An article by renowned author Mehr Tarar from Daily Times, Pakistan written on Sept 21st, 2012
Anyone who lashes out in violence will undo what our Prophet (PBUH) stood for. Enraged, losing perspective, you do only bad things Mohammad. The name that is unarguably the most popular name in the world. It is the name that is used by millions as the prefix or simply as the first name. It is a name that is taken more than any other is on any given day, in any part of the world. It is a name that is so special despite its widespread usage that it makes ordinary people feel blessed to just be able to use it. It is the most favoured name for babies born in the UK today, despite the presence of real life princes in a land that is not even hugely populated by those who profess the faith that this name originated from. Mohammad. Add Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH), Sallah Alahe Va Aalle Hee Vasalam, and you have the name of the last prophet of Allah. Mohammad (PBUH), from Arabia, was endowed with the blessing of being the last messenger of Allah, the divine Word of whose encapsulation as the Quran became the last Divine word revealed to mankind, in the form of Islam. Mohammad (PBUH), the prophet, went on to become one of the most influential men in the history of the world (through his preaching and the spread of Islam during his lifetime). Today, almost 1,500 years later, the same holds true. That is the unparalleled stature of Mohammad (PBUH), the prophet of Muslims, who being the last one to deliver the divine word to human beings became the prophet for the whole world. He was God’s man, and all who believed in God could never refute that. They still do not.
As a Muslim, I am angry today. The latest act of calculated malice shown towards my religion and my Prophet (PBUH) is unbearable for me. To me, like most who follow Islam, this is a clear humiliation of one of the fundamentals of my faith. Islam begins with the first Kalima that captures the very essence of what it is all about; that there is One God and Mohammad (PBUH) is His Prophet. Without the acceptance of the basic, the rest becomes redundant. For me, this is all there is to it. The rest may vary; the interpretations of the Message may be myriad; the form in which it is understood and perpetrated may be numerous, and the manifestations of the espoused faith many. Two things are eternal. Two things are irrefutably (to Muslims) consistent. Two things have withstood the test of time due to their sheer veracity (for Muslims). Two things have been there since the birth of Islam and they will be until the world ceases to exist. There is no God but Allah and Mohammad (PBUH) is His Prophet. Period. Not because it is the rigidity ingrained in people who follow it, not because its proponents are blind devotees of an unseen power, and not because those who call themselves Muslims are starry-eyed disciples of an Arab who lived many centuries ago; it is because of all Allah preached through Mohammad (PBUH) and sent through His book, the Quran. It is the encapsulation of all these factors that cement the edifice of what I believe in. For me, it is everything. Ergo, I am angry. For me, Allah’ s word is not for you, me, or 10, or 10,000 or 10 million people. In whatever form, it is for the whole world. Ergo, I am angry. The Prophet (PBUH) stood as Allah’s Messenger for the entire population of the world, not for some who revered him in Arabia and the neighbouring countries. He was/is for everyone. Ergo, I am angry. Notwithstanding how any detractor of Islam and the Prophet (PBUH) may interpret his life and teachings, some things defy criticism. The Prophet (PBUH) believed, practised and preached the universal message of brotherhood, compassion, empathy, forgiveness, kindness, generosity of spirit, moral, social and interpersonal values and the value of life. There was no one Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) hated and there was no one he preached should be hated. Ergo, I am angry. The unassuming man, who through the principles he espoused before prophethood, lived every minute of his life setting an example for all who followed him and those who did not, thus rising to the level of being the most extraordinary human being history has/had seen. It was because of his influence as the Messenger of Allah for everyone who lived and would live. He was/is not just for my fellow Muslims and me. Ergo, I am angry.
I did not see the 13-minute trailer of that film. I did not read about it. I have not named it even once since it appeared. Despite my anger, it does not exist for me. Not belittling anyone else’s reaction, but to me those 13 minutes do not matter. My decision to treat it as non-existent is not in contradiction with my anger. Anything said about my religion and my prophet (PBUH) and my holy book will be unbearable to me in principle. In reality, I consider it irrelevant. To me, my Prophet (PBUH) stands so much higher than any other being that any act to even attempt to denigrate him is almost laughable. Some psychopath, in some seedy setting in California, hires a few people, writes a few lines, directs a few shoddy scenes, edits a few frames and releases it on the Internet. That has the power to target Islam? The very idea is ludicrous. Some anti-Muslim individual/individuals add a few lip-synched lines and release it in some Muslim country and Muslims in reaction go insane with rage and wreak havoc — in their own lands. The very idea behind it is unimaginable to me. To protest is every human being’s right. I tell my son and my niece and nephew who are like my own children to protest the wrong. To speak up against injustice is of paramount importance. To do something about an unfair act — without violence — is something I believe in and practice. This video, nonetheless, does not warrant a violent act in reaction. It is simply because the stature of our Prophet (PBUH) is beyond it and most importantly, because he taught us not to. Anyone who lashes out in violence will undo what our Prophet (PBUH) stood for. Enraged, losing perspective, you do only bad things. I do not Google for my articles; I do not need examples to substantiate my narrative. I write when things pain me. The result of bad acts is, without fail, what haunts you forever. Innocent people cannot be harmed for the acts of some you may never even get a chance to be face to face with. Violence darkens it all. Try explaining it to the families of Ambassador Christopher Stevens, Glenn Doherty, Tyrone Woods (Navy SEALs) and Sean Smith (information manager at the US Libyan embassy). Rest in peace.
Protest. Stop watching the video. Flag/report any objectionable stuff you find on the Internet. Imagine millions of Muslims hitting one button and making the content disappear into cyber oblivion. Imagine a million people in every Muslim country — and there are 51 of them (where the dominant faith is Islam) standing together, with lit candles, protesting solidly and quietly, telling the world it is not okay to denigrate the fundamentals of their religion. Imagine every head of a Muslim country, in unison, petitioning at the UN that the intended denigration of our Prophet (PBUH) — our spiritual father figure — is not acceptable, under any condition. Imagine all Muslims, all 1.6 billion of them, in one voice, telling the whole world: enough. Some individuals must be warned. Your freedom of speech in a world where people kill, pillage, burn, rape and destroy life and property is dangerous. When your act will hurt the very sensibilities I live for, it is time you took a step backwards and thought hard. What is it you are hoping to gain here? Islam will remain intact but some of its followers, in their fury, for their love, will cause mayhem. That is human nature. Is that what you want?
Someone, somewhere, as I write this, will be planning an act whose sole purpose is to inflict misery on people. I am aware of this painful reality. I do not have the power to change that. Neither do you. The more than seven billion people of the world will always be paying the price of evil perpetrated by some. That is a fact. There is nothing we can do about it. And ergo, I pray, may Allah have mercy on His world.
The writer is an Assistant Editor at Daily Times. She tweets at @MehrTarar and can be reached at mehrt2000@gmail.com
