To Insult a Prophet: Why Does It Matter

     Furious muslims chanting death to their enemies, embassies surrounded by policemen fighting angry protesters, buildings on fire… we are all familiar with these pictures. But why? Why such things must happen? Why muslims can’t just get along and take everything easy. Why unlike other religions, muslims cannot accept even the slightest of insults to their beliefs?  Why should it matter so much?
Muslims have certain red lines. No matter what, you just cannot insult what they believe in. You can’t make fun of it either. But still, this doesn’t mean every time somebody makes a joke gets beheaded by muslims. It doesn’t mean they won’t let you express your mind. Hell, muslims even hold competitions for those who don’t believe in Islam, to come and challenge Islamic beliefs logically, and if they succeed there will be really huge rewards for them.

So where’s the problem? Why do muslims encourage you to challenge them, and at the same time they get angry over a movie or a caricature? There’s not a simple answer to this question. Not unless you try and look at the bigger picture here: it is not the first time and it is not just a movie, it’s been like this for so many years.

As George Bush once put it: “either you’re with us or against us.” Look at the muslim world. Islamic countries with pro-US governments are living in peace, others are either burning in war or hit by sanctions. Countries that remain true to their Islamic roots are facing with all sorts of difficulties, be it war, sanctions, regime changes and even terrorist attacks. For the past eleven years, after the 9/11 attacks muslims, for absolutely no certain reason, have been targeted by all sorts of negative attacks. Almost all kinds of entertainment have been adopted to weaken Islam’s image and the recent movie is no exception.

Muhammad, is one prophet that alongside with Koran, connects all muslims together. To insult him means to simply take aim at the very heart of Islam; you remove it, and Islam is no more – or muslims for that matter. Islam just like any other religion, is divided into many sects and the only way to hit them all at once, is to attack what holds them together. As it’s been done so many times and so far nothing has changed, because muslims have reacted, and never hesitated to defend their beliefs.

To insult Muhammad, is totally understandable. Given the world we are living in, and considering those who are trying to control it, and looking at the things that have been done to the true Christianity and Judaism, one will easily comprehend why Islam and its prophet are under attack and why muslims are so furious. As longs as there are people out there willing to replace the reality of Islam with their own version of it, one must not expect muslims to stand and watch.

Ramadan: A Whole Month of Desirables

          Most people around the world think of Ramadan as just a regular month during which Muslims do some rituals, some pretty tough ones, and then happily celebrate the end of it. Although it may all sound correct, one must know that there’s much more into Ramadan that even Muslims can’t wholly fathom and are yet to discover it themselves.  Ramadan is not just simply avoiding food and water for a few hours, and to think of it as a month of mere hardship won’t do it any justice.
Of course the most prominent aspect of Ramadan is the fasting. Not that other religions don’t have it, but in Muslim world it just goes far beyond eating nothing from dawn to dusk.  For them it is a sign, a sign reminiscent of the poor, those who literally have nothing to eat and don’t even know if they’re going to make it through the night. Poverty and hunger are two things that prevail in Muslim world due to the environmental, economical and of course political conditions Islamic countries face today. Huge conventions to raise money for the poor, mass adoptions of unsupported children, gathering vital commodities for the poor and many other activities of this kind are the things that Muslims do in Ramadan and one can’t ignore the important role of fasting in igniting this fiery feeling of caring for one another.
Now, If you think fasting is all Ramadan has to offer, you’re just looking at the cover. Everything is different in Ramadan, even the way people treat each other. Most families just find the love again and forget everything that used to keep them apart. Many unpleasant memories are forgotten and many friendships are renewed. Some people even start new relationships, establish new friendships with others, once they find out that they, too, are fasting and share a lot regarding beliefs. Ramadan is just a perfect way of socializing in a sense.
To make it even more interesting, crime rates drop dramatically during Ramadan. A safer community to live in is one thing every single individual prays for nowadays and in Ramadan it’s just a dream that comes true. Any sort of crime, be it murder, stealing, kidnapping or even your regular street fighting just fade away in the wake of what seems to be a universal feeling of friendliness and closeness towards other people, even those you don’t know.
Whatever it is, as I mentioned earlier, you’ll just get to know Ramadan as much as you can understand it. 30 days of all the good feelings, makes you want to be a better person, especially when you see all the love and respect that Muslims express for this month and the way they at least try to change who they are for a minimum of 30 days, and who knows, maybe even a lifetime.