In his letter, “Anti-Islam film” (Sept. 29), Sultan Patel justifies the rage that erupted over anti-Islam film. While I appreciate his sentiments, his support for such protests weakens our own case. We give a negative impression of the Ummah that it is inherently violent. Most of the people who protest are more interested in petty politics rather than their love for Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).
It’s true that our weaknesses and shortcomings in the backdrop of global bleak economic and technological development lead to our frustration. Our leaders will do well by using this frustration to fight the social evils like illiteracy, corruption, intolerance, insecurity and lawlessness.
What did we achieve by staging violent protests against “Satanic Verses”, “Turkish Art of Love” and now “Innocence of Muslims”? By our violent reaction we invite even the unconcerned people across the globe to watch/read such blasphemous works.
In Pakistan alone, 19 people were killed in violent protests against the film. This is in addition to huge losses suffered due to arson and vandalism. In Egypt, Afghanistan and other countries troublemakers exploited the issue to create problems.
In my opinion, most of the protesters were lured into carrying out violent acts in name of love for the Prophet (peace be upon him), but in fact they act as pawns in the hand of certain politicians, and thus they themselves are promoting blasphemy.
It’s time for Muslims to come out of this cycle of violence and concentrate on education, economy, tolerance and better governance.
These are the real goals to be achieved. — Masood Khan, Jubail
