JEDDAH, 16 February 2006 — As the publication of the blasphemous images of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) continues to spur protests, Jeddah locals have expressed their disgust at both the blasphemous act in the name of freedom of the press as well as the use of the outrage to commit violent acts.
“I feel sorry for the cartoonist and the editor of Norway’s Magazinet, as such an act is a sheer display of their ignorance. I suggest they become better readers and think before they bring down the image of their whole community through these foolish acts,” said Sadia Siddiqui, a Canadian studying in Jeddah, who referred to the Christian publication that reprinted the cartoons on Jan. 10, over three months after they initially appeared in Denmark’s largest daily, Jyllands-Posten.
While some protests have resorted to the destruction of property and the loss of life, some locals are quick to point out that no images could undermine the teachings of the Prophet.
“By doing this he (the cartoonist) has tarnished the image of his countrymen in the eyes of the world; drawing cartoons of our Prophet can do no harm to his reputation,” said Nada, a Pakistani.
She said that she always believed the West to be a place to look up to when in terms of academics, but this cartoonist has made it very clear that they just thrive on upsetting the rhythm and harmony of the world. She has set aside the idea of going abroad for her studies.
Hannan, a Qur’an teacher at Al-Waha International School, said she feels that this act of callousness is an eye-opener for Muslims to educate the world on Islam and its teachings and also about its prophets.
“As Muslims it is one of our duties to correct the wrong attitude of the world toward a religion that’s worth loving and following,” said Hannan.
Siddiqua, a Saudi, said that it is a failure on the part of Muslims, too, who, through their actions, have failed to give the world a true picture of Islam. Like Nada, Siddiqua strongly condemned the drawings.
“The skyscraping ideologies of the West seem to be an outward manifestation that they were using as a pretext for their narrowmindedness,” said Umair Khan, a Canadian.
Khan said he feels bad that many Muslim countries have not recalled their ambassadors from Denmark to protest its refusal to apologize to Muslims over the sacrilege.
