My Swedish Colleague Believes I Will Burn Him Alive!

Jeehan the Terrorist!

Let me begin from the start, as in when the issue of the Danish cartoons depicting the prophet (peace be upon him) suddenly jumped to the first page of all newspapers! David, my Swedish colleague (yes the one who gave me The Family Guy DVDs to watch), started discussing “the issue” with me last week. David, an Atheist, wanted to discuss freedom of speech and religious icons. To him, freedom of expression means freedom to say anything, regardless if you hurt or upset anyone and even if you ridicule religious beliefs and symbols . Freedom, of course to him, translates into no limits.
On the other side, I believe in freedom of speech but under one condition: stay respectful of other feelings, especially the religious ones. I also believe that if you endorse freedom of expression, you should endorse it against ALL topics.

For a couple of days, David would start the day by asking me about my opinion on the latest escalated response of the Muslim world.

I was vocal with not few people, including David, on what I think about what’s happening.

I love the prophet (peace be upon him) and I condemn the cartoons and many others things, and that’s why I am boycotting both the Danish and the Norwegian products and plan to boycott many other European products if needed. I also condemn the burning of the flags, the death threats and the burning of buildings. Violence never helped a cause; it just turns the criminals into victims.

In one of our discussions, David claimed that the Swedes will never get involved in this escalating issue as they are a very peaceful and easy-going nation. Yesterday, I learnt that some Swedish publication has not published the offending cartoons but started their own competition to get new cartoons in! I sent the link to David and another discussion started. As I thought that conversation was light-hearted, I started to joke with David, so I warned him that I will burn him now that the Swedes are in the mess. We continued for few more minutes and then the chat ended.

I believe now that working with someone for eight months does not mean that this person would know when you joke or not. Especially if they come from a different culture and have predetermined views about your own culture and beliefs. You see poor David thought that the threat was for real! He told another colleague that I am getting obsessed about these cartoons and the extremist in me has come to surface as I threatened to burn him alive for the fault of a publication which happened to have the same nationality as his.
(Hmmm...Anyone has a lighter??)

The funny part in all of this is that while I am being called the obsessed with these cartoons, I am the one who got an email today from David about a European article commenting about the cartoons and the Muslim world. Is it an obsession that you actually read the newspapers and that’s the main piece of news in them? Or maybe because I am a practicing Muslim that I am immediately labeled as an obsessed and naturally a terrorist!

The culture and civilization clash will always continue. Most Westerners (notice I didn’t say the Christians!) will always think that the Muslims (again notice I said Muslims as Islam is a way of living not just a religion!) especially those devout, to be ignorant, violent (look at the burning of flags!), stern, rigid, and oppressed. Most Muslims, on the other hand, will always think of the Westerners to be ignorant, violent (look at the American wars!), self-centered, obnoxious, immoral, and closet-bigot.

Then not all are that way of course. I have many good friends from the West. The relationships work because we are free to tell each other anything and everything but then we RESPECT each other opinions and do not intentionally or non-intentionally, using the freedom of expression that we have together, hurt each other’s feelings.

In my (humble) opinion, it seems that the Westerners who are "standing up" for freedom of expression, can not fathom that for Muslims, the Prophet is the man who received divine words directly from God. We do not see him as they see “their” prophets as some historical figures who do not fit with the new advanced world. We Muslims live our religion. They do not, and have lost their faith over the centuries. The Westerners think they can do the same to other religions and they don’t understand why they are not allowed to make fun of the prophet (peace be upon him).


So World, If You Find David’s Body Burnt Till No Flesh Is Left, Don’t Blame Me Except If You Have A Video Of Me In The Act. Beware I Watch LOTS Of CSI’s! (That’s Crime Scene Investigation for those who don’t know!!)


Lesson to learn: Joke with people who have your sense of humor! Otherwise it’s just wasted!


Is There Really Freedom Of Expression??

You know what bugs me most about this Danish Cartoons issue. It’s not the topic of the cartoons. Yes of course I am upset about the derogatory drawings. And yes I am upset because I think the reaction in other European countries was simply to enrage the Muslim masses, like bullfighters goading a bull.
But what upsets me the most is the double-standards these European countries live. They are for freedom of speech and expression when the issue is about Islam. But what do they do when it is about Israel? Hide their heads in deep sand like ostriches!

“Oh No! Not the Zionist Conspiracy!!”

Well… I have facts to support that in Europe you can feel free to express your Anti-Islam feelings but you can NOT be Anti-Israel!

FACT ONE:

In December 1978 and January 1979, Robert Faurisson, a French professor of literature at the University of Lyon, published two letters in Le Monde claiming that the gas chambers used by the Nazis to exterminate the Jews did not exist. World War III almost erupted then!

After publishing, Faurisson was assaulted by Jewish students. His classes were suspended on the grounds that the university could not guarantee his safety. As a result of a TV interview, he was found guilty of defamation and incitement to racial hatred and given a suspended 3-month prison term, and a 21,000-franc fine. In addition he was ordered to pay for the reproduction of the judgment in national newspapers and television. Lets just say that was NOT cheap! He won the appeal against that. In 1989, Faurisson was severely beaten and suffered a broken jaw, broken ribs, and head injuries.

FACT TWO:

Roger Garaudy aka Ragaa is a French Muslim (convert in 1982) thinker from a strong communist background. In 1998, a French court found him guilty of Holocaust denial and racial defamation, fining him FF 120,000 ($40,000) for his 1995 book, "The Founding Myths of Israeli Politics". The book declared that during the Holocaust, Jews were not killed in gas chambers.

FACT THREE:

Ahmed Rami, a Swedish Moroccan, has written and published four books. In these he gives convincing reasons for his opinion that in Sweden - as well as everywhere else in the West - the bases of national life are undermined. He is also the founder of Radio Islam. A few years ago, Rami was prosecuted for antisemitism and sentenced to prison, where he had to stay for six months. Curiously enough he has turned out to be the only political prisoner in Sweden.

FACT FOUR:

Alain Ménargues – vice-director of Radio France International – published his book “Le mur de Sharon” (“Sharon’s Wall”) in October 2004. He immediately found himself caught in an irrational saga. He was accused of “anti-Semitism” and was dismissed from his functions. Alain Ménargues remained on his stand saying later in an interview that he has invented nothing and that the Jewish State of Israel is considered legally racist by the United Nations.



I could go on and on…

But I think you can do your own research now!

Next time you fight for freedom of expression, ask yourself if you REALLY believe and stand with it in all cases and if your country does that way too!!



Lesson to Learn: Wear a Yarmulka And Then Burn David!


Now remember... don't play with matches! ;)