The Fitna?

Perhaps we are an emotional nation to begin with. Our spirit of Islam is filled with true passion and sacrifice. Perhaps that is why when 9/11 happened, we were ready to go to Jihad for the Mujahideens, when we remember how our own women and children were asked to retrace their footsteps right after partition, at the Afghan border.

Perhaps that is why, at the death of Benazir Bhutto, we saw mass riots, looting, bloodshed, and all was let loose out of Pandora's box. Perhaps that is why, when we want to be good Muslims, we like shedding blood more than we like going to the mosque five times a day, or being good to our wives, or refusing to take and give bribes, or beat our children, or establish tolerance or become better citizens of our nation.

But then again. That's just my point of view.

Regarding the boycotting of all the Danish products, I have a different perspective than the mob behavior that is now being observed in most Muslims. I don't think by not buying Danish butter cookies, Geert Wilders is going to learn anything else apart from reinstating his point of Muslims being emotional old fools who respond angrily in terms of violent defense, instead of some form of dignified dialog and confident arguments on respecting the views and ideas of a nation and abusing the freedom of expression. The real fitna, therefore, is not how the international community misjudges us. The real fitna here is to understand how we, as Muslims, have forgotten what it was like to be a civilized, creative and politically shrewd nation. What we have suddenly turned into, is a big body of angry, furious, flailing hands and feet, with no head. And everytime someone dares to hit a nerve, or cut one of our body parts, another sprouts out, only flailing about here and there again.

It is not new to the Muslims to be misunderstood, ostracized and be brought under the threat of a political propaganda. It happened to the Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho Alayhi Wassall'am during his own time period, he had to face many situations which created opportunities for anti-Muslim sectors to make the most out of a mucky situation. The Qur'an is rife with instances where the opposing groups have tried their best to misconstrue statements about Islam, character of the wives of the Holy Prophet Sallalaho Alayhi Wassall'am, where there has been enough controversy to go around for tribes all over the Arabian peninsula. Yet in all these situations, the solution was not to go to the nearest bread shop and burn the man down. Nowhere did this random, angry, unplanned action come forth from him, where he knew that the dignity of his Ummah would suffer.

What have we, as Muslims, found to be our ultimate MO, our ultimate ammo (no reiteration intended)? A war cry. Everything has to start from there otherwise, we're just not Muslim enough for our so-called religious guardians. How many churches did we burn so that Pope John Paul II apologized? The entire international Muslim forum rose to demand an apology - and it came. But what did we do after the caricature of the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasalam was made? Go out on streets? Destroy our own markets, destabilize our own economy, burn our own assets, boycotted Telenor and Nestle, who by the way were companies owned by Muslim shareholders in Pakistan, so there again, we lose the point of boycott ...

... ?

And there he is at it again.

Is this how we want to prove we love our religion? By being insane?

It is my plea and my request to the international Muslim community to stop thinking in this highly immature manner. Most of you may find my opinion less-Muslim-than-necessary or far-too-rational (both seem to go hand-in-hand when it comes to categorizing Muslims such as myself), but I must ask every Muslim if this is what Prophet Muhammad Sallallaho alayhi wassalam would have wanted? Would he not have preferred a dialog? A political and socially peaceful attempt to explain the boundaries of respect to those who have forgotten it? Because if this had not been his sunnah ... than he would have agreed to Hazrat Jibrael AS to crush Tai'f into smithereens when he was sent out of the city, after being pelted with stones to the extent that his shoes were filled with his own blood.

Headless lemmings is what we are becoming. We are giving Geert Wilders yet another opportunity to call us idiotic and irrational. And I for one, oppose all boycotting of products. I propose a rational, cohesive and informed action from the media community, from the members of the Muslim community all over the world, especially leaders and figures in power or in some position of influence and authority. I encourage editors, talk-show hosts, media moguls, writers, bloggers, assembly speakers, teachers, corporate executives, (even drug-lords, if need be!) to unite to put together a united and Islamic front. We do not want people to die and suffer just to make a point (after all, does that make us any different from Bush Jr.?) or to show just how angry we are. It is not anger that must drive us, it should be our inherent sense of being Muslim, to show to the world as an example of what kind of nation we are. Our actions will say a lot about who we are as a community and as peoples under a united system of life and experience.

Muslims of the world, unite. You are the followers of peace, harmony and tolerance. Don't let a couple of buzzing insects come in the way of your self-identity.