Muslim hysteria over film must come to an end
LAST week, I watched my fellow SA Muslims join the global hysteria against the Innocence ofMuslims video, which insults the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
As the events of September have shown, some are even willing to die or kill over this video, although I doubt that victims, including the US ambassador to Libya or the eight South Africans killed in Afghanistan on September 18, had even heard of the video before they died.
In solidarity with this global trend, thousands of SA Muslims picketed on Friday outside the US consulate in Sandton and handed over a memorandum.
Their rage and hatred toward the US and the “West” was obvious from the television footage.
Watching the event left me feeling disappointed and deeply frustrated.
I am a committed Muslim and believe just as strongly as any of those protesters that the film is offensive and worthy of contempt.
But I don’t for a minute blame an entire country, or, indeed, an entire side of the planet, for one person’s offensive video production. How can someone hold a country accountable for the actions of one or two of its citizens? If we apply that logic, Nelson Mandela would have to be punished for the deeds of Verwoerd.
It appears that the SA Muslim community has its priorities mixed up. Why is it that we only see Muslims protesting in our streets when there is some offensive cartoon or film made about the Prophet (peace be upon him)?
Where are these same people on other matters of public concern to SA, and to Islam?
Why is there no protest from them about the devastation that liquor companies are wreaking on South Africans with their aggressive marketing and supply of alcohol to poor communities?
Where are SA’s Muslims on issues of morality, such as the deplorable sexual behaviour of our president?
Even Pagad is struggling to get more than a couple of hundred people to join its campaigns against gangs and drugs.
Instead, our Muslim community is distracted by sideshows, missing the issues that really affect our lives and communities.
The same principle applies to global politics.
South Africans follow the international Muslim community in protesting at the Israeli occupation of Palestine, and everything US and “Western” in general.
Yet they are silent on Muslims killing Muslims over Sunni-Shia differences in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.
They have nothing to say about the Afghan opium industry, which is supplying most of the world’s heroin. They have nothing to say about the crises of governance and human rights in Somalia and Sudan.
SA and international reactions to the InnocenceofMuslims film have done more damage to the image of Islam than any cartoons or videos ever will.
It is time for all sensible Muslims to make their voices heard and say: “Enough is enough.” We will not let hysteria overtake our religion.
We will not let zealots and rabble-rousers destroy the Prophet’s (peace be upon him) legacy for humankind.
If we do not speak up, we will allow these unfortunate events to define us and our religion, for the worse.
Cape Town