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Media perpetuating confusion on issues

Tim Olster's letter, "Cartoons not only offensive possibilities" (SN 3/1), and many news stories diminish and confuse the issues surrounding the recent controversy.

I cannot claim to speak for all Muslims, but I have been all too aware of the deep-rooted contempt for Islam and Muslims inherent in both popular and classical culture, all the way from Dante's Inferno to contemporary crude jokes about "sand-niggers."

Offensive expression is not something new.

I submit that the issue is not one of freedom of speech, but that of political realities. It is possible to simultaneously defend the right of free speech and oppose hate.

The Danish Prime Minister Fogh Rasmussen could have said that the Danish regime does not condone hate, that the publication was despicable, but Jyllands-Posten has the legal right to be despicable, which it unfortunately chose to practice irresponsibly.

However, major institutions and many elected officials chose to defend the publications, not just the right to publish them, something which (I hope) would not have happened if the hateful speech was targeted to some other group. Eleven ambassadors to Denmark were denied even an audience with the Prime Minister.

Although it is legal to propound Nazi ideology in the United States, one would be hard pressed to hear the U.S. Department of State or the White House defending the Aryan Nations. Quite responsibly, the U.S. administration did not go out of its way to offend Muslims, something which many right-wing officials in Europe, such as the Italian Reforms Minister, and others did. What we are seeing here are means to dehumanize Muslims, exclude European citizens of the Islamic faith and sow discord among people.

The fact that the overwhelming majority of Muslims regardless of background and political affiliations have been offended is natural due to our love for those whom we believe to be prophets of God or righteous believers (which also includes Mary, Jesus and Moses, peace be upon them).

However, it is very unfortunate and much more insulting to Islam that some protests turned ugly and violent. It reflects a deep sociopolitical rot in much of the Muslim world, with unpopular regimes in power and religio-cultural breakdown among the masses.

The fact that the cartoons are seen in a wider perspective of military occupations and invasions does not help either.

In a perfect world, all Muslims would have chosen to respond to hateful speech with only reasoned arguments and acts of kindness, living by the religious injunction of, "The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! he, between whom and thee there was enmity (will become) as though he was a bosom friend" (Quran 41:34).

For me, fighting said decadence in me and my community and arguing against racism and hate are the issues at hand.

Yasir Suhail
2005 graduate

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