Fez - The prophet of Islam, Mohammed (Peace Be Upon Him), is a sanctified figure in the eyes of Muslims. He is revered because of the revolutionary changes he made to eliminate horrendous practices such as infanticide, slavery, and human trafficking. Such barbarities were engendered in the pre-Islamic era, when women were treated like possessions. The divine revelation he received advocates peace and compassion in a society that was fraught with hate and rancor.
He faced implacable resistance from some people, and underwent severe crises, but he never gave up or resorted to violence, even though Arab tribes committed massacres and retaliations, raiding each other for material gain. Early Muslims were decapitated and subjected to abject and excruciating torture. The Prophet was dubbed “Al Amine,” the trustworthy, and God chose him to shoulder the responsibility of preaching Islam using convincing evidence to attract his followers and pacify his opponents. His peaceful attitude toward conflicts and his enemies astounded his rivals and earned him much respect.
The recent terrorist attacks in Paris that left seventeen dead were a blatant breach of freedom of speech, regardless of the double standards adopted concerning the issue. The cartoonists had the wrong idea about the Prophet, similar to conceptions that prevailed during the Prophet’s own life. While the Prophet worked shrewdly to discredit those ideas by alleviating much of the peoples’ misfortunes and improving his nation, many modern Muslims have failed to do the same.
Some radicals even misappropriate Islam and use it to justify reactionary violence, destroying the religion’s reputation. Muslims are required to follow the path of the prophet to change misconceptions about Islam, employing communication to clarify ambiguity and dispel equivocations. Violence contravenes Islamic values and the impetuous terrorists are naught but worthless fools. Their deplorable acts only instigate others to take revenge and ruin the lives of millions of Muslims throughout the world.
Back to the recent Paris attacks: certainly, I am not Charlie, since my morals and conscience do not allow me to approve of the defamation of the Prophet. However, I do condemn the attacks, as killing people is not excusable under any circumstances whatsoever.
Islam is being targeted, and its opponents look for loopholes that they can use to strengthen stereotypes about the religion and taint its image. Indeed, terrorism is damaging our unity and integrity. No matter how hard Muslims try to improve their status through sermons and speeches, the world will turn a deaf ear, because actions speak louder than words.
First, we should be steadfast in condemning terrorism, and teach our children that violence is not part of Islam, and diversity is God’s will on earth. These principles should be ingrained from early childhood, so that children do not fall prey to the extremists.
Second, Muslims should display their noble intentions and refined souls. They have to work on positive social values and develop their nation in all domains, portraying a good image that can extend to international outreach. Real Islam is to show tolerance and work hard to advance the nation socially, economically, and politically, starting from the basics. If we boost our economy and adopt democracy, in addition to sharpening our values to create equality between people and guarantee rights for the poor and the destitute, we will not be obligated to defend ourselves from detractors. Our reputation will precede us.
I am sure that instead of cursing and blaming the West for disparaging Islam, we have to work hard to brighten its image by showing talents, tolerance, and co-existence. Those who espouse violence help anti-Islamic sentiments and contribute to stereotypes, and they do not represent us.
Photo by Jack Stanovsek/MWN
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Morocco World News’ editorial policy
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