"Even my most left-wing friends have very suddenly become deeply anti-Muslim"

"Well, this is Mohammed Khalid, the member of parliament and representative of the Northern District 6, sans slippers, burning the Danish flag to show his disapproval of the refusal of the Danish government to impose restrictions and penal actions on an independent newspaper which had the temerity to publish derogatory cartoons depicting our prophet Mohammed," writes a skeptical Mahmood. (Al -Wasat photo)

"Here in the UK, even my most liberal and left-wing friends have very suddenly become deeply anti-Muslim and are saying that Muslims clearly cannot live in Europe," writes Anonymous in Mahmood's comments:

These people didn't say that sort of thing even after the London bombings, but they are saying it now. People are furious with these attacks on our freedoms, with our stupid grovelling politicians and newspaper editors, and with the Muslims who marched through London waving banners with slogans such as "Behead Those Who Insult Islam."

I've honestly never seen so many of my countrymen this angry before. It seems to be the end of tolerance for Muslims. I hope that the protests die down and things improve otherwise the future of Muslims in Europe must surely be in question.

Mahmood is not amused:

Isn't there a law in Bahrain that criminalises burning of flags? Especially flags of those countries which we do have good relations with?

Is he setting a good example to those around him? Fast forward 15 - 20 years; any idea how those kids standing around him and shouting their lungs out will actually turn out? Tolerant? Will they engage their brains before letting emotions run astray and resort to violence to settle disputes?

We're looking to sober heads like Mahmood himself to get us through this thing, and he doesn't disappoint:

These protests demanding violence, to me, are a complete moral bankruptcy of those taking part in those protests AND of their particular understanding of Islam.

I keep saying, so what if a dimwitted cartoonist, or Nazi or racist or a stupid person drew a cartoon or swore at our religious symbols or misrepresented them? Is that going to reduce our symbols' place in our and hundreds of millions of Muslims' hearts? Is that going to change their greatness? Of course not. So why was this situation blown up out of all rational repercussions?

I think this situation was used to divert the Muslim nations' attention from the real problems festering in their midst.

What DOES offend me greatly however is the once again hijacking of my religion, this time universally by all sects, to show the world that it is ugly, intolerant, and violent.

Were it not for earnest and true good folk like Mahmood, our own beloved and long lost Ranti and other wonderful Muslim bloggers like Omar and Mohammed of Iraq the Model, we wouldn't have a clue nor a ray of hope.

Update:  InstaLanche:  Backlash?

Comments

[Lubos Motl]

Well, moods can change quickly. If you have sensitive Muslim friends, please don't tell them how to search images on Google. They could find not only Muhammed (PBUH) but even an image uf Allah Himself - in fact, in Pakistan:

http://images.google.com/images?q=uf-allah

[j.pickens]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the central device on the Danish flag a cross? And isn't that cross a direct reference to the cross of Christianity? How, exactly is this group of Muslims respecting the religions of others?

[btenney]

If fundamental Islam cannot coexist with the west, It must either be isolated or eliminated.

[Milites Christi]

Islamofacists, beware! You will bring about the 10th Crusade!

milites Christi

[goomp]

btenney says it all. It is strange how those who make up the liberals of the secular west could blame thier Christian brothers for the attacks of the Muslim jihad but changed position when they saw the attacks as being against secular values.

[Mahmood Al-Yousif]

Thank you very much for the mention Sissy. I do hope (but am not holding my breath just yet) that sanity will return to our streets soon...

[al]

shame to gos dep of USA for not supporting Danmark.They not speak for me. we must support Danish like they always supported us. please post your letters of support to brave Danish peaople !

[Sissy Willis]

Always, al.

[al]

by the way if you are so against depicting of what about this Mohammed Image archive?http://www.zombietime.com/mohammed_image_archive/

[Sissy Willis]

Hey, al, calm down and try to grasp what I am saying. I've already posted one of the cartoons -- the best, in my view -- most of them were third rate both conceptually and artistically: http://sisu.typepad.com/sisu/2006/02/st_francis_rece.html

[rim]

Why nobody apologized for these cartoons?
Go to the website following link below:
http://www.pmw.org.il/
Double standard?

[me]

A Letter to Mankind
Dear fellow human,

Today humanity is being challenged. Unthinkable atrocities take place on daily basis. There is an evil force at work that aims to destroy us. The agents of this evil respect nothing; not even the lives of children. Every day there are bombings, every day innocent people are targeted and murdered. It seems as if we are helpless. But we are not!

The ancient Chinese sage Sun Zi said, "Know your enemy and you won't be defeated". Do we know our enemy? If we don't, then we are doomed.

Terrorism is not an ideology, it is a tool; but the terrorists kill for an ideology. They call that ideology Islam.

The entire world, both Muslims and non-Muslims claim that the terrorists have hijacked "the religion of peace" and Islam does not condone violence.

Who is right? Do the terrorists understand Islam better, or do those who decry them? The answer to this question is the key to our victory, and failure to find that key will result in our loss and death will be upon us. The key is in the Quran and the history of Islam.

Those of us, who know Islam, know that the understanding of the terrorists of Islam is correct. They are doing nothing that their prophet did not do and did not encourage his followers to do. Murder, rape, assassination, beheading, massacre and sacrilege of the dead "to delight the hearts of the believers" were all practiced by Muhammad, were taught by him and were observed by Muslims throughout their history.

If truth has ever mattered, it matters most now! This is the time that we have to call a spade a spade. This is the time that we have to find the root of the problem and eradicate it. The root of Islamic terrorism is Islam. The proof of that is the Quran.

We are a group of ex-Muslims who have seen the face of the evil and have risen to warn the world. No matter how painful the truth may be, only truth can set us free. Why this much denial? Why so much obstinacy? How many more innocent lives should be lost before YOU open your eyes? A nuclear disaster is upon us. This will happen. It is not a question of "if" but "when". Oblivious of that, the world is digging its head deeper in the sand.

We urge the Muslims to leave Islam. Stop with excuses, justifications and rationalizations. Stop dividing mankind into "us" vs. "them" and Muslims vs. Kafirs. We are One people, One mankind! Muhammad was not a messenger of God. It is time that we end this insanity and face the truth. The terrorists take their moral support and the validation for their actions from you. Your very adherence to their cult of death is a nod of approval for their crimes against humanity.

We also urge the non-Muslims to stop being politically correct lest they hurt the sensitivities of the Muslims. To Hell with their sensitivities! Let us save their lives, and the lives of millions of innocent people.

Millions, if not billions of lives will be lost if we do nothing. Time is running out! "All it takes for evil to triumph is for good people to do nothing." Do something! Send this message to everyone in your address book and ask them to do the same. Defeat Islam and stop terrorism. This is your world, save it.

The ex-Muslim Movement

www.faithfreedom.org

[Scott]

"I think this situation was used to divert the Muslim nations' attention from the real problems festering in their midst."

...and the spotlight finally falls on the white elephant in our midst; it is a political trick as old as time and so obvious as to seem invisible to those conditioned to look only for deep, cleverly hidden meanings - harness the energy of suffering people by telling them who to be angry at, and helping them take out their aggression on that target.

When a person is desperate enough, their focus tends to narrow down to "I don't care what you do, just. do. SOMETHING."; at such times even the most ludicrously misdirected action seems a better alternative than no action at all, and it will be embraced wholeheartedly, inherent self-contradictions and all.

The beauty of this political judo maneuver is that the anger you (as the local government) are harnessing *is also the anger you caused*, which is an efficiency rivalling cold fusion and works out to be a twofer for you; your repressed masses stay repressed, while your enemies serve as the release valve anytime they need to vent off their frustration.