The challenge to Muslims

The challenge to Muslims
Globe and Mail, 02/18/06
By Sheema Khan

(Dr. Khan is the honorary chair of CAIR-CAN)

The Prophet preached restraint, not violence, says SHEEMA KHAN

I could never quite understand why Edmonton Oiler's coach Glen Sather put Dave Semenko on the same line as Wayne Gretzky. Semenko was a huge, bruising forward. Then Don Cherry explained it with clarity during an episode of Coach's Corner: Mess around with Gretzky, and Semenko would make you pay, Grapes told viewers. Deterrence through physical intimidation. Or in kinder, gentler terms: keeping the opposition honest.

As the cartoon fiasco has raged, some Muslims have opted for a similar
strategy: Mess with the Prophet, and we will make you pay. We will boycott your goods, and recall our ambassadors. Others have chosen far more violent responses. Flags have been burned, embassies destroyed, calls for death and destruction shouted in the heart of Europe. It may not be pretty, many argue, but it works. The West will dare not go there again.

But something is terribly wrong with this picture. What happened to the actual example of the Prophet? Must the response be "by any means necessary?" Are we Muslims reduced to such superficial piety that we discard the very teachings of the man whose honour we are trying to defend? There is, no doubt, heartfelt anger against the editors of the Danish newspaper who published the denigrating cartoons of the Prophet as an act of provocation. Defiant republication in other countries has only added fuel to the fire.

How to deal with this genuine anger? The strong man is not the one with physical prowess, cautioned Mohammed, but the one who controls oneself when angry. He advised his followers to make a ritual ablution as a means to dissipate one's anger. It is high time for Muslims who are still outraged to make ablution. And, one may add, time for freedom-of-expression absolutists to take a Valium.

The majority of the world's Muslims have a strong emotional attachment to the Prophet. Yet, how much does this majority know about his actual life? His magnanimous examples of forgiveness and mercy in the face of insults. His humility before God. His compassion for all people. It is fair to say that the protracted cartoon outrage is testimony to widespread ignorance about his life. Not to mention basic Islamic precepts regarding proportional response to affronts.

Take for example, the burning of flags. For a secular West, this action represents anger toward Denmark. From an Islamic perspective, the flag is both a Christian symbol (the cross) and an emblem of identity for the Danes. The Koran emphatically prohibits its desecration. How then, can Muslims brazenly burn Danish flags in front of cameras -- especially after attending Friday prayers?

Hopefully, this incident will serve as a catalyst for Muslims themselves to study the life of the Prophet in greater detail. To see how far we have strayed from his path. And to see how his call is so antithetical to that of Osama bin Laden and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Too many Muslims view contemporary events through the prism of anti-Western rhetoric, rather than the light of the Prophet's example.

Yes, there are legitimate grievances.

Yet the response must be rooted in prophetic traditions -- not misguided demagoguery.

During the first Gulf war, Saddam Hussein held a vulgar spectacle of displaying Western hostages trapped in Baghdad. Verbal declarations of piety were broadcast to shore up his Muslim credentials.

I knew that Saddam was playing the religion card. But I was curious to know how the Prophet dealt with prisoners of war. During his time, prisoners were treated humanely, with dignity. Relatives would pay for their release. Those who did not have such means, would win their freedom if they could teach 10 children how to read. Imagine -- bartering literacy for freedom. Shouldn't this be somewhere in the Geneva Conventions?

As one delves into his life, one cannot help but see a grand vision for humanity at large. It is not the us-versus-them mentality espoused by extremists on both sides of the divide. Sadly, it is this small group that is driving the cycle of misunderstanding and conflict.

In North America, Edward Luttwak vociferously calls for the denigration of religion. A Globe editorial heaps disdain on all Islamic societies, while praising Bernard Lewis -- a British scholar who, according to Brent Scowcroft, once advised the Bush White House: "I believe that one of the things you've got to do to Arabs is hit them between the eyes with a big stick. They respect power."

A few obscure Canadian publications have chosen to publish these offensive cartoons -- oblivious to the potentially deadly consequences for our troops in Afghanistan. Once news reaches Kandahar that these hateful cartoons have been published in Canada, our noble servicemen and women will face a hostile population. Our well-intentioned goal of helping Afghans rebuild civil society may be sabotaged by the actions of a few.

We must work hard to ensure that this does not happen. Just as we must make sure that the actions of extremists in the Muslim world do not sabotage the on-going project of intercultural dialogue. How many are aware that a Danish theatre has been presenting The Headscarf Monologues, an exploration of issues of racism experienced by Muslim women?

It has been heartening to see that the majority have reacted responsibly. Freedoms have been weighed carefully against responsibilities. Anger has been channelled into education, dialogue and, one would hope, forgiveness for those who provocatively insult. Our common values encourage dialogue, hope and respect.

A few weeks ago, my son made a beautiful three-dimensional Islamic calligraphy design using Lego. He loves Lego, a Danish toy that unleashes the creative imagination in children (and adults) of all ages. He is also proud of who he is. He combined the two in an artistic expression of his identity, with the pure simple intention of a child. That sparked the following idea.

Instead of boycotting Danish food products, here is a challenge to Muslim communities across Canada. Buy Lego for your kids. Let them use it to build their own masterpieces from their rich Islamic heritage. An observatory. A hospital. A mosque. For Canadian content, thrown in some Mega-Bloks. Let's encourage them to see a world of possibilities, not a world of conflict.

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