The Pilgrimage of Malcom X at UW

The Creative Contribution of Islam Within Canadian Self-Understanding -Tariq Ramadan

Found the audio of his lecture at Queens University-Kingston ( click here for mp3 format) through TV Ontario Program's "Big Ideas" website. His topic was "The Creative Contribution of Islam Within Canadian Self-Understanding"

"Tariq Ramadan is our first speaker. He is a Swiss-born grandson of one of the founders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt whose PhD dissertation was about Nietzsche, the intellectual grandfather of post-modernity. Ramadan defines himself as Western Muslim and he speaks to other Western Muslims about what it means to be both a Westerner and a Muslim. As you can appreciate, he is a very busy man nowadays.

In this talk, which he gave late last Fall at Queen's University, Ramadan speaks to Canadians as much as to Canadian Muslims about complex identities and multiculturalism. Most importantly, he suggests that for a society to be truly multicultural it needs to be more that just tolerant of immigrants, it must show itself to be receptive to being re-shaped by the newcomers."

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

Sheikh Hamza on Danish TV

Found through Copenhagen Interpretation:

Watch the video through this link ( you need Windows Media)

An Islamic History Of Europe

Watch a BBC documentary on the Islamic History of Europe. A MUST SEE!

Ignorance in matrimonial aspects--by Mufti Taqi Usmani

Even the most educated familes in Pakistan fall in the trap of following very weird procedures when it comes to marriage. Mufti Taqi Usmani gives his deep scholarly insight on the issue :

"How entangled people are in age-old traditions and self-made norms and regulations is reflected, even in the modern era, in the innumerable domestic disputes, for whose Islamic solutions people usually contact me. It isn't only their retrogressive attitude that is a matter of concern, but their being ignorant of the basic laws of Islam is far more pitiable.

Recently, a Muslim lady from America related a very lengthy and tragic account of her own life which shows the barbaric and oppressive manner some Muslim parents still adopt when dealing with the significant issues of their children, especially the daughters. (No wonder Islam is regarded with such disrepute the world over). Below is a summary of her letter.

She had stated, "I belong to a very well-educated and a highly affluent family. My father, despite his literacy, was always adamant in not letting either of his daughters to marry outside the kindred. I am the eldest daughter and received many proposals in my early youth, but were all declined by my father on the grounds that they were not from our close relatives, and were, therefore, unacceptable.

This continued until I reached an age when such proposals ceased to come. It was then that my father once told me that because there was no possibility of me getting married within the family sphere, I should make an oath before him I will remain unmarried for the rest of my life, and being affluent, he shall be responsible for my sustenance.

My father took coercive measures to make me comply with his decision. Later, in honor of his wishes, I sincerely resolved to lead a life of celibacy. But my mother, brother and youngest sister were not happy with my decision. One man who had proposed to me long ago was, despite my father's flat refusal, still waiting for a change in the decision. My brother and sister tried hard to persuade my father. Finally, he relented and agreed, but also added, that because such a step would be in utter disregard of his wishes I should, after the marriage, sever true relationship with him. However, I was not made aware of this until the wedding had materialised.

Eventually, I moved over to America where my husband was. Now, after many attempts to contact my father, I have discovered that he has stuck to his words and is unwilling to accept me as his daughter."

This is one typical story of a Muslim household. Although other incidents may not have reached such extreme levels, but it can be asserted, beyond a shadow of doubt, that a large number of Muslim families certainly suffer from such misconceptions as far as marriage is concerned. Undoubtedly, the Shari'ah has, to an extent, observed the law of compatibility between spouses. But it has been solely designed to ensure psychological balance and harmony between them and their families, which is indispensable if such a contact is expected to last for lifetime.

Compatibility should be seen in the living styles, modes of thinking and most of all the dispositions of the boy and girl. An imbalance in these is sure to entail a turmoil that will result in endless rows between the two.

This, however, does not mean that such requirements are so essential a part of marriage that if they were not met, marriage could not be solemnized.

Further, compatibility isn't only restricted to the kindred. Any Muslim household that meets the requirements of compatibility will, for that matter, be classified an equal.

It seems, therefore, that ignorance of the rules of compatibility is the main cause behind such stubborn attitudes. Hence, in order to acquaint the masses, the rules of compatibility are mentioned below.

Equality in lineage, religiosity and profession will qualify for compatibility, regardless of whether the family is related or not. Equality of lineage does not mean that their family origin has to be the same, but their being of an equal standard is sufficient, like Syeds (descendants of the Noble Prophet (Sall Allahu alaihe wasallam) Siddiquis, Farooquis, 'Usmanis and 'Alawiys (all belonging to the four Caliphs respectively) are all equals.

In fact all the Quraysh families will be regarded equals of one another. Similarly, certain reputed families that originate from the Indian subcontinent, such as Rajput, Khan, etc. are also held equals. Some Ahadith do encourage the observance of compatibility to maintain a balance in the temperaments, but it is wrong to think that it is a grave sin or that marriage remains invalid if done otherwise. The truth is that marriage solemnised outside the compatibility sphere with the consent of the girl and her parents will amount to no sin at all. In fact, if the family fails to find an equal spouse for the girl, they should marry her off to any suitable man available. It is, however, advisable to proceed with the marriage in the presence and with the consent of the Wali (guardian) of the girl. This should particularly be observed when marriage is performed outside the compatibility sphere, as, then according to many Jurists, such marriage remains invalid. Wali, on his part, should also not be too strict on the application of compatibility rules, not to mention the emphasis on marriage within the family sphere. A Hadith states, 'When one whose religiosity and character are agreeable to you comes with a proposal, then solemnize the marriage with him. If you fail to do that, corruption and strife will prevail the world.'

Another misunderstanding that is quite common is that Syeds are thought to have no equals and it is believed that their marriage should only be contracted amongst themselves. Syeds are those families whose lineage goes back to Banu Hashim. As the Prophet (Sall Allaho alaihe wasallam) himself belonged to the Banu Hashim tribe, this is undoubtedly a matter of pride, but the assumption that this noble lineage should make it impossible for them to marry outside the Syed family is incorrect. Not only the Shaykhs, but all the Quraysh tribes are, Islamically regarded equals of Syeds.

Hence, marriage could be solemnized with them too. Moreover, if a Syed family wishes to marry outside the Qurayshi sphere, that too with mutual consent is permissible."

Prophet Muhammad (Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam)

I found a website www.iqra.net which has a lot of interesting articles. The page on Prophet Muhammad ( Peace be upon him) really caught my eye:

• What the Qur’ān says about Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam

• The Most Beautiful Character of Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam

• The Blessed Names of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam

• Prophet Muhammad: The Greatest Personality in all human history

• Qasīda al-Burda: The Most Famous Poem on Prophet Muhammad

• Salāms on Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam

• Love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam

• Prophet Muhammad is al-Insān al-Kāmil

• Invocations of Blessings on Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam

• The Holy Prophet Muhammad: A Biography

• The Blessed Sayings of Prophet Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam

• Habīb u’l A‘zam Sayyidinā Muhammad Sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa Sallam

Grow, like the water-lily

"Grow, like the water-lily from the side of the river like the
sufferer of edema, greedy (for water) and seeking death."
Taken from Masnavi

Preservation of Gorillas

A good friend asked me if I liked Gorillas late last year. I hadn't really thought about Gorillas till then however recently I have been reseaching the problem of Gorilla extinction. (Thinking and caring for amimals is a principle of Islam).

Learn more about Gorillas at these links:

Wiki on Gorillas
National Geographic on Gorillas
PBS on Gorillas
Enchanted Learning on Gorillas
Gorilla Haven
Kilimangaro on Gorillas


Organizations like the Koko foundation and WWF are trying to help save Gorillas from extinction

There is a movie about Gorilla extinction as well which I have added on my " To see" list.

Trouble in the P-land

I talked to my parents today. The situation in Pakistan is quite pathetic. My mom's school ( where she teaches) has been closed for 1 week now and is closed indefinitely due to the instability caused by the protests on the cartoons happening in Pakistan. Of course, most people do not support the actions of these individuals who are vandalizing and harming other people.

What is the fault of a lower middle class guy who parked his motor bike only to find out later that his bike was burned by protesters?

What is the fault of a shop owner whose shop windows are broken ( damage worth 1000s of rupees)?

I was checking out what the newspapers in Pakistan were saying about this issue. Almost all of them agree that the protests aren't about the cartoons anymore, but in fact these protests represent more deep rooted grievances of the people.

A few of these articles are linked below:

• Articles with details on the protests in Lahore
• Cutting off your nose to spite your face
• Burning ourselves to the ground
• Of blasphemy and model traffic police
• The problem within
• Smoke signals from Lahore
• Raped and burned

The Christian Science Monitor has a really good article on this too.

The Independent has a good one as well.

Pakistani Dramas

This is for those of you who enjoy Pakistani dramas or whose parents/auntis/uncles enjoy them, I found out yesterday that a lot of the classic dramas from the 80s and 90s are available at a good price at this website. I used to watch quite a few back in the day and they always had a good message-teaching me something about the society at large, etc. My favourites were:

• Nangay Paon
• Alpha Bravo Charlie
• Dasht
• Dhoop Kinaray
• Uroosa
• Tanhaiyan
• Parosi
  

Enlightened Moderation and Islam 2005, Pakistan

A very interesting seminar with some interesting speakers talking about the concept of "moderation" being promoted by the governement i n Pakistan ( Warning: you need to know Urdu):

Famous Speakers from all around Pakistan presented their view in Seminar on Enlightened Moderation and Islam. Speakers include Dr. Israr Ahmed (Scholar of Islam), Dr. Javed Iqbal(S/O Dr. Allama Iqbal), Dr. Shahid Masood (Famous anchor of Views and News, ARY Digital), Eng Saleem ullah, Hafiz Akif Saeed (Ameer Tanzeem-e-Islami), Moulana Abdur Rauf and Mirza Ayub Baig. This seminar was held in Lahore (Pakistan) in 2005.

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

Aap ki Marzi

I remember traveling on the cab and rikshaws in Pakistan. Whenever I would travel with Amee ( my mom) and we would ask the rikshaw driver or the cab driver for what fare he would charge he would say something like " App ki Marzee". You can give whatever you want. However my mom would never sit in the cab/rickshaw without confirming the fare. Being young at that time I never understood why my mom would do that. Why couldnt she do " her marzee" and pay whatever she wanted since it seemed like this was what the Cab Drivers wanted. A journalist on tour to Pakistan with the Indian Cricket teamtries to explain and describe the same situation in this article:

Rickshaw drivers come in various types. I’ve been a bit intimidated by the Chennai auto-rickshaw drivers, at your face and aggressive. Those in Bangalore are more sober; the ones in Mumbai are mostly professional (put meter, take money, give exact change types); and Delhi throws up all sorts. A few Lahore drivers, though, never cease to amaze.

Using the meters isn’t the done thing; so there is often a haggling process that ensues. Once you approach a driver, and tell him where you need to go, he may either quote a price, which solves all problems as you have a starting point from where you can bargain, or simply leave the whole choice to you.

It’s the second type of drivers that need attention. Once the journey is completed, he will give you a genial smile, as if waiting for you to decide the amount. If you ask him, he will invariably say ‘Aap ki marzi’ (your choice). Now that’s tricky. You’re new to the city, you’ve traveled quite a distance, you have made him stop at a few places, and you have not a clue about where to start off. So you joke and say ‘Theek hain, dus rupaiaya dhoonga’ (OK, I will give you ten rupees) and with a more exaggerated smile, which is even more genial, he says ‘Aap ki marzi’.

It’s a bit unnerving. It’s as if he is supremely confident that you will not be shameless enough to give him ten rupees and walk off. So you go through the whole conversation again and try and explain to him that it is his duty to quote a price. Now, after gauging your mood for a few minutes he will throw up a figure that appears absurdly high and leave you in a situation where even a fair bargain will result in a loss.

And if at all you get a bit aggressive and reason in terms of distance-time equations, he always has one excuse to hide behind – this is exactly the reason why I told you to give what you want; exactly why I said ‘Aap ki marzi’.

Amnesty: Freedom of speech carries responsibilities for all

Sh. Abdullah Adhami was mashah allah very insightful and elequont in what he said today. He reffered to an Amnesty document, the text of which I have posted here. It is, as he said a very complete and comprehensive response and it is something we can refer to if people question us abut the Freedom of Expression, etc:

Events of recent weeks have highlighted the difficult question of what should be the legitimate scope of freedom of expression in culturally diverse societies.

While different societies have drawn the boundaries of free speech in different ways, the cartoon controversy shows how, in today's increasingly global media space, the impact of actions in one country can be felt way beyond its borders. Today, more than ever, societies are faced with the challenge of asserting universal human rights principles in an area where there has traditionally been a tendency to defer to the domestic laws of a particular state and the values they enshrine.

Set against the backdrop of the rising climate of intolerance and suspicion between religious and other communities in many parts of the world, including in Europe, two conflicting sets of principles are being advanced in this controversy.

Newspaper editors have justified the publication of cartoons that many Muslims have regarded as insulting, arguing that freedom of artistic expression and critique of opinions and beliefs are essential in a pluralist and democratic society. On the other hand, Muslims in numerous countries have found the cartoons to be deeply offensive to their religious beliefs and an abuse of freedom of speech. In a number of cases, protests against the cartoons have degenerated into acts of physical violence, while public statements by some protestors and community leaders have been seen as fanning the flames of hostility and violence.

The right to freedom of opinion and expression should be one of the cornerstones of any society. This right includes "the freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media, regardless of frontiers" (Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 19). For more than forty years, Amnesty International (AI) has defended this right against attempts by governments across the globe to stifle religious dissent, political opposition and artistic creativity.

However, the right to freedom of expression is not absolute -- neither for the creators of material nor their critics. It carries responsibilities and it may, therefore, be subject to restrictions in the name of safeguarding the rights of others. In particular, any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence cannot be considered legitimate exercise of freedom of expression. Under international standards, such "hate speech" should be prohibited by law.

AI calls on the government officials and those responsible for law enforcement and the administration of justice to be guided by these human rights principles in their handling of the current situation.

AI also calls on those working in the media to act with sensitivity and responsibility so as not to exacerbate the current situation. This incident highlights the power and reach of the media and AI calls on those in the media to apply greater political judgement, taking into account the potential impact of their output and the range of often competing human rights considerations involved.

While AI recognises the right of anyone to peacefully express their opinion, including through peaceful protests, the use and threat of violence is unacceptable. Community leaders must do everything in their power to defuse the current atmosphere of hostility and violence. Culture and religion are of central importance to many people’s lives, but they cannot be used as an excuse to abuse human rights.

Fredrick Douglas

I read the autobiography of Fredrick Douglas late last year on the reccomendation of Imam Zaid Shakir ( in one of his lectures). I was very disturbed/sad after I finished reading the book. I definately encourage you to read it. Its available online at this link. Here is an extract from the book:

"The overseer's name was Plummer. Mr. Plummer was a miserable drunkard, a profane swearer, and a savage monster. He always went armed with a cowskin and a heavy cudgel. I have known him to cut and slash the women's heads so horribly, that even master would be enraged at his cruelty, and would threaten to whip him if he did not mind himself. Master, however, was not a humane slaveholder. It required extraordinary barbarity on the part of an overseer to affect him. He was a cruel man, hardened by a long life of slave- holding. He would at times seem to take great pleasure in whipping a slave. I have often been awakened at the dawn of day by the most heart-rending shrieks of an own aunt of mine, whom he used to tie up to a joist, and whip upon her naked back till she was literally covered with blood. No words, no tears, no prayers, from his gory victim, seemed to move his iron heart from its bloody purpose. The louder she screamed, the harder he whipped; and where the blood ran fastest, there he whipped longest. He would whip her to make her scream, and whip her to make her hush; and not until overcome by fatigue, would he cease to swing the blood-clotted cowskin. I remember the first time I ever witnessed this horrible exhibition. I was quite a child, but I well remember it. I never shall forget it whilst I remember any thing. It was the first of a long series of such outrages, of which I was doomed to be a witness and a participant. It struck me with awful force. It was the blood-stained gate, the entrance to the hell of slavery, through which I was about to pass. It was a most terrible spectacle. I wish I could commit to paper the feelings with which I beheld it."

Read full biography...

Martin Luther King Jr. said....

Taken from purification of the heart:

The well-known civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr. said that in order for people to condemn injustice, they must go through four stages. The first stage must ascertain that there are injustices being perpetrated. In his case, it was the injustices against the African-Americans in the United States. The second stage is to negotiate, that is, approach the oppressor and demand justice. If the oppressor refuses, King said that the third stage is self purification, which starts with the questions " Are we ourselves wrongdoers? Are we ourselves oppressors?" The fourth stage, then, is to take action after true self-examination, after removing one's own wrongs before demanding justice from others.

Are you seeking "Sacred Knowledge"?

A year ago I decided that rather than depending on local teachers who were scarce in number, I needed a place where I could constantly seek Sacred knowledge which could be put to use in my daily life.

Hence I decided to enroll in a Fiqh course at Sunnipath. It was a wonderful enlightening experience. It was also a good refresher from my other University courses. The online resource tools were set up in a very professional manner. While I could listen to the recorded lessons at my convinience, we (the students) also had the opportunity (and were encouraged ) to ask our teachers and T.A.s questions on anything remotely related to the content of the course in weekly live sessions. In addition there were online forums where we could raise and discuss issues of importance from the recorded lessons

Since last year I have taken 4 courses and all of them have been very beneficial. The next term begins on Febuary 25th and registration has already begun! There are a lot of interesting courses lined up which cover an array of different subjects and are aimed at students at varying levels of knowledge. I encourage you to take a look at what is being offered and enroll in anything that interests you. There is also financal aid, incentives and discounts depending on your personal situation, location and occupation.

Click here for more information.

Riding the Microwave

Growing up in Pakistan our family did not have access to a microwave. It was only after I came to Canada that I had the experience of using microwaves on a very regular basis. It did not take me that long to notice that there was a great difference in the taste when you heat food in on the stove and when you heat it in the microwave. However a friend of mine recently brought to my attention the fact that in addition to the taste difference microwaves also have other harmful impacts on the food.

I found two good articles by Dr. Joseph Mercol on this topic.

"....The purpose of this report is to show proof - evidence - that microwave cooking is not natural, nor healthy, and is far more dangerous to the human body than anyone could imagine...read the full article"

The second article talks about the proven Dangers of Microwaves.

".............Unfortunately, further studies are not scheduled at this time. If there are so many indications that the effects of microwaves on foods can degrade the foods far above the known breakdowns of standard cooking, is it not reasonable to conduct exhaustive studies on living, breathing human beings to determine if it's possible that eating microwaved foods continuously, as many people do, can be significantly detrimental to individual health? If you wanted to introduce a herbal supplement into the American mainstream and make any health claims for it, you would be subjected to exhaustive documentation and costly research....Read Full Article"

UW MSA celebrates Black History Month

The University of Waterloo Muslim Students' Association celebrates BLACK HISTORY MONTH by screening REFLECTIONS ON THE PILGRIMAGE OF MALCOLM X in the Multi Purpose Room- SLC @7 PM on 28 Feb'06

On February 2nd, 2002, the second day of the Eid al-Adha and a warm Sunday afternoon, an audience gathered at the Zaytuna Institute to celebrate the days of Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) and more specifically, the life of an American Muslim man whose story and spiritual transformation was so intricately associated with those sacred days: the life of Malcom X.

In their respective lectures, Zaid Shakir and Hamza Yusuf discuss the tragic yet extraordinary circumstances that went into creating this exemplary man. From having his father murdered by the KKK and seeing his mother end her life in an insane asylum as a result, it is not surprising that Malcolm became a bitter racist who attacked the system and the people he feltand was quite justified in feelingreduced him and other Blacks to the lowest of the low.

But in responding to the ancient call of the prophet Abraham to perform the Hajj, explains Zaid Shakir, Malcolm took a step that would transform him: he would rise above what America had made him by realizing that at his core he was no different from the whites he resented. Moreover, he realized that those who were oppressive were in worse shape and in more need of sympathy than those being oppressed. In experiencing the equalizing event of the Hajj, stresses Hamza Yusuf, he recognized that it was only true belief and submission to the Creator that could remove from peoples minds a focus on the incidentals of race and color and allow them to recognize that everyone is equal in their powerlessness before God. The footage of the event in this set will also give viewers a taste of the tranquility and spirit of brotherhood that pervaded throughout the day, perhaps a glimpse of what Malcolm witnessed and was transformed by on the Hajj.

Distributed by Alhambra Productions.

Available online at http://www.alhambraproductions.com

http://www.alhambraproductions.com/shopping/product_details.php?product_id=102

Robert Fisk and Tariq Ramadan on Denmark

"To describe the clash over the Danish depictions of the prophet as one between freedom and dogma will only fan the flames." says Tariq Ramadan..read on.........


"Don't be fooled, this isn't an issue of Islam versus secularism" says Robert Fisk..Taken from the Independent..

So now it's cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban.

Ambassadors are withdrawn from Denmark, Muslim countries clear their shelves of Danish produce, Gaza gunmen threaten the European Union.

In Denmark, Fleming Rose, the "culture" editor of the pip-squeak newspaper which published these silly cartoons - last September, for heaven's sake - announces that we are witnessing a "clash of civilizations" between secular Western democracies and Islamic societies. This does prove, I suppose, that Danish journalists follow in the tradition of Hans Christian Anderson. Oh lordy, lordy. What we're witnessing is the childishness of civilizations.

So let's start off with the Department of Home Truths. This is not an issue of secularism versus Islam. For Muslims, the Holy Prophet Muhammad is the man who received divine words directly from God. We Christians see our prophets as faintly historical figures, at odds with our high-tech human rights, almost caricatures of themselves.

The fact is that Muslims live their religion. We Christians do not. They have kept their faith through innumerable historical vicissitudes. We have lost our faith ever since Matthew Arnold wrote about the sea's "long, withdrawing roar". That's why we talk about "the West versus Islam" rather than "Christians versus Islam" - because there aren't an awful lot of Christians left in Europe. There is no way we can get round this by setting up all the other world religions and asking why we are not allowed to make fun of Prophet Muhammad.

Besides, we can exercise our own hypocrisy over religious feelings. I happen to remember how, more than a decade ago, a film called The Last Temptation of Christ showed Jesus making love to a woman. In Paris, someone set fire to the cinema showing the movie, killing a young man. I also happen to remember a US university which invited me to give a lecture three years ago. I did. It was entitled "September 11, 2001: ask who did it but, for God's sake, don't ask why". When I arrived, I found that the university had deleted the phrase "for God's sake" because "we didn't want to offend certain sensibilities". Ah-ha, so we have "sensibilities" too.

In other words, while we claim that Muslims must be good secularists when it comes to free speech - or cheap cartoons - we can worry about adherents to our own precious religion just as much. I also enjoyed the pompous claims of European statesmen that they cannot control free speech or newspapers. This is also nonsense. Had that cartoon of the Prophet shown instead a chief rabbi with a bomb-shaped hat, we would have had "anti-Semitism" screamed into our ears - and rightly so - just as we often hear the Israelis complain about anti-Semitic cartoons in Egyptian newspapers.

Furthermore, in some European nations - France is one, Germany and Austria are among the others - it is forbidden by law to deny acts of genocide. In France, for example, it is illegal to say that the Jewish Holocaust or the Armenian Holocaust did not happen. So it is, in fact, impermissable to make certain statements in European nations. I'm still uncertain whether these laws attain their objectives; however much you may prescribe Holocaust denial, anti-Semites will always try to find a way round. We can hardly exercise our political restraints to prevent Holocaust deniers and then start screaming about secularism when we find that Muslims object to our provocative and insulting image of the Prophet Muhammad.

For many Muslims, the cartoons were clearly intended to be provocative. It was so outrageous that it caused the reaction we are witnessing.

And this is not a great time to heat up the old Samuel Huntingdon garbage about a "clash of civilizations". Iran now has a clerical government again. So, to all intents and purposes, does Iraq (which was not supposed to end up with a democratically elected clerical administration, but that's what happens when you topple dictators). In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood won 20 per cent of the seats in the recent parliamentary elections. Now we have Hamas in charge of "Palestine". There's a message here, isn't there? That America's policies - "regime change" in the Middle East - are not achieving their ends. These millions of voters were preferring Islam to the corrupt regimes which we imposed on them.

For the Danish cartoon to be dumped on top of this fire is dangerous indeed.

The problem is that these cartoons portrayed the Prophet Muhammad as a Bin Laden-type image of violence.

They portrayed Islam as a violent religion. It is not.

Or do we want to make it so?

Let sanity prevail

My emotions have been very fluid ever since this issue of the "Prophetic Cartoons" has hit the headlines. I have felt anger, remorse and frustration while looking at the same story from different angles.

I remember receiving an e-mail from a friend asking me to sign a petition. The petition demanded an apology from the Danish newspapers who published the cartoons. Having heard about the cartoons for the first time, I was very disgusted at the cartoons and was glad that Muslims were using effective means to deal with the issue at hand.

Later I learnt that a boycott of Danish products had started in a lot of Muslims countries. It was positive to see that Muslims were able to take a collective stance on an issue with some sort of unity. However I asked myself the question “Was this really such a big issue that we punish a whole country due to the actions of a few? Would we want to be punished due to the stupid actions of a few Muslims? After all the companies being boycotted were a different entity then the newspapers. Besides if we were to be consistent across the board then the Muslim countries should be boycotting a lot of other countries too on much bigger issues?”.

On January 31, I was glad to hear that the Danish newspaper did apologize. However I soon found out that several other European newspapers had republished the same cartoons. The Muslims wouldn't boycott all these countries would they? The answer was of course a NO. And lo behold in the days that have followed we have sadly seen embassies and flags burning amidst protests across the Muslim world. Surely those images won’t enhance the tarnished image of Muslims; especially in Europe. I can’t see how burning a flag or embassy helps a situation? There must be more effective ways of expressing your disgust?

Sadly this situation is giving credit to the extreme opinions of a minority of Muslims and a minority of European extreme right wingers ; who both believe in an inevitable "Clash of Civilizations".

Locally (in Canada) there seem to be a few people who confuse the laws of Europe with Canadian law. All Western countries don’t have the same laws and Canada does have anti hate laws which would prevent publications of hate material which is what these cartoons were.

The Muslims need to calm down and think about the consequences of their actions. A very relevant question would be: What would have the Prophet (Peace be upon him) done in this situation?

At the same time, European media need to demonstrate more wisdom in how they express their opinions. You are free to express yourself, but you are also free to think.

I hope inshah allah that in the end: sanity prevails.

Here are some links to relavent articles:

• Much ado about newspaper cartoons (make sure you read comments from Waterloo people)
• Stupid Cartoons, Even Stupider Reaction
• Making Caricatures of us all
• Denmark embroiled in Muslim controversy
• Why has a cartoon turned into a crisis?

Spiegel Online: European Arrogance Versus Muslim Fanaticism

"The cartoon battle touches on one of the most important questions of our time -- freedom of expression, Ibn Warraq wrote Friday on SPIEGEL ONLINE. Jürgen Gottschlich, a journalist living in Istanbul offers his rebuttal: Many Muslims are sick and tired of being unfairly labeled as bin Laden sympathizers. Read on......."

The Lost Ring

"Science looks for where it lost the ring under the streetlight because thats the only place it has any light." Sh. Nuh taken from "The Pathos of Scientism" (www.masud.co.uk)