Skip Nav | Home | Mobile | Editorial Guidelines | Mission Statement | About Us | Contact | Help | Security | Support Us

World

anti-muslim cartoons: an act of racism

M.A.Hussain | 19.02.2006 12:04 | Analysis | World

The escalating controversy over provocative politically a motivated racist
cartoon of the Prophet of Islam published in European newspapers has exposed
secular pretensions and racism of Christian dominated so-called “Western” media
elite. These cartoons reveal adopts double standards and hypocrisy of the West. The protests against these cartoons are equally politically motivated and reveal sense of alienation and frustration among Muslim masses the world over and exclusivist mind-set of Muslims. It also exposes the impotence of Muslim regimes before “Christian West” in possession of WMD.


The escalating controversy over provocative politically a motivated racist
cartoon of the Prophet of Islam published in European newspapers has exposed
secular pretensions and racism of Christian dominated so-called “Western” media
elite. These cartoons reveal adopts double standards and hypocrisy of the West. The protests against these cartoons are equally politically motivated and reveal sense of alienation and frustration among Muslim masses the world over and exclusivist mind-set of Muslims. It also exposes the impotence of Muslim regimes before “Christian West” in possession of WMD.

The recent cartoons are an attempt to profile Muslims as terrorists and
Islam as a problem and a deliberate attempt to offend them. Socially underdeveloped and culturally backward oil thirsty rotten Christian Right, uses "Western" media as a weapon of mass deception to demonize their oil rich "enemy." the Muslims. In possession of the most advanced weapon systems, Christian Right strives to
Subjugate the whole world and impose its hegemony over it. They teach us that
Islam is responsible for conflicts and chaos the world over. If Muslims are not deprived of their oil resources, they will make nuclear bombs and weapons of mass destruction and threaten the world peace.

In fact terrorism is against Islamic and Arab cultural traditions. It is a
modern phenomenon. Islam is not a problem, the capitalism is one. Terrorism is one of the manifestations of capitalist social relations and it has nothing to do with Islam. The so-called civilized West has shared bed with forces of political Islam long before. The whole world knows that it is
American imperialism and occupation of Iraq that should be called terrorism and
U.N.O a club of international terrorists gangsters. The Muslims the worlds
over are victims of international terrorism, which no so-called "Western"
free press talks about.

These cartoons are a part of a psychological war against Muslims. It is what
they did with Jews, before roasting them alive. They held them responsible for
every problem European societies faced at that time. Jews were demonized,
ostracized, humiliated and alienated from their own countrymen. The Christian
Right wants to do the same with Asian
and African immigrants’ particularly Arabs living in Europe. It is here that we
seek support of all peace loving people in favour of Asian and African
immigrants in America and Europe.

I do not have any problem with any anti-Islam stuff as such. As an apostate
of Islam, while condemning the cartoons, I defend right to blasphemy as the
part of the right to freedom of speech and expression. This right includes
tiring apart all religious symbols and icons with ruthless criticism and
analysis. The need of the hour is to scrap all anti-blasphemous laws instead of covering Islam under these.

The atheists do not have scared cows, do not have taboos, and do not
respect any one’s sentiments when it is a question of facts about a religious
faith. The atheists do not treat any prophet or apostle as touch-me-not--above
criticism. But these cartoons are not an artistic expression but an act of
racism and an crude attempt to insult Islam and offend Muslims. By mocking Mohammed -- a brown Arab and an Asian, these cartoons insult
not only Muslims but also all brown Asians.

Mohammed and mythical Jesus Christ are not a living persons, hence he does not have any rights and no
one has locus standii to speak on his behalf. Mohammed is a historical person
and history does not belong to any particular sect, community or race. Anyone
can write whatever he wants about any prophet.
But character assassination of any historical figure that cannot defend
himself and present his own views is
hate mongering and unethical.

Quran, Muslims holy book, is not Muslims’ intellectual property. Whole
humanity is claimed to be its audience. Hence all of us have right to analyze
and criticize Quran or any other so-called holy book. It is being said that
Islam does not believe anyone having monopoly over the interpretation of
Quranic scared text. The Quranic revelation was open to all and part of Arab
oral cultural traditions, guiding and governing social relations of Arabs at
that time. Taking ones own interpretation of Quranic
scriptures as real Islam leads to sectarianism and confusion.

Islam as a religion was initially non-elitists as its prophet was a
non-literate. Islam does not recognize any expert in the realm of religion.
There was no social space for professional or political Muslim under Mohammed’s
rule. There was no standing Islamic army. Mohammed nourished folk Islam. He
established a " primitive direct democracy" in Arab world. For Arabs
he was one among equals. As a
trans-tribal leader he used mosque as a trans-tribal parliament first time in
Arab world. He made himself accountable to the common people who usually
questioned him and sought explanations and clarification. This made
decision-making process in Arab worlds civil not political to a large extent.

The arrogant and ignorant white racist media elite does not understand
ethnic, racial and cultural diversity of Islam and composite nature of Muslim
culture. They equate traditional folk Islam with political Islam( that might
have not more than 1% adherents among Muslims). Blinded by their lust of
political power and hegemony, they fail to appreciate how multi-cultural,
multi-ethnic and composite is so-called Western culture. These racists do not
differentiate between capitalist West and so-called western civilization. They
seek parity with socially underdeveloped feudal/tribal Muslim world to attain a moral high ground and fake sense
of pride. Also to cover up their own moral degradation, rabid racism and
capitalist barbarism.

I have seen the cartoons. I found these neither funny nor satirical but bad
in taste. Instead of poking fun on Mohammed, these cartoons convey nothing but
reveal racist psyche of the cartoonist. One cartoon offended me the most.
Depicting Mohammed with a turban-shaped bomb on his head is nothing but
profiling of Muslims as terrorists. That needs to be condemned by all peace
loving people of the world. These cartoons are not an artistic express but a
part of psychological war being unleashed on developing Muslim countries
particular oil rich Arab world.

These cartoons are purported to humiliate Arab and African immigrant living
in America and European countries and to alienate them from rest of their
countrymen and to breed intolerance among /Christians against Muslims. It is an attempt to derail the world public opinion against
American barbarism in Iraq and to win over the European public option in favor
of America’s terroristic war on terrorism. These provocative cartoons are also
attempts to convince non-Muslim “Western” masses of their fake moral
superiority, social values and the freedom they are enjoying under so-called
secular and corporate West. After acts of shame in Abu Gharib prison and
Guantonamobay faceless West sill deem to have moral high ground in its conflict with developing Muslim
countries.

The West is stooping too low by seeking parity with feudal/tribal Muslims.
It is shameful that the regimes, which talk of freedom of press, killed
journalists not in bed with them and bombed them from air. This spineless media
does everything to hide American war crimes against innocent Iraqis and Arab
and Muslim the world over for no fault of their’s re except that oil is running
beneath their feet. It is senseless to
style this cartoon controversy as a
value conflict between capitalist West and feudal/tribal Muslim world, between
freedom of press and Islamic fundamentalism.

The violent protests against these cartoons by fundamentalist Muslims are
being used to convince Muslims masses that demanding freedom of press and free
speech is blasphemy and anti-Islam. They want to tell Muslim masses that
everything "Western" is evil and anti-Islam and every
"Western" is enemy of Islam hence slaughterable. Thus these cartoons
served Christian Right as well as Muslim fundamentalists. The Christian West, that practices ex-communication as a religious tradition, is celebrating the occasion as freedom of press and expression and Muslims are celebrating their impotence and powerlessness by burning flags and attacking emabssies.

M.A.Hussain is Delhi based a freelance writer and convener
of Save Kashmir Movement.

M.A.Hussain

Comments

Hide the following 7 comments

Do not lie. This is Religion

19.02.2006 12:24

But let us get it straight. Muslims are told not to kill the People of the Book who do not convert to Islam. But that Pagans and Heathens who do not convert are to be killed.

Is that true? Are all these soppy lefties supporting Islam volunteering to join Islam or just lining up for suicide?

Bit pointless writing more, your article appears to have been hidden already before I have read it through.

Ilyan


It is Back Again - I continue

19.02.2006 15:00

M. A. Hussain says "But character assassination of any historical figure that cannot defend himself and present his own views is hate mongering and unethical."
So there can be no denunciation of anyone dead?

You claim to be an Apostate Moslem. I think that means an ex-Moslem. The last one I met had a petition I signed, protesting that his wife had been hanged for converting to Christianity. i did not give him any money to fund his campaign because he had become a Christian. He did indicate that his wife had been actively prostletysing Christianity, so perhaps that was what she was hanged for - not a gender bias, perhaps he did not prostletyse, or he got away before they could catch him.

Anyway, perhaps you could enlighten us about the instruction to kill those who refuse all Religions of the Book. It is a very odd instruction to come from an illiterate, was the Quran edited in the same way as the Bible was? Did whatever Mohammed taught get as thoroughly corrupted as the teaching of Jesus before it was written down?

Lets start a serious campaign: Iran must develop its own nuclear weapons unless all the nuclear powers hand their weapons over to the UN for dispersal all over the world to defend against an attack fro outer space.

You should not imply that Jesus is a myth. There are at least two independent non Christian sources confirming his existence, or is the Tacitus reference lost? Read Josephus anyway.

Ilyan


incoherent

19.02.2006 20:05

If you can't make a point concisely I really wouldn't bother. I do not believe that you are a freelance anything. Who would pay to read this kind of drivel? I cannot see that you have made even one vaguely sensible point. You do not appear to be suggesting any way at all to progress beyond the current spate of violent, often murderous, over-reaction that most muslims have indulged in since the cartoons were published. I DO have a suggestion for all those who do not want to see the cartoons - don't buy the newspapers that publish them.

dr_dolittle


Interesting Varsity course

20.02.2006 03:10

About 200 students attending a seminar on suicide-bombing tactics at Khajeh Nasir Toosi University in Tehran on Saturday heard Mohammad Ali Samadi, spokesman of Esteshadion (Martyrdom Seekers), say that his organisation had registered "more than 52,000 people who willingly were ready to defend their country. If they strike, we have a lot of volunteers. Their [US and British] sensitive places are quite close to Iranian borders," he said.

 http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/suicide-bombers-wait-in-the-wings/2006/02/19/1140283948324.html

spinifex
mail e-mail: yellow.subaru@gmail.com


See his homepage

20.02.2006 10:08

Dr Doolittle- I thought he was writing in a second language, or being interpreted by a not very good interpreter.
As he has not answered the questions, I sought more info and saw no way to put the question through his home page either:  http://www.apostatesagainstamerica.com/ Someone wants to stir up religious war. As God is finding it so difficult to get Ibola onto the Airlines, perhaps this is Divinely inspired.

Ilyan


Jesus H Christ

21.02.2006 17:09

"But character assassination of any historical figure that cannot defend
himself ( sic ) and present his own views is hate mongering and unethical. "

Adolf Hitler? Stalin? Julius Caesar?Christopher Columbus? Ronnie Reagan?

Lets not confuse religious beliefs and skin colour or race eh?

Talk about ethics!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




bullshit detector


Long Live Denmark and long live freedom of speech!

22.02.2006 01:11

Racist or not if you don't like it then no one is forcing to read,look or listen to it!

It is that simple so get a life and stop imposing your views on others!

Denmark rocks and so does Valhalla,Odin and most of all THOR who will kick your prophets ass!

Grim Reaper


Publish

Publish your news

Do you need help with publishing?

/regional publish include --> /regional search include -->

World Topics

Afghanistan
Analysis
Animal Liberation
Anti-Nuclear
Anti-militarism
Anti-racism
Bio-technology
Climate Chaos
Culture
Ecology
Education
Energy Crisis
Fracking
Free Spaces
Gender
Globalisation
Health
History
Indymedia
Iraq
Migration
Ocean Defence
Other Press
Palestine
Policing
Public sector cuts
Repression
Social Struggles
Technology
Terror War
Workers' Movements
Zapatista

Kollektives

Birmingham
Cambridge
Liverpool
London
Oxford
Sheffield
South Coast
Wales
World

Other UK IMCs
Bristol/South West
London
Northern Indymedia
Scotland

Server Appeal Radio Page Video Page Indymedia Cinema Offline Newsheet

secure Encrypted Page

You are viewing this page using an encrypted connection. If you bookmark this page or send its address in an email you might want to use the un-encrypted address of this page.

If you recieved a warning about an untrusted root certificate please install the CAcert root certificate, for more information see the security page.

IMCs


www.indymedia.org

Projects
print
radio
satellite tv
video

Africa

Europe
antwerpen
armenia
athens
austria
barcelona
belarus
belgium
belgrade
brussels
bulgaria
calabria
croatia
cyprus
emilia-romagna
estrecho / madiaq
galiza
germany
grenoble
hungary
ireland
istanbul
italy
la plana
liege
liguria
lille
linksunten
lombardia
madrid
malta
marseille
nantes
napoli
netherlands
northern england
nottingham imc
paris/île-de-france
patras
piemonte
poland
portugal
roma
romania
russia
sardegna
scotland
sverige
switzerland
torun
toscana
ukraine
united kingdom
valencia

Latin America
argentina
bolivia
chiapas
chile
chile sur
cmi brasil
cmi sucre
colombia
ecuador
mexico
peru
puerto rico
qollasuyu
rosario
santiago
tijuana
uruguay
valparaiso
venezuela

Oceania
aotearoa
brisbane
burma
darwin
jakarta
manila
melbourne
perth
qc
sydney

South Asia
india


United States
arizona
arkansas
asheville
atlanta
Austin
binghamton
boston
buffalo
chicago
cleveland
colorado
columbus
dc
hawaii
houston
hudson mohawk
kansas city
la
madison
maine
miami
michigan
milwaukee
minneapolis/st. paul
new hampshire
new jersey
new mexico
new orleans
north carolina
north texas
nyc
oklahoma
philadelphia
pittsburgh
portland
richmond
rochester
rogue valley
saint louis
san diego
san francisco
san francisco bay area
santa barbara
santa cruz, ca
sarasota
seattle
tampa bay
united states
urbana-champaign
vermont
western mass
worcester

West Asia
Armenia
Beirut
Israel
Palestine

Topics
biotech

Process
fbi/legal updates
mailing lists
process & imc docs
tech