Assalam Alaikum,

Latest News is that protesters have torched the Danish and Norweigan embassies in Damascus.

Additionally, European Union and countries involved in the controversy seem to portray that Muslims in this ordeal are making a big deal out of this incident. I think Western Societies in General are acting like a horse with the blinders on his eyes refuse to see any harm that they may have caused with their actions "ISLAMOPHOBIA". As one muslim scholar put it, that the story would have been different if it was something against JEWS, than it would have been called anti-semitic, and what if this was the cartoon of the pope in some inappropriate s****l position.

Thanks.

check it out..

http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=1642_0_25_0_C

I agree with article writer to some extent. They tried to provoke us. and they did it. How easy it is to use muslim, they way you want. The reaction shown by muslims by giving death threats, bombing denmark and london is not appreciating by any means. Islam teaches you to be tolerant and deal things with cool mind. well, well, I know how it feel. By grace of Allah, I am muslim too and can feel it. But I didnt reacted the way they did. Does it make them better muslim. I dont know. I only know that they are not giving good impression of Islam.

Here are some views of non-muslims and athiests which I collected some other forums.

msutufa ( an athiest )

With power comes reponsiblity.

Freedom of speech is a good thing, but not at the cost of respect for religious ideas, specially when they do not belong to your own nation, or your community.

Its freedom of speech when a christian goes out there and makes a cartoon of Jesus in a similar fashion in a christian society, thats freedom of speech. When an American burns a flag of the US in US, thats freedom of speech.

This is not freedom of speech.

I hardly think of religions as anything near 'the truth', but that does not give me the right to disrespect them. In this case, the writer(s) decided to blame the acts of a few to the most important man in the Muslim world of history, thats pretty outrageous. Prejudice never shows much reason.

But I also have to agree with OZ's last point completly. Over reaction to a mole hill is common pass time in the Muslim world. Their beliefs are so weak, that just one cartoon is enough to flame them.

There are more pressing issues in the Muslim world then a cartoon in a distant land's newspaper. Who cares if they made a cartoon. Can you make people respect you by protesting, or killing another thousand?

If Muslims loose it now, at this critical stage, where Palestine completed its elections and Iraq is still in war, this can go from bad to worst for Muslims.

Putting your country's interest ahead of your religion is the need of the hour, and if that does not happen, the Muslim world could well be facing another dark era.

Some Europeans have nothing better to do then freedom of speech, they are bored to death with their lives in Denmark perhaps, who cares. This is another way of making money for a newspaper, and not to forget the worldwide publicity.

Resisting this temptation is hard for Muslims, but they have to do it, to get anywhere.
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An Australian ( christian by religion )

I have four points on this.

1. Freedom of speech is very important. But so too is respect and courtesy for others, including their religions.

2. The Danish newspaper had a right to publish the cartoons. I wouldn't have done it myself as I feel that morally it was the wrong thing to do, but I believe people have the right to engage in satire as long as people know it is satire. I also believe that people have the right to protest peacefully against things they don't like, even if this extends to rallies, boycotts of products and so on. Christians will remember the furore that happened when the movie The Last Temptation of Christ was released, depicting Jesus having sexual relations with someone. I'm pretty sure there were lots of protests about that too. As a Christian I didn't like it but I recognise the right people have to freedom of expression. It's our right to engage in peaceful protest when we see things we don't like. That's a very important right.

3. That said, it was extremely unwise of the EU papers to post these cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a inflammatory and stupid way. Freedom of speech brings with it a lot of responsibility, particularly from members of the media. It is interesting that the US and UK have condemned the republishing of the cartoons not because they disagree with the newspapers' right to publish them, but rather for the reasons behind their being published, and the impact they have had on Muslims. It's called being stupid for no reason.

4. It's fine to do peaceful protests, rallies and boycotts, but the morons who are talking about killing and abducting Western diplomats and threatening more suicide bombings and violence over this are the biggest idiots of all. You're entitled to protest, but to threaten loss of life and violence over this is a massive exaggerated response in my option. Two wrongs don't make a right.

My 2c.
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A muslim from Rawalpindi

First i have not seen those caricatures neither i intend to, but to all those who are saying its freedom of speech and anyone can say, write or publish whatever they wish so why the furore over it, a simple question how would each of you react to an insult to your father or mother, just dust it under the carpet by saying that it can be done since there is freedom of speech or react violently to it, violent to the extent that you have power to be violent. Insult here is whatever your morales consider to be an insult and not what the person insulting considers to be a insult. I dont want any further discussion with those whose answer is that they would just brush it under the carpet and forget about it because i know they are lying.

For the others, the Holy Prophet to us muslims is someone to be respected a lot more than our Parents even, we consider drawing just a simple picture of the Holy Prophet as an insult to him let alone making caricatures which are meant to ridicule. Hence the reaction and the demands for an apology. If someone still feels there should not have been a reaction please refer to the para above.

I am not going to deny for even a second that extremist element today is a lot more among the muslims than in any other religion, but to say that Islam in itself is against peace is quite absurd. I wonder how many of you here have read the Quran in its entirety, and how many of you rely on just the propoganda websites launched by xyz for their own interests to understand Islam. A website launched by an extremist organization would no doubt portray the religion they are following as extremist. And if you are against a religion and launch its website you will certainly portray it as bad to mislead people. So much for the contents of the website about religion.

Now to the verses being quoted around here, Quran is not a collection of verses it is a book where every single verse is linked to what is before that and what comes after that. Lets take an example, in one of the Harry Potter books writing about Lord Voldermorts childhood the writer says that he was an orphan and brought up in an orphanage, now if you read only that bit anyone who has some heart would have sympathy for him, but if you read the books in their entirety it will give him a totally different image. Someone has said if Quran is so simple and can be understood easily why do people interpret it differently. The above example explains that, if you pick up selected verses and interpret them only without considering the context of the verse without understanding the background you will feel it is preaching brutalities and mass murder, but to correctly interpret the meanings and understand what it is saying you have to understand the context and the background that understanding does not come from interpreting just one verse.

Now coming to the next part someone said a few things about the Holy Prophet being someone who killed and looted for his own benefits, ridiculed the gods of people of Mecca and even destroyed their gods when he finally got it under his control. What he conveniently forgot was that this is the very same person he is talking about who was considered the most truthful, and honest by all and sundry until bestowed with Prophethood, what he also forgot was that most of the wars that were fought during his time were thrust upon him he never attacked first, he took to arms only when attacked or there was clear signs that if not repulsed muslims would be attacked and the people who were killed were only those who fought (no mistaken identity and friendly fire killings), coming to the gods of people living in Mecca what people dont understand or rather ignore is that only those idols were demolished which were placed inside the Kabba itself (for those who dont know Kabba was built as the House of Allah prior to the times of Holy Prophet) the other gods or idols were neither destroyed nor damaged, what they further tend to ignore is the fact that the very same person announced that anyone who puts down the sword and enters the house of Abu Sufyan (who was the worst enemy of the Holy Prophet at that time) would not be hurt, the very same person who forgave the woman who torn out the heart of his Uncle and chewed it up after he was killed in a war although she was at his mercy. As for accusing him of mass murder of Jews that is furthest from the truth as can be, since the jews and muslims lived together in Madina during the times of Holy Prophet. So much for him being a looter and plunderer.

As for why muslim countries are supporting extremists. First of all lets see what an extremist or a terrorist is we will come later to who supports them. Bin Laden today is the biggest terrorist the same Bin Laden considered to be the savior of the world when he was fighting on behalf of US in Afghanistan against the then USSR, the same Bin Laden who was trained and equipped by US, the same Bin Laden who was considered the hero of the west. Today is a villain yes he is but he reminds me so much of Frankensteins monster, US trained him used him and forgot that when you train someone to be a terrorist he remains that, and once you have vanquished the enemy for whom you created him he will still be a extremist and will talk in the language that you taught him. Saddam Hussein oh he was a hero when he fought ten years against Iran another Frankensteins Monster gone bad. The Jehadi organizations littered around the world today if you look at them will have roots or history dating back to the Afghan War against USSR, they dont know any other way but extremism who gave them that extremism who taught them that language. Muslim countries are not responsible for it those who want to get rid of them today are, they made them so powerful that today they can hold the governments hostage and that is what they are doing. Dont blame this on Islam or Muslim countries the blame lies squarely on those people who created them in the first place, yes they should be stopped but before they are stopped they will do as much damage as Frankensteins monster did.

Two wrongs dont make a right, they never do, the first wrong was when you created them the second wrong is when you are killing innocents in the name of destroying them, this will not stop them extremism breeds on extremism each innocent killed while destroying these organizations would breed 100 more.

Why does it seem that every muslim is an extremist, i say there is no more than a handful who are extremists and terrorists a majority is as peaceful as the religion itself, why does it seem otherwise is because the silent majority is never seen never noticed, a silent majority does not vote in elections but that does not stop governments being formed as a result of the election. Does that mean everyone voted no, the same way a silent majority is peaceful but since they are silent they cant be seen dont destroy that silent majority in the name of getting rid of evil, because that may result in eradicating the silent majority it wont put an end to the 2% extremists.

Thank you for being patient if you have read this far.
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http://www.altmuslim.com/perm.php?id=1642_0_25_0_C

cheers

Dear Fellow

hope you every body have known the heinous and shameful act by the jyllands posten's publishing, being a muslims we strongly condemn this blashmeous act and i invite all of you for recording your anger and sentiments. as currently the protest is going on all over the world lets we make this forum our protest tool by posting our grivience.

thanks

tariq afridi

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Tariq Afridi

salamZz
general secretary Dr William wandlay of an international religious union named"religion for peace" says thant all sincere religious people of conscience are offende when any tradition is defamed or abused.the deeply offended offensive series of cartoons of Prophet Mohammad (P.B.U.H) are a grievous affront to the world's 1.3 billion Muslims.they also offend the religious sensibilities and consciences of believers of the world's other great religions. From a religiouspoint of view,an attock on one religion wounds and offends all sincere religious believers.