THE RESPECT OF A COUSIN

 

By: Edward Miller (An article written in "The Jewish Weekly", W.Australia on 10/02/2006)
 
After the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Psten's 12 caricatures of the Prophet Muhammed were republished in European newspapers, riots erupted in
Damascus, Gaza, Beruit and elsewhere through out the Muslims world. The violence is an extreme manifestation of the deep hurt by virtually all
Muslims.
 
As we condemn the violence on the streets, perhaps we should take a moment to understand the hurt in the hearts of the great majority of the Muslims
who did not engage in violence.
 
For Muslims, the mere rendering of an image of Muhammed is sacrilege. The portrayal of Muhammed in a pejorative fashion is on them an inconceivably
offensive desecration, on the level of what would be for us the defilement of the Torah scroll.  Because it was done in newspapers across Europe, it was a
slap in the face repeated thousand of times. Perhaps its a question of respect, not freedom. Freedom of expression theoretically protects the rights of a
non-Jew to desecrate a Torah scroll. Yet we all view freedom of expression as a hollow defense to such a vile act.
 
Some say Muslims cant take criticism and simply don't understand freedom of the press. In my own limited experience, that has not been the case. For
the past year I've written a column in a Muslim newspaper, Muslim's Weekly, in which I've criticized suicide bombing, in the treatment of Jews under
Islamic rule, the ant-Jewish rantings of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and even Muslims Weekly own reporting about Isreal. But it was all
done with respect, an informed appreciation of the wonderful benefits that Islam conferred upon the Jewish people, along with the willingness to look
at our own perfections together with those of the other.
 
Regardless of whether or not the European press was constitutionally free to publish the offensive images, the act was a blatant and vulgar act of dis-
respect to Islam. Such insults no doubt contribute to the frightening spectre of a clash of civilisations.
 

A LITTLE RESPECT
 
What can we do as Jews to lessen the hostilities? Perhaps, just perhaps, a little respect would help. Rather than ripping the wounds wider with editorial

musings extolling freedom of speech and condemning violent protests, it is not time for a bit of healing?
 
The pages of this Jewish newspaper presents a place for a small start by showing Muslims right here that though we have too have the freedom to say
anything we like, we choose to convey respect to our Muslim cousins. Printing something positive about Prophet Muhammed best does this.
 
There is a space between romanticizing the past and vilifying it. There is time to focus on the dark side of history and a time to view the other in the
best light. There is a time to cull from our rabbinic writings the good our sages saw in Islam and there is quite a bit of such sentiment recorded. We
Jews need to learn to be more flexible, pursuing the claims of Jews expelled from Arab countries and critising ant Jewish TV programs and cartoons
in the Muslim media, while at the same time displaying gratitude for all the good Islam did for us. There is a time to jump over our pain and see the
humanity of the other. That time is now. Lets us start;
 

FUNERAL PROCESSION
 
There is a Hadith (oral tradition concerning the words and works of the Prophet Muhammed) recorded by Bukhari in the name of Amer Bin Rabiha
that reads as follows:
 
"A funeral procession passed us and the Prophet stood up for it. We said, "bur Prophet of God, this is a funeral of a Jew". The Prophet responded
,"rise'".
 
One can search the writings of the ancient non-Jewish world for a more powerful example of a public display of respect for the humanity of the Jew.
There simply is no more powerful statement that the single word uttered by Prophet Muhammed nearly 14 centuries ago.
 
Some readers will bombard this newspaper with reams of material showing darker side of Islam, as if it were just too much for them to hear one good
thing. But it is there, it is a sacred part of tradition, it is good an we should hear it and respect it. When you give respect you get it. When you take
criticism , you earn the right to give it. Perhaps this article will be re-published in Muslims newspapers, complete with its critical comments about the
pain we feel in the face of anti-Jewish cartoons and worse in Muslim media. Muslim readers may come to understand that an article by a Jew, in a
Jewish newspaper , was one of respect, telling its audience: "We know that the one mocked in newspapers in Europe is the one who had the human-
ity to tell his companions to rise for the funeral procession of a Jew"
 
Edward Miller, a local attorney, is active in efforts to reconcile Jews and Muslims. He lives in W Austrailia.

Taken fom Al-Balaagh Issue JAN-JUNE 2006 VOL.31 NO.1