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The Proper Islamic Response to Danish Cartoons

Syed M. Afsar - 2/26/2006

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA. Protests, boycotts, street marches and shouting empty slogans would be of little help to confront the row that erupted after the publication of the defamatory cartoons, said a leading Dawah activist. According to him, the 'right response' should rather be to educate the Danes about Islam and Prophet Muhammad, whom they have insulted in their ignorance.

"Let's ponder about the right way to respond to this campaign," said Essam Ahmed Mudeer, a leading Dawah worker and a columnist with the Al-Bilad newspaper. "The Evangelists and people backed by the Zionists in Denmark want to provoke the Muslim community inviting them to take the wrong step which will provide the enemies of Islam an opportunity to crackdown on Muslims in the name of curbing extremism," Mudeer said.

The wrath of Muslim Ummah fell upon the Danes in the form of boycott of Danish products and street protests which triggered in various parts of the Mideast and worldwide.

"This (the publication of cartoons) was a calculated move to incite anger within the Muslim community and unfortunately, our response has been quite typical and predictable, as always," he said.

Mudeer believes that there were at least two motives behind the publication of these provocative cartoons.

Firstly, the perpetrators wanted to generate a wrong response that would make their task of attacking Muslims as fundamentalists easier and provide the government the excuse to bring strict anti-terror laws into being. Just like what happened in Holland after the killing of the Dutch filmmaker in November 2004 for insulting the Islamic faith in his controversial film 'Submission'. "In Holland, anti-terror laws were mulled within days of the filmmaker's murder," Mudeer said.

Secondly, some Danish agencies have acknowledged the fact that Islam is the fastest-growing religion faith in Denmark as well as other parts of Europe. "A newspaper in August 2005 published a report which stated that at least one Dane embraces Islam everyday," said Mudeer, "And this is yet another reason for provoking Muslims, inviting them to do something wrong so that the propaganda organs of the Danish Evangelical and Zionist outfits can generate a hue and cry against Islam and Muslims."

"They did those cartoons to scare the Danes away from Islam and tarnish the image of this faith." Mudeer said.

"Let us find a way to avoid conflict of civilizations and search for an opportunity in this uproar to extend the Islamic Dawah to the Danes," he said, "Let's take the message of Islam to their country."

"Not all Danes hate Islam, those who profess hatred against Islam and Muslims are a minority. The hatred-mongers in Denmark derogate Jesus Christ and Mary more than they insult Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), " Mudeer said.


They need help

"The right response from our side would be to turn the tables on the hatred-mongers," Mudeer said. He said that the Muslims should do away their conventional "typical, stupid method of responding" to such controversies.

"We should confront the attacks on Islam, the way the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) did," Mudeer said, adding that the Muslims should take the message of the Holy Qur'an to the drawing rooms of the Danes. "Don't beg for respect, Islam is a faith which commands respect," he said.

"The Muslims should educate the Danes on Islam and the prophet. They should also teach them to respect Jesus Christ and his mother Mary, since the churches of all denominations in that country have failed to do so," Mudeer said and added, "They need our help."


Right response

Mudeer, who is a columnist with Al-Bilad newspaper and an active Dawah
worker based in Jeddah, is the son-in-law of the Muslim scholar, the
late Sheikh Ahmed Deedat of South Africa. He formed a publishing house
named Al-Bayenah in September 2005, which aims to print and distribute
Islamic books.

Al-Bayenah will ship at least 50,000 copies of a booklet titled
Al-Qur'an, The Ultimate Miracle by Sheikh Ahmed Deedat to Denmark within two
weeks.

"Our allies in Denmark will publish advertisements in Danish newspapers
inviting Danes to collect a free copy of Al-Qur'an, The Ultimate
Miracle, in Danish," He said. "Two other booklets, Christ In Islam and
Muhammad The Greatest, will also be shipped soon,".

In order to launch the right response, Mudeer says that all Muslims
should contribute to the cause of educating non-Muslims about Islam.

"We have launched a campaign to invite Muslims to sponsor at least one
copy of the books shipped to Denmark," he said.

"The contribution for one 70-page booklet is a just five riyals.
Anybody can take part in this noble cause. Let us tell the Danes why we
deeply love the Prophet (peace be upon him." Mudeer added.

"Unless they learn about the life of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon
him), they will not know why Muslims react bitterly if their beloved
Prophet is insulted," he said.