Shenanigans over Quran desecration

B. Kisan  

2005/05/22 

Recently after a report later retracted by Newsweek magazine of disrespect being shown to the Quran by placing it on toilets and also flushing it down a toilet Muslims around the world have been taking the opportunity to have anti-American flag burnings around the globe. This also comes as a useful pretext for retaking the moral highground after their co-religionists have been rather spoiling the propaganda war with bombings of Shiites and mass killings of civilians and beheadings of hostages. 

The hardcore Islamists like Yamin Zakaria came out with internet articles urging urinating on US and Israeli flags and then using the more traditional venue of fomenting hatred (Friday prayers) the Imam of a Mosque in Calcutta led his congregation of around 500 to burn, spit on and urinate on an American flag. 

Meanwhile the liberal Muslim intellectual Muqtedar Khan was opining for the consumption of Westerners: 

Without wasting anytime in criticizing his less liberal brethrens responses he was putting this in context for Western ears:    

He wrote:

This is worse than Abu Ghraib; Abu Ghraib represents the physical and psychological torture of a few Muslims, Quran desecration represents the spiritual, emotional and psychological torture of all Muslims. 

The severity of the offense was outlined by him in the above language, a books supposed desecration was torture of all Muslims. This may seem like hyperbole to ordinary folks but it is something that we need to understand to tread carefully around.

Just a couple of weeks ago a man called Ashiq Nabi learnt this the hard way after being said to have damaged a copy of the Quran deliberately he was chased by a crowd of 400 "spiritually, emotionally and psychologically tortured Muslims", to borrow Muqtedar Khans prose, and after seeking refuge up a tree was shot dead.

Thus Ashiq Nabi was saved being taken to court for blasphemy an offense that carries the death sentence in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. (link to petition against this law)    

Muqtedar Khan continues in his article with various half–truths and apologia like: 

“for Muslims things that are sacred are indeed sacred.”

This is a half-truth if ever I’ve seen one. Things here mean Muslim things not any old sacred things. When Mohammad destroyed the sacred gods in Mecca these sacred things to others were destroyed and the feelings of others disregarded.

Throughout history whenever pious Muslims destroyed temples and idols they did out of religious conviction without considering the sacredness of what they destroyed in the eyes of others. When the Bamiyan Buddhas were destroyed by the Taliban this was done knowing it hurt the feelings of those with other beliefs. However Islam inculcates disrespect for others sacred beliefs. In Quran 3:85 it says “And whoever seeks a religion other than Islâm, it will never be accepted of him, and in the Hereafter he will be one of the losers^. “

In summary for Muslims their own religion and it’s associated elements are sacred and it is not sacred things that are sacred. Desecrating the religious idols of others and doing so is the Sunna of Mohammad and an act of religious merit.

Actually Muslims are whipped up into a frenzy to frighten anyone from critiquing Islam as this has been a successful strategy over time. An ideology based on lies cannot stand being criticized like it criticizes other ideologies. It must be protected by blasphemy laws where it rules and where it doesn’t rule it’s apologists must seek for it special space free from criticism. This is being done by calling anything critical of Islam Islamophobic a newly minted word meant to shut down critical debate and shame those who dare question anything to do with his privileged ideology. 

Muqtedar Khan continues: 

“Condemnations for Quran desecration and expressions of respect for Islam and Muslims must come from all sections of the society.” 

For him it is not merely sufficient that Condoleezza Rice bent over backwards stating this action if it happened at all is against US Govt. policy as he quotes, but all the sections of society need to become involved in condemnations and expressions of respect.

He wants craven dhimmitude from everyone.

It is a shame that self-described Islamic liberals are engaged in selling us our duties to respect Islam and failing to critique their less liberal brethrens actions.