The following is an article that was published in The Jewish Week. It's of particular interest because it came to me by way of a Pakastani-born muslim friend who currently lives in Dubai (with the subject that included "Please reprint/forward this where you can").
The Respect Of A Cousin
After the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten's 12
caricatures of the prophet Muhammad were republished in European newspapers,
riots erupted in Damascus, Gaza, Beirut and elsewhere throughout the Muslim
world. The violence is an extreme manifestation of the deep hurt felt by
virtually all Muslims.
As we condemn the violence on the streets, perhaps
we should take a moment to understand the hurt in the hearts of the great
majority of Muslims who did not engage in violence.
For Muslims, the
mere rendering of an image of Muhammad is sacrilege. The portrayal of
Muhammad in a pejorative fashion is to them an inconceivably offensive
desecration, on the level of what would be for us the defilement of a Torah
scroll. Because it was done in newspapers across Europe, it was a slap in the
face repeated thousands of times.
Perhaps it's a question of respect, not
freedom. Freedom of expression theoretically protects the right of a non-Jew
to desecrate a Torah scroll. Yet we would all view freedom of expression as
a hollow defense to such a vile act.
Some say Muslims can't take
criticism and simply don't understand freedom of the press. In my own
limited experience, that has not been the case. For the past year I've
written a column in a Muslim newspaper, Muslims Weekly, in which I've
criticized suicide bombing, the treatment of Jews under Islamic rule, the
anti-Jewish rantings of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and even
Muslims Weekly's own reporting about Israel. But it was all done
with respect, an informed appreciation of the wonderful benefits that Islam conferred upon the Jewish people, along with a willingness to look at our
own imperfections together with those of the other.
Regardless of
whether or not the European press was constitutionally free to publish the
offensive images, the act was a blatant and vulgar act of disrespect to
Islam. Such insults no doubt contribute to the frightening specter of a
clash of civilizations.
What can we do as Jews to lessen the hostilities?
Perhaps, just perhaps, a little respect would help. Rather than ripping the
wounds wider with editorial musings extolling freedom of speech and
condemning violent protests, is it not time for a bit of healing?
The
pages of this Jewish newspaper present a place for a small start by showing
Muslims right here that though we too have the freedom to say anything we
like, we choose to convey respect to our Muslim cousins. Printing something
positive about Muhammad best does this.
There is a space between
romanticizing the past and vilifying it. There is a time to focus on the dark
side of history and a time to view the other in the best light. There is a
time to cull from our rabbinic writings the good our sages saw in Islam and
there is quite a bit of such sentiment recorded. We Jews need to learn to be
more flexible, pursuing the claims of Jews expelled from Arab countries and
criticizing anti-Jewish TV programs and cartoons in the Muslim media, while
at the same time displaying gratitude for all the good Islam did for us.
There is a time to jump over our pain and see the humanity of the other.
That time is now. Let us start:
There is a Hadith (oral tradition
concerning the words and works of Muhammad) recorded by Bukhari in the name
of Amer Bin Rabiha that reads as follows:
"A funeral procession passed
us and the Prophet stood up for it. We said, 'but Prophet of God, this is a
funeral of a Jew.' The Prophet responded, 'rise.' "
One can search
the writings of the ancient non-Jewish world for a more powerful example of
a public display of respect for the humanity of the Jew. There simply is no
more powerful statement than the single word uttered by Muhammad nearly 14
centuries ago.
Some readers will bombard this newspaper with reams of
material showing a darker side to Islam, as if it were just too much for
them to hear one good thing. But it is there, it is a sacred part of their
tradition, it is good and we should hear it and respect it.
When you
give respect you get it. When you take criticism, you earn the right to give
it. Perhaps this article will be republished in Muslim newspapers, compete
with its critical comments about the pain we feel in the face of anti-Jewish
cartoons and worse in Muslim media. Muslim readers may come to understand
that an article by a Jew, in a Jewish newspaper, was one of respect, telling
its audience: "We know that the one mocked in newspapers in Europe is the
one who had the humanity to tell his companions to rise for the funeral
procession of a Jew."
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