Draw a Bridge Between Muslim World and West

Let us be clear from the start: We condemn any reprinting of the Mohammed cartoons. We condemn editors who have allowed them to print. We condemn the violent Muslim response that even today finds its way onto the front pages of our papers.

The fact that so many have decided that a few cartoons merit a violent response is wrong and frankly, quite pathetic. This is not the way of Islam and is certainly not the way Mohammed (peace be upon him) would have reacted against such an insult. He never responded to insults with violence, and the Muslim world should know that he has faced much graver insults than frivolous cartoons.

There have been mixed reactions in Europe: Most find the caricatures to be distasteful. They understand the offense taken by the Muslim community, but they do not condone the violent protest. Some Europeans see this purely as an issue of freedom of speech and have taken it upon themselves to reprint the caricatures.

Flemming Rose, the culture editor of Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper which originated the cartoon, insists that the intent of the caricatures was not to insult Muslims but rather to promote an inclusive, open dialogue on an issue using satire. Perhaps the cartoons were not intended to insult, but they did. Lack of intent to offend does not equal lack of capacity to hurt.

The fact remains that these cartoons have succeeded only in feeding deep-seated, anti-Western sentiment that is a perpetual roadblock to any level of mutual understanding. Increasingly, we find that ill-will is reciprocated because of ignorance on both sides. To many in the Muslim world and in the West, the cartoons gave legitimacy to the claim of an inevitable clash of civilizations.

Many in the Muslim world simply misunderstand that at the heart of a democracy is a free press. To its credit, the Danish government has condemned the caricatures and their republication while refusing to interfere with the free media to prevent such publication. We support their position because freedom of speech is a cornerstone of a liberal democracy and is a key characteristic that enables the diversity found in liberal democracies.

But freedom comes with responsibility. There is a difference between exercising freedom of expression and fanning the flames of a conflict that is muddled in misunderstanding of the fundamental motives of each side’s position. Freedom of speech is certainly not absolute.

Informed free expression has respect for different points of view and different frames of mind. Reprinting the caricatures is a clear defiance of the obligation to express one’s views in a manner that is respectful to opposing views and is an insult to the institution of free speech itself.

The cartoon controversy indicates a fundamental ignorance most of the West has about Islam. It is imperative that individuals distinguish between Islam as a faith and Muslims, imperfect practitioners of the faith. It is when Muslims themselves claim that Islam stands for violence that the observers will attribute violence to Islam and the teachings of Mohammed (peace be upon him).

The attitude of Muslims in the West must be most resilient when Islam is under attack from within. The role of Islam in liberal democracies plays an enormous role in enhancing future prospects and developing trends that can lead to a peaceful coexistence with two seemingly divergent peoples.

The situation has lent itself to its current precarious state of misunderstanding largely because after Sept. 11, 2001, Muslims in the West complacently allowed the few “bin Ladens” of the world to speak for Muslims the world over. This must not continue.

It is our hope that Muslim voices of moderation take over as legitimate spokespersons of the Muslim world.

The burden of fostering harmony cannot, and should not, fall on the shoulders of any one particular group. It could only be confronted by a joint effort of the Muslim world and the West.

Europeans must also reconsider their notions of the European identity, even though fostering ethnic integration may be painstakingly difficult to do. It is time that the aggressively nationalistic and secular European identity include hyphenated identities.

We challenge European governments to make more concentrated efforts to foster mutual understanding and respect between Europeans and Muslim residents.

We trust that increased dialogue will convey to Georgetown and the world that a mutual understanding can develop and manifest itself into an increased state of awareness on the part of every student on this campus.

AD Hammershaimb is a sophomore in the School of Foreign Service and president of the European Club. Abed Z. Bhuyan is also a sophomore in the SFS and president of the Muslim Students Association.