This week in Lahore, Pakistan, religious parties protesting the publication of caricatures of Prophet Muhammad by various European newspapers ransacked a McDonald’s outlet and set fire to the outlets of KFC and a foreign cellular service provider. Demonstrators also burned vehicles and about 2,000 sat near the Punjab Assembly, followed by setting a part of the building on fire.
In response to this violence I e-mailed Mr. Imran Aziz, a friend of mine who lives in Lahore asking his to address the violence that has recently erupted in the islamis world. Please find my correspondence with Imran on this issue below.
Mr. Imran Aziz, 27, is an academic and activist living in Lahore, Pakistan. He is the CEO and Executive Director RADF (Research and Development Federation) formerly Research Forum. http://www.radf.org. Imran and I are currently in the process of establishing a new international movement entitled, “The Movement for a Tolerant World.” This movement will strive to provide and spread a positive and tolerant ideology to young people all around the world. The movements website will be launched within the next month.
The Dialog
Dear Imran
I hope that you are well – as always it was delightful speaking with you today. On numerous occasions in the past you and I have discussed the need for mutual understanding and tolerance between peoples, nations and religions. Indeed it is wrong for any one of us to show disrespect or to offend those that are different than ourselves. In that vain I am saddened that newspapers in the West have shown disrespect towards your Prophet. Indeed I am equally distressed and disturbed by the anti-Semitic caricatures that are appear frequently in newspapers in the Middle East and Asia.
You, as a Muslim living in Lahore, Pakistan, where the violent protest against the ill-conceived cartoons have been most intense must have a unique insight regarding this recent unrest. I am wondering whether you could also give me a sense of your own feelings and views regarding this violence and also tell me how you think the majority of other Pakistanis view it.
Thanks so much and warmest regards.
Levi Brackman
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Dear Levi,
Thanks for your generous email. Indeed God has blessed you with wisdom and a sense of humanity. Being a Muslim I have the same point of view as you do about the Prophet of Islam. One should really restrain from humiliating prophets, scriptures, religions and traditions. This principle is not set by me nor by you but by religions of Ibrahmic Brothers and Sisters i.e. Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
I am deeply saddened about what happened and am also extremely worried by the way Muslims all over world especially in Lahore, the city where I live, have reacted. I am still mourning over the three deaths of Muslims in Lahore during the recent violent protests. They have executed themselves awfully and ruined everything they came across. I am deeply concerned about the loss to public properties, the burning, looting and the using of non-religious acts and ideology as justification of such behaviour.
First of all, the anti-Prophet cartoons were very insulting and unacceptable to all people of faith. Even the Jews and Christians condemned this type of defamatory media. It is not about freedom of speech, because freedom of speech does not mean to insult people’s faiths or their religious figures.
However, this does not justify violence in responding to this ridicule of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w). We all know the teaching of Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) where he said: "Whoever hurts a dhimi (A non-Muslim living in an Islamic State), it is as if he has hurt me."
Protesting against oppression in order to support the truth and the oppressed is a legitimate act that may be obligatory if it will affect the process of decision-making among the oppressors. However, these protests and demonstrations do not warrant riots or destructive acts against public or private property. Such acts fall under the category of wrongdoing and are not a justified response to the negative attitudes of governments and newspapers.
Furthermore, Muslims should avoid hurling insults against the people of other religions as a response to the publishing of those provocative cartoons against the Prophet (s.a.w). There is a direct prohibition to this retaliatory behaviour, as God Almighty says: “Revile not those unto whom they pray beside God lest they wrongfully revile God through ignorance. Thus unto every nation have we made their deed seem fair. Then unto their Lord is their return, and He will tell them what they used to do” (Al-An`am 6:108).
One of the principles deeply rooted in Islam is tolerance. A human being, according to Islam, is a dignified creature (Al-Israa’ 17:70). He or she is the vicegerent of God on the earth and is supposed to develop the earth and make use of its resources (Al-Baqarah 2:30; Hud 11:61). At the same time, people are not of one and the same faith or belief. They have different thoughts and views, and to achieve their expected job of developing the earth, they need to work in cooperation and show tolerance towards each other.
This does not necessarily mean abandoning one’s ideas and thoughts. Muslims should not compromise on their principles or give up their Islamic beliefs; they must stick to their religion and present it to others without any coercion. By the same token, they deem tolerance as an obligation. Islamic sources and texts are abundant with provisions urging Muslims to show tolerance as much as possible. In the Qur’an, for example, we read, “And argue not with the People of the Scripture unless it be in (a way) that is better, save with such of them as do wrong” (Al-`Ankabut 29:64). “The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend” (Fussilat 41:34).
Furthermore it states, “The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree): but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from God: for (God) loveth not those who do wrong.” (Ash-Shura 42:41).
Moreover, the Prophet (s.a.w) warned Muslims against wronging non-Muslim citizens or inflicting any harm against them, making it clear that the Prophet himself will stand against anyone who does so on the Day of Judgment.
Clearly Islam guarantees to the individual that their religious sentiments will be given due respect and the nothing will be said or done which may encroach upon his/her right. Hence anti-Semitic campaigns and caricatures are a complete deviation from the Principles of Islam. Whosoever does that is performing a haram (forbidden) act.
Indeed, the particular tolerance of Muslims, when practiced as commanded in the Qur’an, can alone bring peace and well-being to the entire world.
As I mentioned above, the Qur’an itself refers to this particular kind of tolerance:“A good action and a bad action are not the same. Repel the bad with something better and, if there is enmity between you and someone else, he will be like a bosom friend” (Surat al-Fussilat: 34).
Once again people of Lahore (the majority I believe) would like to avoid such outrageous acts. And Islam certainly does not sanction these violent acts. Indeed there are still many good people around us who negate and oppose what Muslims have been recently doing in Lahore and around world.
Warmest Regards,
Imran Aziz
CEO and Executive Director RADF (Research and Development Federation) formerly Research Forum http://www.radf.org.