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.