strictly prohibited, whether it is vilifying or dignifying. In a pluralistic multi-religious society, people must be respectful and sensitive to one another’s cherished values and institutions. Unlike animals, humans have sentiments. This is what in essence makes a society civilized. The color of skin, ethnic origin, religious denomination, social culture, political affiliation, material possessions, or a particular form of government amounts to nothing without conduct navigated by a moral compass for a congenial global human fellowship.
This is also a moment to learn, understand, and reconcile. One important lesson that can be learned from the character of the Prophet SAW is that your adversary is frustrated when you ignore him; he wins when you begin to hate him; and you win when you forgive and reach out. Without being presumptuous, when a derogatory demeanor of the rival is obvious, entanglement in unproductive interaction is self-defeating. To be impactful, always approach the opponent thoughtfully and compassionately, wishing him the best, as Allah SWT directs: “…bear with them and say: Peace! ...” [Q, 43: 89]
Updated: 02/15/2025
Islamic Point of View 