The cartoon above appeared in USA today Friday September 21, 2012. Depicting how the Muslim World have just ignore deaths of so many people in Syria, but when a video in Youtube can provoke and raise rages, the cartoon get my attention. It's appearance is stereotyping, but it does have a point.
First, I would like to express my opinion about the appearance. Graphically the cartoon capture intelligently how the general west think about Muslim World. Arabic figures with sandals and untidy appearance; a woman with burqa; another woman using scarf on her head, a man with turban, an Alladin hat. Every thing represent external image of Muslim World. It represent how small the cartoonist know about I Islam and Moslems. The untidy appearance can represent the situation where most Moslems live right now, under developed notion, and poverty. After all, I am not sure what the dog represents here. My first impression translating it as representing the opinion that Moslems are no different to dogs to the cartoonist, but my heart prevent me to think that way. Thus, I will interpret it just as a graphic need to intensify the rage on the second panel so the cartoonist required a beast appearance, a dog.
Second, the story it brought, the situation in Syria, and an idiot who post a slander to the honorary of Prophet Muhammad SAW in Youtube. The message it want to represent is that Moslems should react to the Syria situation and not to the act of an idiot in Youtube. I do not fully agree with the argument in the cartoon.
Moslems are human who have believe and trust, and more importantly identity. Prophet Muhammad SAW is the holiest representation of Islam after Al Quran. Any defamation of the person of Prophet Mumammad SAW is the defamation to a moslem itself. When something that is in your believe, thing that you think as the reason of your self esteem is defamed, is the most reasonable reason to be angry and do some thing. Don't millions of people who in died in World War II is considered heroic because people nowadays believe that Hitler is bad are heroes and those who died, died for that believe. Don't Martin Luther King Jr who died in fighting of his believe is hero? Don't killing for your country is also a conception of believe? As Islam is a believe, why should not Moslems get angry when their believe is defamed? If Islam is a life for a Moslem, don't spreading defamation on it is a representation of their liberty to believe it, and pursuit happiness through it . Don't any body who openly defamed it is spreading hatred, no better than Hitler who defamed Jews and declare their death is for the best of the world? If those who do not oppose Hitler is evil, why don't those who do not condemn this act, or even worse protect it is not better than evil.
I have thought about the situation since the very first time I read about the movie in the Internet. Last week, there was another defamation of Prophet Mumammad by a french magazine. I do not understand what these people want. What is the point of hurting others feeling. Although it is not personally directed to me, but as a moslem I feel the insult. Don't the insult of others is a crime because it crosses one's privacy. I did not do anything that hurt any of these men's believe. Yet they openly insulting me. Don't they have cross my liberty. Why can't any law do some thing? Is the life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is just an empty jargon? I do not know.
Afterall, I must admit that I have not see any of the movie or the cartoon. Reading the news of it is already hurting my feeling. My reason for not try to find out is that I am a human who have limited tolerance for insult. I do not want to get trapped by any provocation. May be these people are trying to make cause for having war, want to provoke any Moslem to attack, and they have reason to attack back. I wont take the bait. I have much more important things to do. Though so, I cannot blame the riot that happen in many Moslem countries. It is just natural. What I am sad about is that any body who tried to do the fishy things, they have succeed. But that is what happen to masses, they are like gasoline, they will take any fire, although it will destroy them.
Though I do nothing, as a sane person, I will not forget. This thing will keep me dreaming of a better world, and do my part in fighting for it. There is a proverb in Indonesia, "fitnah lebih kejam dari pembunuhan", or in english " defamation, slander humiliation is more cruel than murder".
About the story the cartoon had in the first panel, where moslems are sleeping while thousands died in Syria, I think have its truth. I also think that Muslims should react more. It is true, that muslim world have sleep too much when things happen in Syria. And it is not just in Syria, there is also Rohingya people in Myanmar, and pattani in thailand, etc. Thus, it is important that muslim should wake and react to every issue that relate to brother moslem.
Afterall, there is one small question that came to me seeing this cartoon. It is true that those who died in Syria are mostly moslems, but don't they are also human. Are they less human than those in Libya, so some people think they would attack libya and free the people; or they are just not rich enough. Their country just have not so much oil to even resulted in Break Event Point for war investors. I think for the problem of Syria, it is not just Moslem who sleep, but also the world of humanity. So does for the Rohingya people and any other crime for humanity.
To sum up, I would like to restate my agreement that we, not just Moslems, but also human kind as a whole, should wake up now and care more for others. Moslems are brothers, but don't human should also be brothers too. I do not expect that every one will understand. For those who still have hatred, you may hate your brothers but please, and once more please, keep your hatred for yourself. For others, let's work together to eliminate hatred.
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