Let moderate voices speak

Let moderate voices speak (THE SUN) A LETTER from an Australian, published in the Times of London sums up the whole issue: What hope do we have of winning the hearts and minds of Muslims when we insult them? We tell them that the problem with Islamic nations is that they are not democratic. Then we condemn them for daring to vote in a party we don't like in Palestine, and next we make fun of their most sacred symbols. Why should they trust democracy when we only use it to attack them? A few weeks ago, Hamas won in the Palestinian elections, much to the surprise and horror of the West. Then, Jyllands-Posten, a rightwing Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting images of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) ­ including those depicting him wearing a bomb for a turban and meeting suicide bombers in heaven. When Muslims protested, the Danish newspaper cited free speech, and called for other European journalists to publish the cartoons in solidarity. Make no mistake. I am against suicide bombing, especially those that involve civilian casualties. A recent fatwa, by an esteemed and erudite Oxford-based Malaysian Shafii scholar, Sheikh Afifi al-Akiti, has categorically provided the reasons why suicide bombing is contrary to the legal principles of Islam. That should be read by all Muslims. Furthermore, I support the general notion of free speech. I believe that the Muslim protesters are mistaken when they seek to get the governments to apologise for the actions of the newspapers, as those newspapers are independent from the governments; nor do I support any of those who invoke violence in response to the pointless provocation of the cartoonists. But the recent developments will only polarise the whole debate in the Muslim world, and undermine many mainstream Muslims like myself, as we seek to encourage an environment of understanding, compassion and tolerance from the ashes of Sept 11 and the war in Iraq. As the letter in the Times mentioned ­ Muslims will feel that it is hypocritical of the West. A victory by Hamas through democratic elections was condemned, with threats of sanctions and a halt in negotiations. Yet when a Danish newspaper insulted the most revered human being for all Muslims, some newspapers in the West then raised the issue of free speech. However many European newspapers would be more reluctant to lampoon the Holocaust in the same manner. The extremists will rejoice. For so long they have protested when many mainstream Muslims argue that democracy is compatible with Islam, which has many similarities with the heritage of openness and pluralism of Islam. They now find that their thesis ­ that democracy is merely a Western tool to be used only when it benefits the West ­ has been proven. The thesis has now been given a provoking symbol: the 12 caricatures. The West might be appalled at the Hamas victory, but for many Palestinians it is pure common sense. Perhaps partly because they see in Hamas' suicide bombings ­ however wrong ­ a sense of defiance against the loss of their homeland. But a more central reason is that whereas the Palestinian Authority has been saddled with corruption, inefficiency and poor leadership, Hamas has been working hard in providing social services and excellent infrastructure throughout the years. That indeed is the beauty of democracy. The West might want the incumbent, but the people speak. This should be seen as an oppor tunity to inculcate into Hamas the reality of power, to replace the rhetoric of opposition. We see a similar case in Iraq. Politically, there were two main agendas for the neo-conservatives clique of George W. Bush: remove Saddam Hussein, and in its place install a liberal, pro-American sec ular leadership led by the likes of Ahmad Chalabi. But surprise, surprise ­ the forced imposition of democracy has consistently returned religious Shiite parties as the majority. With all their military might, it is of no surprise that Saddam was easily defeated. Nevertheless, that same strength has little influence on the chaotic reconstruction of the country, what more on the voice of the people in the polls. As we seek to build a peaceful common future together, mainstream Muslims must be strengthened, not undermined. There are many merits in democracy, but the West too must live by the ideals, even when it is inconvenient to them. Only then we can recreate bit by bit a semblance of trust and understanding between Muslims and the West. We must disprove those on both sides who believe that a clash of civilisations is inevitable. Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad, who has commented in various publications, blogs at http://www.niknazmi.com. The fatwa by Sheikh Afifi al-Akiti can be publicly accessed at http://www.livingislam.org/maa/d cmm_e.html.