Instigation is as hateful as the violence itself

A third-rate film, Innocence of Muslims — a malicious, but deliberate attempt to denigrate the life of the Prophet of Islam, peace be upon him — has invoked the deep sentiments of Muslims all over the world. It is easier to castigate Muslims for their perceived proclivity for violence. However, the criminal negligence of western powers is also to be equally condemned for completely ignoring the well-funded ‘hate-mongering industry’ in the name of protecting the freedom of expression. The instigation is as abominable a crime as the violence itself. 

The release of this malevolent film at this juncture smacks of a deep conspiracy. US President Obama (so far) appears to be reluctant to provide a ‘green light’ to Israel to attack Iran. Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu has accused the present US administration of  jeopardising the security of the Jewish state. A heightened US-Muslim tension may brighten the prospects of Mitt Romney’s election as US President; and he, like Bush, seems to be open to invade Muslim lands at will. Or else, is the instigation of violence designed to present the process of democratisation in the Middle East as chaotic? The dictators were at the beck and call of the US and Israel — now democracy firming its roots the Middle East may imperil their hegemonic designs. The clashes beginning from Cairo and assuming more violent proportions in Libya and Tunis prompted US secretary of state Hillary Clinton to state that the “people of Egypt, Libya, Yemen, and Tunisia did not trade the tyranny of a dictator for the tyranny of a mob”.

The repeated attempts to mock the exalted status of Prophet Mohammad is having a definite purpose. Prophet Muhammad’s life is quintessentially central to the religion of Islam; remove the cornerstone, the whole edifice of the faith crumbles down to dust. However, the hatemonger miserably misses a point: Prophet Mohammad is not a small-time cult figure to be drowned in a torrent of hate propaganda. He is a historical personality; each and every aspect of his life can easily be discovered from the annals of history. People are free to disagree with the teachings of Islam, but to infer that the teachings of the Prophet do not relate fully with the universal principles of morality tantamounts to wilfully obscuring a reality of an unprecedented revolution that Prophet Mohammad was able to usher in during his lifetime. Some fourteen hundreds years ago, at the age of 40,he, as an ordained duty, started inviting towards Islam people who were within a radius of two kms of the then Mecca. At the age of 63, when he left the material world, almost the entire Arab peninsula consisting of 1,200,000 square miles had accepted his message. And that the revolution did not die with the death of the Prophet only conafirms his moral standing. Islam is the second major religion today and it continues to grow. In the words of Simon Ockley, the author of The History of the Saracen Empires (1718), “The greatest success of Mohammad’s life was effected by sheer moral force... It is not the propagation but the permanency of his religion that deserves our wonder”. And look how Mahatma Gandhi describes the Prophet: “I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet, the scrupulous regard for pledges... his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission.”

Ironically, the Jewish and Christian traditions regard Islam as a new faith. The followers of Islam believe Mohammad to be “the restorer of an uncorrupted original monotheistic faith of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and other prophets.” That’s the reason why despite the deepest provocations, a true Muslim will never even remotely belittle the glory of the great prophets Moses and Jesus. Muslims believe that a prophet was sent to every nation: “Now every community has had an apostle; and only after their apostle has appeared [and delivered his message] is judgment passed on them, in all equity”. (Quran 10:47) Therefore, many authentic Islamic scholars regard Lord Krishna as a prophet. Despite the profound similarities, why this clash of civilizations? The empires can be established only after decimating other nations; therefore they require a perpetual enemy to keep going. The Muslim civilisation, despite its present powerlessness, is presented as a threat to the present world order. Since a perceivable threat of an enemy is prerequisite for the survival of the superpower, hence the bogey of clash of civilisations. As a matter of fact, the clash of civilisations gained currency immediately after the end of cold war and much before 9/11.