INTERNATIONAL SATURDAY, JANUARY 10, 2015

Why depicting the Prophet angers Muslims

DUBAI: Depictions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) such as er European publications reproduced the cartoons the fol- prophets revered by Islam, and reject the depiction of the cartoons published by the French satirical magazine lowing year, making them a target of Islamist fury. The the companions of Muhammad (PBUH), even when it reeling from a deadly attack are banned in Islam and mock- French magazine’s offices were fire-bombed in Nov 2011 shows them in a positive light. “We should not open the ing him angers many Muslims. Although images poking fun following the publication of an edition renamed “Charia door to people to draw the prophet in different forms at the Prophet (PBUH) have repeatedly infuriated the Islamic Hebdo”, (Sharia Hebdo), with a caricature of Muhammad that could affect his status in the hearts of his people,” world, Arab and Muslim leaders and clerics were quick to (PBUH) on the front page. said Kubaisi, the Iraqi preacher who is based in Dubai. condemn the attack. Sunni Islam’s most prestigious centre There is no text from the Quran or the tradition of the of learning Al-Azhar said “Islam denounces any violence”. ‘No Respect for Freedom’ prophet that clearly forbids such depictions, and the ban The two masked gunmen who killed 12 people at the At the core of the problem is the “lack of respect for oth- is “out of homage and respect” to the prophets, he Charlie Hebdo weekly on Wednesday claimed to be on a ers’ right to freedom of expression” in Arab and Muslim added. mission to “avenge” its cartoons of Muhammad (PBUH). It countries, according to Hassan Barari, professor of interna- The ban also applies to depictions of prophets and follows years of controversy over such caricatures. “This is a tional relations at Qatar University. Some people “do not companions of Muhammad (PBUH) in movies and televi- Prophet (PBUH) that is revered by some two billion people... understand the Western context of free speech, where you sion programs. When a trailer for anti-Muslim movie Is it moral to mock him?,” prominent Iraqi preacher Ahmed can easily make a movie that is critical of Jesus”. Mathieu “Innocence of Muslims” appeared on YouTube in 2012, al-Kubaisi told AFP, explaining the violent reaction of Guidere, who teaches Islamic studies at France’s University protesters took to the streets in several countries. Four Muslims to cartoons of Muhammad (PBUH). “France is the of Toulouse, said that the “culture of tolerance, and accept- people, including US Ambassador Chris Stevens, were mother of all freedoms, yet no one said this (depiction) is ance of different opinion is almost non-existent in the Arab killed in Libya when extremists used protests against the shameful,” he said. and Islamic world.” film to attack US interests on Sept 11, 2012. Outspoken former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir He attributed violence to a feeling harboured by “almost In recent weeks, a number of Muslim countries Mohamad said Charlie Hebdo had shown disrespect every Muslim who believes that he is the defender of the banned Ridley Scott’s “Exodus: Gods and Kings” for its towards Islam on numerous occasions. “Is there a need for prophet and of Islam”. Barari pointed to a history of “animos- depiction of Moses. Even the 1970s epic “The Message”, them to ridicule Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) knowing that ity between the West and Muslims”. “We cannot deny that which chronicled the life of Muhammad (PBUH) and they are offending Muslims?” state news agency Bernama anti-Western feeling in the region is related to the West’s starred Anthony Quinn, did not impersonate the Prophet quoted him as saying. “We respect their religion and they policies. This is related to past colonialism, policy on Israel, (PBUH).”Depicting the prophets of Allah would cast must respect our religion,” he added. and support to dictatorships,” he said. doubts about their status and might include lies, Violent protests broke out in the Muslim world after because actors could never match the characters of the Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten newspaper published 12 carica- Even Positive Depiction Banned prophets,” said a fatwa, or edict, by the Makkah-based tures of Muhammad (PBUH) in 2005. Charlie Hebdo and oth- The majority of Islamic scholars ban drawings of all Islamic Fiqh Council. — AFP

West facing mass Arab cartoonists also casualty attacks: Britain spy chief face dangers at home Satirists caught between Islamists, autocratic states LONDON: Islamist militants in Syria are planning “mass casu- alty attacks” on Western targets, the head of British spy CAIRO: After Egyptian cartoonist Andeel 2011. “I see what happened (in Paris) as a er Arab countries, but there were still limits agency MI5 has warned, saying the deadly shooting in Paris took to social media to condemn the slaugh- continuation of what is going on in Syria and that applied to local leaders as well as the was only a reminder of an ongoing threat. Security Service ter of colleagues in Paris, he received expres- Iraq ... The same mentality,” said Hany Shams, multi-ethnic country’s religions. One such chief Andrew Parker was referring in particular to a group of sions of sympathy - often not for the victims a cartoonist at Egypt’s government-run was Hassan Nasrallah, leader of the Shiite fighters known as Khorasan, sources said, who have been tar- but for the suspected Islamist gunmen. Some Akhbar Al-Youm newspaper. movement Hezbollah. “We can’t get into reli- geted by US warplanes in strikes in northwest Syria. He respondents on his Facebook page criticised gions ... If you draw Nasrallah, they will attack warned that intelligence agencies needed more powers, in the attack at the offices of the Charlie Hebdo ‘Killing Them is Better’ you,” said Jabra. “If you draw this person or particular to intercept communications, but added: “We newspaper, in which 12 people including In the Iraqi city of Ramadi, Islamic State that, it’s forbidden. You get threats, phone know that we cannot hope to stop everything.” several of France’s top cartoonists were shot foot soldier Abu Saaduldin Al-Quraishi laid calls, emails saying ‘this cannot be drawn’.” Parker was speaking late Thursday, a day after Islamist dead on Wednesday. But Andeel was down the limits of his group’s tolerance. “We Outside the Arab world in Turkey, car- gunmen stormed the offices of French satirical magazine alarmed by the level of backing for the do not expect any insults against God, his toonists were targeted by some Islamist writ- Charlie Hebdo in Paris and killings at the French weekly which is known religion or his prophets,” he told Reuters. “We ers on Twitter after the Paris attack. Ibrahim killed 12 people. He said the origins or details of the attack for mocking religion, including Islam. The 28- will warn against such behaviours and if that Yoruk, a columnist at the newly-established remained unclear, but it was a year-old satirist said he feared voices of mod- does not work, then killing them is better.” Vahdet newspaper, warned Turkish satirical “terrible reminder of the inten- eration were being drowned out because In Lebanon, satirists say things are easier magazine Penguen under the tions of those who wish us expressions of hate “are always a lot more but far from ideal. Stavro Jabra, a cartoonist #CharlieHebdo hashtag. “You can’t do harm”. Speaking of the broad- colourful and loud”. whose work is published in two dailies, said humour by insulting the faith of the people, er threats, he said the number The Charlie Hebdo killings were thou- he had known some of the Charlie Hebdo Penguen. You should realise this,” he said. of “crude but potentially dead- sands of kilometres from Cairo, and yet victims. “We want to defend the freedom of Another user, whose account seemed later to ly plots” had increased, citing reminded Arab cartoonists of the risks they the press, the freedom of the media and the have been suspended, took to Twitter to last year’s attacks in Canada face from those who draw a red line when it freedom of opinion. This is our mission,” said threaten another satirical weekly called and Australia, and were partic- comes to criticism of the Prophet Jabra. Lebanon had more freedom than oth- Leman. —Reuters Andrew Parker ularly hard to detect. Mohammad and their faith. “A lot of people Meanwhile the “complex showed so much support for these crimes and ambitious plots” carried out by Al-Qaeda in the past still which is really weird and kind of crazy,” existed, he told the RUSI defence and security think-tank in Andeel said. “I wanted to discuss how people London. These included “attempts to cause large scale loss of think that making fun of the Prophet or Islam life, often by attacking transport systems or iconic targets”. In is unacceptable and is considered a crime,” August, Britain raised the national threat level to “severe” - he told Reuters, adding that he wondered the second-highest of five levels - meaning that an attack is how people could consider “killing as the considered “highly likely”.This was primarily due to the rise of right reaction”. the Islamic State militant group in Syria and Iraq, where an Freedom of expression was meant to estimated 600 Britons have gone to fight, Parker said. The flourish after the Arab Spring revolts brought MI5 chief added: “We know, for example, that a group of core down autocrats across much of the Middle Al-Qaeda terrorists in Syria is planning mass casualty attacks East and North Africa. Nearly four years later, against the West.” He is understood to be referring to the many people are still watching their step. Khorasan group, which had been an obscure cell until US Authoritarian rule has returned to many Arab intelligence officials called attention to it in September. US countries while the rise of Islamic State mili- TUNIS: Tunisians, including some journalists, hold placards reading “I am Charlie” officials say the group includes Al-Qaeda operatives from tants who have seized large areas of Iraq and during a demonstration to protest against the execution of two Tunisian journal- Afghanistan and Pakistan who made their way to Syria, Syria also poses dangers to anyone who ists by the Libyan branch of the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group yesterday. The IS although experts caution they are not a distinct group but dares to debate religion. Chief among them branch issued the day before a statement saying the pair, who went missing there are part of Al-Nusra Front, Al-Qaeda’s Syrian branch. —AFP are satirists, who had felt a greater sense of in early September, had been executed because they had “sowed corruption in the freedom after the autocrats were toppled in land.” Around 300 people took part in the demonstration. — AFP