A short while ago, I posted an opinion on the cartoon fiasco going on in Europe. I criticized the way Muslim extremists are reacting to the cartoons. I also wondered aloud about the true motivations of the paper that printed them to begin with. I immediately received a comment from an ultra right-wing Bush supporter that basically said, "Yeah, let's post these cartoons everywhere, just to show 'em!"
Perhaps I did not express myself well, because this individual completely missed my point. On that vein, I wanted to share an article I read today that really hits the nail on the head regarding the cartoon flap, and delves into some of the real issues going on beneath the surface. Clash of civilizations? Hardly. Manar’s Column: “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It…”
http://www.digitallyarranged.com/wordpress/?p=74
If you just started tuning into the Danish cartoon conflict, you might think you just entered a mind-boggling episode of the Twilight Zone. The latest BBC headline is “Four Killed in Cartoon Protests.” Words I never thought I would read on a headline, but the world is full of possibilities it seems. Yet, there must be a rational explanation for an otherwise crazy world, right? Could the reaction to some offensive cartoons be torching embassies and dying in protests? Perhaps so, but it seems that the controversy has apparently become a larger case of freedom of speech versus religious dogma (specifically Islamic dogma).
However, the issue is even deeper than a clash of cultural values. In reality, if every Muslim were to protest every so-called “blasphemous” expression around the world, they would be out of jobs and popping a vein or two. When it comes to blasphemy, the sheikhs, ayatollahs, mullahs, and the “religiously endowed” (even the Pope) can sit all day long and ponder over their next action-packed fatwa (religious decree) for the not-so fortunate to carry out, but where has all the sudden outpour of popular “activism” behind boycotts and protests – chaotic as they may be – come from? There are certainly bigger issues in the Middle East which have gone un-protested to say the least. After all, everything that comes out of the Middle East nowadays has come to be known as “Mideast Turmoil” (at least to Fox News loves to report it as such), and surely for a reason (though the News fails to report that part).
In actuality, the magnitude of anger felt by many Arabs and Muslims reflects more than simply hurt feelings or hatred of freedom - rather accumulated resentment and humiliation both at home and abroad (especially in Europe) fueled by a history of colonialism, oppressive regimes, inflicted wars (such as the latest in Iraq), as well as xenophobic measures like banning the veil in France (It’s funny how those freedoms conveniently disappear in Europe).
Needless to say, hypocrisy over freedoms and racism oozes from both sides of the controversy. However, I’m not here to talk about that. If one were to rationalize riots, s/he would not, for example, accredit the LA riots to Rodney King having a remarkably huge fan base, but rather as the byproducts of police brutality and racial strife in the LAPD. Similarly, the first Intifada in 1987 was not merely about a 17-year old getting killed by an Israeli soldier for throwing a drink at the army patrol, and the second Intifada (2000) was also not just about Sharon stepping foot into one of the holiest sites in Islam. Certainly, decades of brutal occupation and unsuccessful peace accords were more of the issue to the Palestinians, and as such the core of their outbursts.
A small incident triggering a relatively big reaction is not a new phenomenon. However, in all cases there are larger issues. This cartoon frenzy should be resolved by addressing the real problems. Unfortunately, some muftis will always sit comfortably in their air-conditioned offices sermonizing their counterproductive fatwas about blasphemy and intolerance as if the Middle East’s problem is a random nobody disrespecting Prophet Muhammad. On the other hand, many would like the whole issue to be about a little cartoon. Why of course, it makes people look crazy when they’re burning buildings down over drawings, but alas they think they’re defending the Prophet’s image or carrying out one fatwa or another. The fact is that embassies are on fire and people are sadly dead, but there’s also a good 98 percent of Muslims sitting at home either simply disapproving of the cartoons, not caring at all, or by now pondering over the whole entire situation as to how far it has gone.
Further, the solution is not about taking away or limiting freedom of speech in Europe, but rather dealing with the ongoing racism and xenophobia against North Africans and Muslims that many European countries choose to ignore. This is what fuels extremists to successfully elicit support from the disillusioned that see a growing dichotomy between Muslims and the rest of the world. So do we reaffirm the dichotomy or resolve it? Moreover, is it really all that surprising if violence erupts among populations that are often treated as second-class citizens abroad, demoralized by their own countries, and most of all dehumanized worldwide? Then again it is simpler for people to look at these incidents as a mere “clash of civilizations” (Samuel Huntington would be ecstatic I’m sure), rather than God-forbid complicated issues that are entrenched in history, social behavior, or any sort of deeper conflict.
