The Oberlin Review
<< Front page Commentary March 10, 2006

Religion Op-Ed

“Can’t Muslims take a joke?” asks one newspaper as violent scenes are captured, of what appear to be Muslims, demonstrating against the Danish Muhammad caricatures. Every newspaper and magazine across America is churning out the same lines: “furious Muslims,” “outraged Muslims,” “angry Muslims.” This is creating a cumulative and unconscious impact. Eventually when the same words are repeated often enough, the masses begin to conceptualize a picture of a Muslim as a violent being. 

But the truth of the matter is that historically Muslims have always turned a blind eye and deaf ear to the hundreds of anti-Muhammad cartoons that appear annually in European and American publications — caricatures far worse than those of the Danish Jylland Posten. In fact, the only break in this tradition of Muslim silence occurred in the late 1980s over the Satanic Verses. And this was at the behest of the CIA’s number two man, the Ayatollah Khomeini, previously stashed away in France. When he issued a fatwa, he went on to make the obscure Rushdie famous. Politically naïve Muslims turned out for peaceful protests. But the fatwa was clearly in violation of Muhammad’s practice. Muhammad would have forgiven and he encouraged his followers to forgive because this is what God commands in His Qur’an: 

“It is part of the Mercy of God that you should deal gently with them. Were you to be severe or harsh hearted with them, they would have broken away from you: So pass over their faults and ask for God’s forgiveness for them.” (3:159). 

When the Satanic Verses became public, thousands of British Muslims were given free transportation to stage a demonstration in London. At the time, nobody questioned where the financing was coming from. As I recall at the time, Muslim youths shared eyewitness accounts of how a gang of hooligans bolted out of a van carrying an effigy of Rushdie and subsequently set it ablaze. Simultaneously, coming out of another vehicle was a camera crew to film the act. “It was orchestrated,” said the on looking Muslim youth, “It was done to make us look bad. There were miles of demonstrators and the cameras could have been anywhere. They were at that specific spot because this was planned.” 

There is an uncomfortable parallel with what we are witnessing today to what was happening to the Jewish community in Germany leading up to the Holocaust. There is a loathing disgust that is being engineered towards an entire group. These negative attitudes are being deliberately created just as they were for the Native American, the African slave, the Communists, the Jews and the Japanese. The Billionaire Club is fabricating a new enemy: the Muslims. Strangely when riots erupt in places like Los Angeles and New Orleans, the people committing crimes of arson, pillaging and violent assault are not labeled angry Christians. When the IRA detonates bombs in England, it is not referred to as outraged Christians. When Timothy McVey allegedly carried out the Oklahoma Bombing, he was not called an extremist Christian. 

The propaganda machines, acting as gatekeepers, appear to be restricting positive news about Muslims and seem loath to report that most of the 1.4 billion Muslims adhere to the teaching of God via His messenger, Muhammad, who said; “Anger is the effect of Satan” and “Do not become angry and furious.” Therefore, Muslims view anger as a sin. In addition God is very clear in His Qur’an on how to deal with those who offend: 

“O you who believe! Stand out firmly for God, as witnesses to fair dealing, and let not the hatred of others to you make you swerve to wrong and depart from justice. Be just that is next to piety.” (5:8) Moreover, “Hold to forgiveness: Command what is right: But turn away from the ignorant.” (7:199) 

Muslims who follow God’s commands will then do as this verse directs, “turn away,” which in effect is to ignore. Was this advice followed by Muslims? By the majority? Yes. Most of the 1.4 billion Muslims worldwide peacefully ignored the offense while considering the source. But the mass media ignored their peacefulness. So why does corporate-led media bombard us with scenes of Muslims acting like violent barbarians? Especially since God instructs Muslims, “The recompense for an injury is an injury equal thereto (in degree); but if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is with God; for God loves not those who do wrong.” (42:40) 

The answer to this has been provided by Condoleezza Rice who stated, “It is well known that Iran and Syria bring protestors into the streets when they wish to make a point.” Muslims are being led naively by the nose to protest peacefully and when they do, state-led outside agitators are besieging peaceful demonstrations. The press and other media are portraying the State-led outside agitators who repudiate freedom and Islamic democracy to be Muslims. This is not true — the outside agitators are not Muslims and they do not practice Islam. Syria is a good example where imams and good men unsuccessfully attempted to restrain the violent outside agitators whose numbers were too great.  These agitators were following orders from the anti-Islamic Assad who inherited his dictatorship from his father who in turn got it from the CIA.  Did the media print headlines such as “Peaceful Muslims Fall Victim to Outside Agitators”? No. To think that the violence is coming from Muslims is the intent of this deception, plain and clear. 

Islam requires representative government of Muslims; however, all Muslim countries are ruled instead by anti-Islamic dictators, kings and other despots put there by either the British MI6 or the CIA. Most Muslim people live under oppression. There is no freedom in these countries because the tyrants are maintained by the CIA. 

This false image of Muslims portrayed as aggressive, violent barbarians is a tale that the national media not only bought but sold on behalf of their corporate masters so that the American voter will allow the continued slaughter and subjugation of a variety of peoples who live on top of vast reserves of Middle East black gold — oil.
 
 

   

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