PERSPECTIVE OF A UGANDAN IN CANADA

Opiyo Oloya

Discussions about the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten last September, and subsequent reprinting in major European newspapers over the last two weeks, have tended to focus on freedom of expression rather than the darker motives of the publishers. Some apologists for Jyllands-Posten have argued that the caricatures only became an issue when Muslim extremists used them to fan the flames of hatred, creating mass anger for their own ends. But to many Muslims, even the so-called moderates, the cartoons were offensive and insensitive. The Prophet after all preached peace and tolerance, and to depict him as a suicide-terrorist with a bomb hidden in his turban was to show utter contempt for his followers.

Furthermore, the attempts by European newspapers to disguise the attacks on Muslims as freedom of expression are flawed, even to the casual observer. For one thing, the best test of freedom of expression should have employed the Equal Opportunity Doctrine. That is to say, to claim freedom of expression, the editors should have commissioned in equal measure caricatures of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, Buddha, Krishna, Ganesha, Guru Arjan Dev the Fifth Sikh Guru, Abraham, Moses, and so forth. In other words, the editors could either stand up for freedom of the press to publish whatever it wishes without fear or favour or stand up for respect of all religions.

Yet, when challenged by angry Muslims, the editors of Jyllands-Posten arrogantly retorted that, “They (Muslims) demand a special position, insisting on special consideration of their own religious feelings. It is incompatible with contemporary democracy and freedom of speech, where you must be ready to put up with insults, mockery and ridicule.”

But was this really a case of thin-skinned Muslims or about thinly disguised bigotry? The evidence seems to suggest the latter. For instance, Reuters reported that the newspaper had opportunity to publish the caricatures of Jesus Christ in the spring of 2003, but retreated for fear that it could create a big stink among Christians.

In rejecting the series of unsolicited cartoons poking fun at the resurrection of Christ submitted to Jyllands-Posten by Danish illustrator Christoffer Zieler, the paper’s Sunday editor Jens Kaiser, wrote: “I don’t think Jyllands-Posten’s readers will enjoy the drawings. As a matter of fact, I think that they will provoke an outcry. Therefore, I will not use them.”

So, if we are to follow the logic of Jyllands-Posten, it was not okay to make fun of Jesus, but it’s okay to make fun of the Prophet Muhammad.

Therein lies something more sinister than mere double-standards by a newspaper angling for bragging rights for provoking a billion people for the price of a chuckle.

Disguised behind the playfulness of the cartoons are deliberate actions aimed at defacing, dehumanising and humiliating Muslims everywhere. Embedded in the apparent humour is a pointed message to Muslims everywhere: Know that we have the power to poke fun at your prophet, tear down what you believe in, cut you down to size, and there is really nothing you can do about it.

Sadly, we learn through recent history that to physically destroy a people, you must first destroy them spiritually and emotionally. Months before the Rwanda genocide, Tutsis were openly referred to as inyenzi (cockroaches) that should be mercilessly squished. Meanwhile, the unspeakable mass slaughter of Jews in Europe during World War II began with vicious anti-Semitic attacks in European, especially German newspapers such as Der Stürmer, which used cartoons to depict Jews and the Jewish faith in inhumanely savage terms. These anti-Semitic attacks were so successful that by the time Jews were being hauled away by the trainloads to efficient killing factories in Europe, they were no longer viewed as human at all, and few cared. In both cases, mass extermination was easily justified by the elites who controlled the media.

Viewed from the vantage points of Muslims, the Jyllands-Posten affair was another example of the eagerness of the western world to demonise Islam as a religion and its adherents as terrorists, thereby justifying the attacks on Muslims. After all, the pattern was set by the Bush administration who in the wake of September 11, and despite evidence to the contrary, invaded Iraq. When no weapon of mass destruction (WMD) was found, the Bush administration quickly moved the goalpost by suggesting that the war was really against terrorists in Iraq. Never mind that the Iraqi insurgency sprung to life as a direct result of the invasion.

Unfortunately, instead of unmasking the prejudice behind the cartoons, the whole saga demonstrated two troubling trends in world affairs today. Firstly, in a sharply divided world, few people will stand up to defend minority rights. British Prime Minister Tony Blair left it to his Foreign Minister Jack Straw to speak out against the cartoons. Meanwhile George Bush spoke up to say he supports Denmark; not the Muslims who were offended, but Denmark that was unapologetic.

Secondly, a small segment of the Muslim world sought violence to show their anger – violence has never solved anything. Threatening bodily harm and violence make it that much harder to see the point of view you espouse.

That said, the majority of Muslims peacefully stood up to let the world know in clear terms that attack on Islam (or any other religion for that matter) is simply unacceptable regardless of the source or motive.

Opiyo.oloya@sympatico.ca