Daily Times

It was interesting to see the hashtags on Twitter in the wake of a recent terror attack in France. For an ignorant person like myself, it was noteworthy that people were demonstrating their solidarity with the publication Charlie Hebdo. The trending hashtag was #IamCharlie. I must admit that I did not know that such a publication ever existed. The attackers were our jihadi brethren passionately avenging the blasphemous cartoons this magazine had published.

Let us parse this thing for clarity. For the sake of qualifiers, an attack on any outfit where people are brutally killed, regardless of what business it is, whether it is a place or worship or a brothel, is absolutely and unequivocally wrong. It is criminal, immoral and highly condemnable. Our brethren, devoid of any ability to think or reason, somehow find their strength in the barrel of firearms. That is beyond pathetic. What followed after that was another horrifying attack on a local kosher market in Paris. I am still trying to figure out what blasphemy the market, where clean meat according to strict Judaic codes is sold had committed. It is not about blasphemy or any moral or religious struggle. Terror is only a means to an end. Terror is the ultimate impact statement but an extremely poor and ineffective one.

The twin towers that were brought down in the 9/11 attacks will emerge on the New York skyline. The London metro that bore the havoc of 7/7 is up and running. The Taj Hotel and other monuments in Mumbai that saw Kasab and company go on a bloody rampage are open and back in business. Yes, the Army Public School (APS) in Peshawar, which witnessed the shameful massacre of 142 children and their teachers, just reopened a week ago. Not to mention, Charlie Hebdo will be running other objectionable cartoon strips. So, with each cowardly attack, the people become more resolute, more determined and more defiant of this crazy menace.

The fact of the matter is that Charlie Hebdo was out of line in the guise of freedom of speech and expression. Our bleeding heart hashtaggers are ignoring something very fundamental. I will attribute the thought of a popular television host and columnist, Mr Ejaz Haider, here. Mr Haider, on one of his programmes and one of his tweets said that “no freedom is absolute” and I totally agree with him. Similarly, another eminent columnist, Mr Saroop Ijaz, cites the example: “You cannot yell fire in a crowded theatre”. The effect of that act is so potentially deadly that reason dictates a cautionary approach.

Similarly, nudity and obscenity are partly freedom of expression too. However, an overwhelming majority of publications will refrain from publishing any such material, despite its highly lucrative commercial value. The reason is that there are decency laws in most countries that prevent such images and backlash from responsible folk serves as another effective deterrent. Here in the US, it is highly insensitive to use any kind of racial slur against African-Americans, with a whole history full of shame behind it. To argue that a slur, disrespect and a joke against someone who is revered by a billion plus people should not evoke any reaction is a bit of a stretch. However, does that mean that reaction must be violent? No, absolutely not.

The reaction should be the dissemination of more information to those who are in need of it. They are people, inquisitive about our belief system. Muslims must provide more information to these people about our Prophet (PBUH), his life, character and his teachings. We are taught that he was the messenger of mercy towards the entire mankind. Please note the word mankind, which includes the naysayers as well. The objection, in essence, is a question being raised, requiring a satisfactory, prudent and logical response with rational reasoning. In the lingo of sales, these are “warm leads” that may need information about the idea we propagate and, if the idea fulfills their curiosity, it will perhaps be a “closed” sale. To those who think I am in some imaginary world, it is a deliberate attempt by the west to initiate a confrontation with the east. People on the idiot box call it a “clash of civilisations.” I humbly do not see the world with such tainted lenses.

I feel that every adversity offers an opportunity. The reason why these senseless jihadis have been able to hijack the Muslim narrative is because there has been shameful inaction from the side of saner Muslims. One may argue that we educate and inform folk who need the information and their belligerence and defiance does not end; then what? I have firm belief that any slur, any insult, any caricature, any cartoon for that matter, cannot diminish the stature of the Holy Prophet (PBUH). We as believers do our part and move on. The rest is up to our Creator.

However, under any circumstance, we cannot resort to any kind of violence against anyone who engages in any such behaviour. Let the Almighty be the judge. The sanctity of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) can never be compromised. Our brethren, who are mostly laced with emotions, rarely find a way to engage in meaningful dialogue with these folk. The so-called Tableeghi Jamaat that trots around the globe knocking on the doors of fellow Muslims in western countries has their work cut out for them. Rather than inviting fellow Muslims into mosques, which we frequent anyway, these learned men should focus on Charlie Hebdo types and give them the true message.

Last but not least, evil never vanishes with more evil. This has been a time-tested rule that never changes. I am all for responsible freedom of expression and, hence, I am not Charlie.

The writer is a Pakistani-US mortgage banker. He can be reached at dasghar@aol.com. He tweets at http://twitter.com/dasghar