Islam, the West and cartooning carefully

The cartoons sparked a debate about free and responsible speech the world over, and oriented many to Muslim feeling for the first time. Here I present to you an account of Muslim feelings the world over, and at Princeton, toward the cartoons and toward Western society in general. This article will take full advantage of the luxury Hedegaard gave journalists. He also said, however, that free speech did not have to be respectful. But this piece realizes the line of common decency that this luxury crosses, and so will not digress that boundary.

I must start off with a set of disclaimers to set the debate herein from the side of a common individual from the Muslim world. I though Kurt Westergaard is a rather nice, interesting man. I think he is justified in feeling that the threats he received are uncalled for, and that violent reactions to anything should be condemned. To be honest, I even feel his original idea for his cartoon, about how terror is the image of Muhammad that Muslim extremists have put on him, was perhaps the center of what could have been a deep observation about Islam. Instead, he just depicted Muhammad as a terrorist — a rather angry, uncouth one at that. Someone in the audience later commented in what I thought was the most succinct explanation of the interpretation: “I think he was just careless.”

Disrespect is disrespect, however, careless or not. The world over, the cartoon said Muhammad was a terrorist, not that extremists had made him one. It said Muhammad was the pioneer of modern terrorism. I am a vehement supporter of the anger, frustration, sadness and protest generated against the cartoons.

Muslim culture revolves around families and respecting elders, teachers especially. In fact, ignoring a parent or teacher’s command is much looked down upon. This culture is developed around the sacred relationship between teacher and student, preacher and learner. In that respect, Muhammad is the culmination of the entire concept of Muslim devotion, among all humans. He represents the ideal temperament, the ideal mindset, the ideal in general. Lars Hedegaard commented that respect must be earned, not granted. For 1.8 billion people, Muhammad is the ultimate command of respect, and even by Hedegaard’s standards himself, the cartoon went too far.

Hedegaard also hypothesized that Muhammad should be made fun of because Jesus is made fun of., and people are fine with that. About Jesus: If you come to a Muslim country, and you make fun of Jesus, expect some sort of reaction. Believing in Jesus is a pillar of faith in Islam, and no Muslim would dare to make fun of him either. Muslims aren’t trying to take over Western ideology, they’re just trying to protect their own.

Westergaard labeling Muslim imams as analogous to commissars, in the middle of his commentary, as a reference to the spread of extremist ideologies, doesn’t help. His blatant misrepresentation of Islam and Muslims as possessing an extremist nature in general is highly offensive in itself. Both he and Hedegaard were afraid that Islam was trying to impose itself as an uber-religion trying to wipe out Western culture. That is highly misrepresented. The major reason why Islamic ideology is taking the limelight in the West is because the West welcomes many Muslims into its multicultural, diverse, pluralistic societies. I think comments such as the one against Muslim imams above is contrary to that very Western ideal, multiculturalism. It isn’t Islam trying to take over, it’s Western culture contradicting itself.

And don’t get me wrong, I really respect this multiculturalism, and feel much indebted to the West in allowing me to develop myself in this institution, but I feel I have the right to point out where things go wrong.

Westergaard argued that Muslims had not risen to say that this extremism is not Islamic. This is a huge factual inaccuracy. As a Pakistani, I have seen huge conventions of Islamic scholars denouncing terrorism and suicide bombings as un-Islamic, and the country is supporting the move against the Taliban. Similar moves against terror and extremism have taken place all over the Muslim world. That statement, and in light of it the cartoon as well, was a labeling and stereotyping of the entire Muslim world of having at least a subtle terrorist, or extremist, element. It scares me to think that the West in general might hold similar points of views about me.

There are many Muslims on campus, and our religious life is rather open, and our events are open to all. The Muslim Students Association at Princeton represents a close knit family in the larger Princeton community for me, and that family is willing to take care of all. We are hardly in a position to impose ourselves, and we don’t want to either. For the peaceful prayers at Murray-Dodge Hall every Friday, the weekly discussions at Kalaam Cafe and the serene prayer room are not extremism, in any form. I hope and pray that that thought never enters your mind.

Zeerak Ahmed is a freshman from Lahore, Pakistan. He can be reached at zahmed@princeton.edu.