Peshawar demonstration against caricatures in French Charlie Hebdo. Asianet-Pakistan/Demotix. All rights reserved.
In early February, not even one month after the terrorist attacks on the Charlie Hebdo offices and only two weeks before the Copenhagen terror shootings, former Pakistani railway minister Ghulam Ahmed Bilour announced in the country’s National Assembly a $200,000 reward for anyone who kills the owner of the satirical magazine. As a Muslim, I cannot conceive of a more severe insult to the Prophet Muhammed than to promote such violence in his name. When followers of our religion respond to criticism through violence rather than words, the very essence of Islam is distorted and compromised. What is more, these violent reactions to every perceived offense threaten to become a source of destruction for our religion.
For quite some time now, caricatures of the Prophet of Islam have been published in the west, especially some European countries. While many artists and writers portray them as an inventive contribution to an ongoing dispute, others perceive them as promoting a bullying racist agenda. Even so, the irrational reactions by some Muslim leaders and communities – whether in the form of violent protests or calls for murder – only fuel the continued publication and popularity of these offensive caricatures. The media and political pundits now increasingly describe these attacks as part of an ongoing struggle between the west’s freedom of expression and Islam’s lack of tolerance.
