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Your letters - posted February 20, 2006

Posted in Q & A on Feb 20, 2006

Posted February 20, 2006

After receiving a flood of emails from you on the Danish cartoons - and my media interviews about them - I’ve compiled the makings of a great debate. Read below.

“I saw you on the Danish news. As a convert to Islam and an ethnic Dane, I have been so sad and shocked to watch my brothers and sisters behave in the most undignified way. Can’t they see that they portray Islam as a violent and unforgiving religion? Personally, I can’t see why non-Muslims should ever submit to an Islamic taboo. Actually I found the drawings to be hilarious. I know they were harsh, but that is Danish humour. And I think that Muhammad, peace be upon him, had a sense of humour.” - Østen

Irshad replies: He must have had a great sense of humor to put up with the ignorance and threats that he got from his fellow Arabs. Speaking of ignorance and threats…

“i hear ur interview on cnn about the protests of cartoon character of prophet muhammad, peace be upon him. u said that why r there huge protests in muslim world. my answer is why not. print the cartoon of jesus and see what the christians will do.

remember me because by gods promise u n ur partner that bastard rushdie will die with lot of pain n u both will pray for death but death will not come to u so easily inshallah. n u will die soon inshallah. n ur soul will rot in hell. read this n remember every day.” - handsome_guy

The rotting soul replies: I challenge you to read the next letter every day and learn the difference between intimidation and disagreement…

“Based on things I’ve read on your website, I’m sure we would not agree on most political issues and regarding sexuality (I’m a conservative Christian). However, I just want to say that I wish for you all things good, pray that you continue to influence people in a positive way, and thank God that you are out there doing that already. Shuukran and ma’salaama!” - Tracy

“Caught your interview on CNN. Where did you get your ideas from? I know you like white cocks in your wide and stinky pussy but keep in your limits you dumb fuckin bitch ass gang banged hoe.” - anonymous

Irshad replies: I don’t know where YOU get your ideas because I’ve never had such, uh, penetrating sex. Ever. In my life. But that, my friend, is the kind of pleasure you may need — at least according to the next Muslim…
“I saw you on CNN discussing the hysteria over the Danish Muhammad cartoons. I also read your book back in late 2003 and at that time I was struck with indignation and joined with other Muslims in condemning it. I’m a white boy who converted to Islam when I was 17 out of a combination of seeking meaning in my life and rebelling against society. I am also gay, and only came to terms with that about a year or so ago. And now, while I still believe in Allah and Muhammad as his messenger, I also get the feeling that God gives us plenty of room to be human.

I guess while I love Allah, I dislike Muslims. Most, if not all, annoy me to the core of my being. Sometimes I feel that Muslims deserve to be offended by such trivial things like the Danish cartoons. I thought they were kind of funny, actually! I especially liked the quote by one of the editors of a Jordanian paper who reprinted the cartoons: ‘What is more insulting to Islam, someone drawing a cartoon or someone blowing up a wedding party?’

Muslims need to wake up. They also need to start drinking wine, embrace any and all homoerotic tendencies, write some poetry and for the most part free themselves of the fundamentalist chains they have created (for themselves and everyone else!). The Muslim world will only be free when bars fill the streets and women show off their natural, feminine beauty. Muslims need to grow up and stop expecting everyone to be mindless sheep before a 1,400-year-old oral tradition. Nakedness will free Dar-al-Islam!” - Jamal

Irshad replies: When the revolution comes, Jamal, remind me to shave my legs.

“Hey, who set off a bomb in my hair?!”
Caricature of Irshad drawn by Nik, an Iranian artist who spent six days in jail for lampooning his country’s mullahs. To view the offending cartoon, click here.
“No one knew what Mohammed looked like, so what is the big deal? Muslims should simply say to the cartoonists: ‘Arseholes, Mohammed never looked like that!’” - Chandra

Irshad replies: That’s about as eloquent a response as I’ve heard from anyone. Go, Chandra!

“I’m a girl who grew up in Denmark, but I’m originally from Bahrain. You say that the Muslim world should be more tolerant when it comes to freedom of speech. I agree. However, freedom of speech doesn’t mean that you have to use it to hurt, offend, or humiliate people. To represent the Prophet as a terrorist is like saying all the Muslims are terrorists. I know I’m not. You don’t see me making cartoons of Christianity in the shape of a Nazi symbol. It’s wrong! All I ask as a Muslim is to be respected. I do not consider myself a ‘religious’ person, but one thing I do know is that Islam means a lot to me.” - Fatima

Irshad replies: Islam means a lot to me, too — yet I also understand that nobody can humiliate me without my permission.

“I am from Quebec City and I think about you quite a lot these days with the caricatures of Muhammad and the violence it provokes. We should not provoke these people. I am very happy that Canada does not publish those caricatures. We do not need the Islamic reaction.” - Lise

Irshad gives an Islamic reaction: Listen up Lise, it wasn’t the Danish cartoons that provoked Muslims into rioting. After all, many of those cartoons ran on the front page of an Egyptian newspaper in October 2005 - and nobody went ballistic back then. The real provocation came from Danish imams and various Arab governments. They wanted to exploit the cartoons for their own political agendas. And therein lies the true desecration of the Prophet Muhammad. The more you fear the wrath of these opportunists, the more you play on their terms — and into their hands. Be a refusenik, Lise. Refuse to live in fear.

“I’ve seen two of the cartoons. The one with the bomb in the Prophet’s turban was disturbing at first. But when I looked at it again, I realized that for me what it was saying was that the terrorists will use even the PROPHET to attain their goals. If you see the picture of the Prophet as a metaphor for Islam, then it reflects the fact that there is and has been, for a while, a ticking time bomb in Islam - namely, the radical fundamentalists.” - Don

Irshad replies: Don, I want you to talk to the next woman…

“Irshad, when peoples have been war-stressed over many years, made hungry and poor, lost their homes, land, possessions, loved ones and neighbours, and they see a limited economic future for themselves, their children and their grandchildren, their individual and collective sanity is stretched to the breaking point. The rioters as a stressed and oppressed people are more vulnerable and have an even greater need for their God to be spared ridicule. No rabble rouser could stir their madness if it wasn’t on the surface, ready to happen.” - Susan

Irshad replies: You’re right that the Danish imams who spread these cartoons in the Middle East knew they were playing to an angry population. But we should ask: About what are the rioters angry? Let me assure you it’s not just Western injustices. It’s also local injustices such as poverty, illiteracy, and tyranny — problems that we Muslims have largely created for ourselves. My point is that in humanizing the rioters, let us not sanitize the source of their rage. Rather, we should heed the Quran’s words that ‘God changes not what is in a people until they change what is in themselves.’

“Ms. Munji, I saw your little part on MSNBC’s “Hardball” and I must admit I was shocked by a rather ignorant comment that you made. You said something along the lines of ‘those Muslims’, referring to all Muslims who live in non-western areas. As a Muslim who LIVES in a non-western area, is currently visiting a western country and is FROM a non-western area, I found it highly offensive.

You went on to say that ALL Muslims in America would never react the way ‘those’ Muslims did. Now, to me it seemed that you were doing an admirable job trying to procure security for all Muslims in America while, at the same time, feeding in the stereotype of the non-educated, barbaric people who live beyond the western world. Since you’re a refugee (fleeing from one’s own country automatically deems one a refugee), I can understand your indebtedness to the western world, but being a Muslim yourself (although, as you admit, a ’struggling’ one) I do not understand why you want to validate such a stereotype. Admittedly, there are many fundamentalists in the non-western world, and probably they are in the majority. But there are also MANY educated, non-fundamentalists. And as far as fundamentalists go, is America or Europe any different from the non-western world? In spite of the fact that they are a lot more educated? Definitely not. Educated they may be, but the common American man is just as ignorant as the common non-educated, say, Iraqi man.

I obviously am not asking for an apology or anything of the sort, since that makes no difference. I’m a Muslim woman who fights for our rights as well. Unfortunately, I do not find you worthy of admiring. I admire your cause. I do not admire your methods. Hence an apology from you is of no value. But I would like you to possibly consider what you say before you attack a whole army of people.” - Sara

Irshad replies: Wha? Huh? What do you mean “army of people”? [*Shock-followed-by-awe*] Don’t you see the neo-imperialist baggage you’ve brought to the discourse? You’ve just racialized our people and propped up the paradigm that Muslims are inherently violent. How could you be so insensitive? I won’t ask you to apologize, but I will ask you to read the Hardball transcript – in its entirety.

“Irshad, I am a Muslim woman and I’ve just read your article about the cartoons in Melbourne’s newspaper. I find it relieving and enlightening to know that there is a face of Islam other than hatred and violence. Your point of view helped me to change my limited perceptions of Islam. I do hope you continue to spread your views and help paint back the beauty of Islam to the world. I admire your courage to do the right thing.” - CS

“I heard your recent debate with As’ad AbuKhalil on “Democracy Now!” His confused rant of outrage against you, the cartoons, the West, FOX, Bill O’Reilly and Arab governments left me wondering at his intellectual honesty when dealing with the major issues that face Muslims today. Clearly this Muslim brother (or was he Mr. Have-Fun-Mocking-All-Religions-Atheist?) was not out to discuss with you about an important topic. He was just out to ‘get’ you with blatant personal attacks. Let me applaud you for standing up to that bully, keeping the debate on the issue at hand, and keeping up the good fight.” - Akbar

Irshad replies: It’s sometimes said that democracy is the transition from physical violence to verbal violence. “Democracy Now!” certainly lived up to that definition.

“Considering the number of people from all sides standing up and giving their opinions, and the values-based discussions that are happening within the Islamic world and various western communities, I feel the cartoons accomplished what they set out to do: stop the deadlock in conversation and get people talking again. Say something, anything, but don’t stop talking. So, hooray for the Danes!” - Mehdi

“I would like to see a Muslim posting the Mohammed cartoons on their website. Are you planning to do it?” - TB

Irshad replies: The Muslim Refusenik is happy to post a link to the cartoons. Click here to see all twelve of them on Wikipedia, and click here to see the caricatures that the radical Danish imams fabricated and attributed to Jyllands-Posten. Is anyone calling for a bounty on the heads of the imams for their depiction of the Prophet Muhammad as a demonic pedophile and a pig?

Finally, click here here to see the Muhammed cartoons as they appeared in the Egyptian newspaper, Al Fagr. This is the cartoon that Al-Fagr showcases most prominently:

Why am I showing the cartoon above? Quite simply, because I believe it makes an important point: in forcing a head-to-toe covering on women, allowing only a slit for their eyes, Muslim men who support strict Sharia law are more blind than the burqa-clad women. These men are blind to the possibilities of a humane Islam. They, not the Danish artists, mock the Prophet Muhammad’s message.