Of Cartoons and Looney Toons

Let me add my voice to the chorus of disgusted Syrian bloggers at the recent inexcusable behavior of our compatriots.

I don't, for second, believe that the riots in Damascus were spontaneous. You all know that nothing of the sort is allowed to happen in Syria without the complicity of the security services. I guess it is Bashar's way of letting off some steam at someone else's expense-its an old, time-honored Baathist trick.

Be that as it may, I am still appalled by the behavior of many of my co-religionists in their response to this affair. Yes, the cartoons of the Prophet were disrespectful, offensive and hateful. And yes, there is a double standard in the West. An equally offensive cartoon directed against Jews or other ethnic or religious minorities would have elicited howls of protest. However, it is just a CARTOON by a bigoted cartoonist published in a newspaper, in tiny Denmark, that is incapable of distinguishing between free speech and hateful speech. These cartoons will not affect the life of Muslims in Damascus, Tehran or Kabul. Muslim in these cities have other more pressing social, political and economic problems that they need to deal with; homegrown problems. No one will lose life or limb or property because of what the cartoons depict. This is a local Danish problem; it is the Muslims in Denmark who need to fight, with the power of the pen, to dispel the stereotypes and show the newspaper the error of it ways. These cartoons do not deserve this worldwide attention and misdirected outrage. They certainly do not deserve the violence we have seen in the last several days.

These events belie a continuing and alarming downward spiral of worsening East-West polarization fed a by a steady diet of propaganda from the two extremes (the Looney Toon fringe). I will address the Looney Toon fringe of the West some other time; my venom tonight, in the light of the recent events, is reserved for our own fanatics:

These are the people who exploit the masses by casting all Muslims as victims... Who can make grandiose plans for wreaking havoc and destruction all over the world but have not a single constructive plan to improve the lives of other Muslims... Who have no qualms about killing other Muslims if they get in their way... Who declare you a Kafir when it suits them... Who want to impose their view of Islam on everyone... and turn all Muslims into identical, unthinking, automatons...Who want to take us back a thousand years yet forget that Muslims were successful then because they were tolerant and enlightened...Who desecrate with their actions and words everything that is noble and pure about Islam.

These are the people who make me angry and make me ashamed.

(Photo by AK: Arenal volcano, Costa Rica)