Daily Times

Yet another denigration of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) in the name of freedom of expression has been attempted. Yet another violent outburst in the Arab world has taken place. More deaths and destruction. When can we expect this to end?

Not until the west comes to its senses. Not until the licence Dante used to burn Mohammad (PBUH) in hell is abrogated and no one else is allowed to carry on the legacy of the prejudiced Italian mastermind. And, not until the Muslims get a spot under the sun.

No doubt, when Muslim masses go berserk, violently protesting insult to Islam, they put on display their base instincts and the shallowness of their intellectual side. Their unscrupulous politicians take advantage of this human folly towards achieving their own ends. Ordinary folks in the Islamic world — as well as in many other parts of the globe — often resort to violence in dealing with ultra-sensitive political and religious issues. This happens mainly because they do not think their rulers will take the right steps to tackle them. They perceive their leaders as ineffective and western puppets. Presidents Asif Zardari of Pakistan and Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan perfectly fit the bill. This chronic frustration provokes angry citizens to take matters into their own hands. In Afghanistan, the hated Taliban are returning to power; in Pakistan, anti-American sentiment is at an all-time high, in part thanks to US drone attacks, and in Libya, well, the extremists are already in power.

The US becomes a natural target as the world’s only superpower. However, some of its foreign policy blunders hurt this mighty nation. The Israeli-Palestinian saga has been one. This single issue has caused a rift between the US and the Muslim world as deep as the Grand Canyon, an outcome predicted by some world leaders before Israel’s creation. Pakistan’s founder, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, cautioned President Harry Truman in 1948 against dividing Palestine. Truman ignored him, citing domestic concerns. Anti-US attitudes in the Muslim world may subside once this Arab-Israeli dispute is resolved, although the scar will never disappear from Muslim minds.

But some Jews and westerners make an already bad situation worse, especially folks like filmmakers Theo Van Gogh, a Dutchman, and Sam Bacile, an Israeli-American. Bacile reportedly made the anti-Mohammad (PBUH) movie, Innocence of Muslims, provoking attacks on US embassies in Egypt, Libya and Yemen this week and costing the lives of US diplomats. This is merely a manifestation of an age-old conflict between Islam and the west. In a broader sense, the problem is not just between Muslim and western nations. It is an east-west schism, dating to the Greek-Persian war, long before Islam appeared on the scene. Had Persia won the war, the world would have looked very different today. Since the Greeks emerged victorious, their thoughts have shaped our world.

Following the paths blazed by Judaism and Christianity, Islam challenged the Greek dictum creating a vast empire, a feat that the two other monotheistic faiths failed to achieve. The west never reconciled with its subjugation by Islam. Rather, it has ever since wished to make Islam disappear into the black hole of oblivion. It called Muhammad (PBUH) fake and branded Islam as barbaric. The Muslims, on their part, refuse to forget what they consider is their glorious past. They remain steadfast in their demand for the right seat at the table. This could be one of the roots of today’s east-west conflict.

The Palestinian-Israeli issue comes into play because Israel wants to foment anti-Muslim sentiments in Europe and the US to its advantage. This will not serve Israel well in the long run. It is in Israel’s long-term interest to embrace their cousins rather than push them over the edge. Remember, anti-Semitism took roots in Europe long before Islam came into existence because of the widespread belief among Christians that Jews killed Jesus Christ.

Casting the Muslims as villains has been kosher in the west for too long. It has been a favourite sport in Europe and the US to applaud anything negative about Islam, starting from Dante to Rushdie, who always see the evil side of things and make a mockery of freedom of speech. Those who defend them brandishing the sword of free speech would be hard pressed to prove how their diatribe created positive effects on society. Freedom of expression is no license to shout false fire in a packed theatre. Freedom without responsibility causes havoc.

A moderate Muslim but an anti-western crusader, Dr Mahatir Mohammad, Malaysia’s former prime minister, once called press freedom a myth. And many of his fellow Muslims see double standards in the west. It is freedom of expression when it comes to insulting Islam’s Prophet (PBUH) or holy book, but it is a hate crime when someone challenges the Holocaust. Criticising Israel is anti-Semitism, but supporting Palestinians is terrorism. Israel is rational enough to own the nuclear bomb, but not Iran.

It is this sense of fairness that is lacking in this debate. Only fairness and justice can ensure harmony. A fair US foreign policy and a curb on anti-Islamic rhetoric will go a long way toward it. And Muslims are better advised to be constructive rather than reactive. Killing diplomats and burning embassies will hurt them, not help.

The writer is the editor of The Capital Express in New York and author of Myths and Facts: Bangladesh Liberation War — How India, U.S., China, and the USSR Shaped the Outcome (Rupa & Co New Delhi, 2010). He can be reached at publisher@thecapitalexpress.com