Questions from the burning Danish Embassies

Back in September, a Danish newspaper published a cartoon string that depicted Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in a negative light. That is by now old news. However, looming are fundamental, burning and unavoidable questions over not just the Muslim lands, but surely around the World.

A few years ago, the actions of a few dozen men driven to leave a mark, did just that by plunging aircraft into the heart of New York, killing several thousand in the process and changing the world for hundreds of millions, if not billions, around the world. The reaction undertaken by Bush and Company subsequently has been controversial, well-documented and has created a mess for everyone involved.

So how have the Muslim media and masses reacted to the goings on around their lands over the last few years? While much has been made of the American invasion and the loss of life thereupon, hardly anything can be found in prominent newspapers or television media across the Muslim countries condemning or even attempting to stir debate on the tens of thousands of innocent Iraqis that have fallen to fulfill the aims of their Muslim brethren, be it Al-Qaeda or someone else. Granted, American troops have not been as selective as they could have been in their operations, yet they still don’t come close to the ruthlessness of the hidden insurgents in Iraq, wiping out shoppers, schoolchildren, preachers and followers by the hundreds.

Now this cartoon row has again brought out the worst of the Ummah on display, with any signs of the more disciplined, balanced refutations hidden somewhere deep within. No one can argue with the inappropriate nature of the cartoons, with the content only serving to add further fuel to the outrage. Still, publication of such or even more egregiuos material is no basis for what has transpired since. Burning embassies, threatening to kidnap people based on their color or nationality and unleashing destruction on anything that comes across is, to put it conservatively, unforgiveable. When destruction of property and threats to life is the justice meted out to a newspaper publication, then by using the same barometer the invasion of a country in response to several thousand deaths can surely be defended.

Although it is clear, even more so from the most recent elections in Iran and Palestine, that the tendency in the Muslim world is heading towards the wrong extreme, the present time is absolutely crucial for the several hundred million Muslims who are part of the silent, sizeable minority. Unless an alternative view from the Muslim world emerges, gathers momentum and can convince enough minds within and outside, disaster is looming in the not-so-distant horizon. After having resisted for several years, I guess it’s time for me to pick up a copy of "The Clash of Civilizations."