We defend our universal human rights for all people, including the right of freedom of religion, freedom of worship. We urge all to Choose Love, Not Hate. Love Wins.
— “Police believe they have ‘eliminated; the West Australian chapter of a neo-Nazi group with the arrest of two men charged with shooting at a Perth mosque. In the early hours of Thursday, February 4, three shots were fired into the dome roof of the Suleymaniye Mosque, in the southeastern suburb of Queens Park.”
….
— “The pair, a 25-year-old Greenmount man and a 24-year-old High Wycombe man, are allegedly part of the extreme nationalist group Combat 18 (C18). They have been charged with one count each of causing criminal damage, discharging a firearm across a road and possessing an unlicensed firearm. After Tuesday’s arrests, Inspector Rob Anderson police said believed they had effectively disbanded Perth’s C18 chapter. ‘Two of those offenders we will allege are members of C18, an organisation specialising in hate crime and neo-Nazi affiliated,’ Insp Anderson said. ‘As a result of today’s operation, we are confident that we have more or less eliminated that faction within WA.’ Originally based in the UK, C18 has chapters all over the world and is based on the ideas of neo-Nazism and white supremacy. The number 18 is derived from the initials of Adolf Hitler with A and H being the first and eighth letter of the alphabet. A 19-year-old old Kalamunda man was also charged with one count of possessing an unlicensed firearm.”
As we promised in our article “Cartoon Contests and Human Dignity,” on May 20, 2010, “Draw Muhammad Day,” we would publicly provide online the counter messages from Muslims emailed to us on the subjects of pluralism and human rights. To those with additional input on this article, please send your comments to info@realcourage.org. We are providing these comments unedited, as promised, to promote dialogue on this issue and to provide their point of view.
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) welcomes the opportunity for dialogue on this issue with those we agree and those we disagree, and invite others to express their views on human rights and human dignity. As R.E.A.L. has previously stated, we reject the views of those that would call for or that would rationalize violence as a recourse to affronts and insults, and we also recognize that this issue is a much morewide spread issue than only a few “extremists” on either side. We also recognize that our universal human rights of freedom of expression also entail rights and responsibility to promote human dignity, which we have seen from history to be an imperative to human co-existence. We encourage respectful dialogue on both sides of this issue.
Below are the comments sent to Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) by individuals identifying themselves as Muslims on the “cartoon controversy.”
Shamira Kashmiri: Open Letter to Non-Muslims – Why We are Offended
“Molly Norris, in her statement apologizes to people of Muslim faith and asks that this ‘day’ be called off. She says this day has brought together a group of people who only want to draw obscene images,which are offensive to the Muslims, ‘who did nothing to endanger our right to expression in the first place.'”
“Despite being a predictable offense to Muslims and their repeated requests NOT to draw Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), cartoons have been drawn in defiance and published by Swedish Lars Vilks and by Danish political cartoonist Kurt Westergaard and now this…There have been numerous protests by Muslims over time, who have made it very clear to everyone that cartoons, paintings or depictions of Muhammad (pbuh) are disrespectful to our religious views. Now, to go a step further and draw ‘obscene’ cartoons is an obvious provocation even to the most mild mannered Muslim.”
“We want to make it very clear to everyone, that these objections are not limited to extremists or groups. I wish I could explain to you in so many words, the passion that an average Muslim feels about Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). You would have to be a Muslim to understand that bond. The men/women who attacked the cartoonists were ordinary people…not criminals, terrorists or extremists. Call these crimes of passion, they were committed in a rage.”
“We don’t like it either when you draw obscene pictures of Jesus Christ (Hazrat Isa) or any of our other Prophets, peace be upon them all. We don’t like it when you use ‘Jesus Christ’ as an expletive or depict pictures with men urinating on the Bible (which you have now replaced with the Quran). Maybe that is freedom of expression for you, but WE find it extremely disrespectful. We love and respect all our Prophets, starting with Prophet Abraham (pbuh).”
“There is a shared responsibility in a shared society, which includes defending each other’s human dignity. We are endorsed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. Offensive cartoons have appeared over time, especially about Black American and Jews, amongst others.”
“Mocking the human dignity of others in offensive cartoons depicting men and prophets seems to be the medium of those promoting disrespect and outright hatred. There are many things that we are free to do, but we do not do out of respect for others, so that we can co-exist peacefully.”
“What exactly do you think you will achieve by offending ALL Muslims across the globe? Superiority? Or do you think you will defame the Prophet and Islam? I assure you that this will not affect Islam or the character of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the least bit. Chronicles prove that he was a man of impeccable character, erudite, humble, soft spoken and very well mannered and a great leader. No amount of sketching is going to change that. However, we can pretty much predict the outcome of this provocation and offense to the Muslims… more hatred and animosity. Then there will be those who may retaliate, the extremists, the terrorists and those who, in a rage of passion decide to take the law in their own hands… and we, the rest of the Muslims have no control over that. What will you have achieved?”
“We want to publicly show you that we are larger than those who mock us and therefore:”
“‘We appeal to sensible, peace loving Americans and non-Muslims across the world, to stand with us and denounce this open provocation and disrespect. We hope for peace in the next generation, which is dependant on the history we write today. Let us choose Love, not Hate. Love always wins.'”
“Shamira Kashmiri”
[Note: we are publishing the comments of Shamira Kashmiri unedited to show the quoted comments. Please note that we do not, however, agree with any assessment that would suggest that “rage of passion” attacks are anything less than criminal attacks when they involve violence or threats of violence.]
I am responding to your article (which I greatly appreciated). I am a Muslim who wants to share my view of human rights. The following is my answer to your article.”
“The Best Answer is From the Quran.”
“The Quran on Human Dignity and Equality:”
“‘O mankind, Indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.’ (49:13)”
“‘We have certainly honored the children of Adam and carried them on the land and sea and provided for them of the good things and preferred them over much of what We have created, with [definite] preference.’ (17:70)”
“The Quran on Religious Pluralism:”
“‘To each of you We prescribed a law and a method. Had Allah willed, He would have made you one nation [united in religion], but [He intended] to test you in what He has given you; so race to [all that is] good. To Allah is your return all together, and He will [then] inform you concerning that over which you used to differ.’ (5:48)”
“‘Indeed, those who have believed and those who were Jews or Sabeans or Christians – those [among them] who believed in Allah and the Last Day and did righteousness – no fear will there be concerning them, nor will they grieve.’ (5:69)”
“The Quran on Freedom of Religion:”
“‘There shall be no compulsion in [acceptance of] the religion. The right course has become clear from the wrong.’ (2:256)”
“‘Had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed – all of them entirely. Then, [O Muhammad], would you compel the people in order that they become believers?’ (10:99)”
“‘The truth is from your Lord, so whoever wills – let him believe; and whoever wills – let him disbelieve.’ (18:29)”
“The Quran on Peace and Forgiveness:”
“‘Abraham said, ‘Peace will be upon you. I will ask forgiveness for you of my Lord. Indeed, He is ever gracious to me.” (19:47)”
“‘The servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them [harshly], they say [words of] ‘peace!’ (25:63)”
“‘If they incline to peace, then incline to it [also] and rely upon Allah. Indeed, it is He who is the Hearing, the Knowing.’ (8:61)”
“‘Hold to forgiveness; command what is right; and turn away from the ignorant.’ (7:199)”
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) condemns hate and violence. We support our unqualified, universal human rights, including our freedom of conscience and the pluralism to allow such freedoms. We urge all those who promote hate and violence to unburden their hearts from hate and violence.
The following are a series of articles from the Sheboygan Press, some of which are no longer available online about protests against a mosques in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. We challenge those who reject freedom of worship and seek to deny human rights and freedoms to any religion or any identity group.
A Manitowoc doctor is proposing to convert the former Tom’s of Wisconsin health store into a Muslim mosque, riling some nearby residents.
March 8, 2010
The Town of Wilson town hall was packed for a public hearing last month when Mansoor Mirza presented plans to invest up to $20,000 to convert the 5,000-square-foot building at 9110 Sauk Trail Road into Sheboygan County’s first mosque.
“It did not go as I expected,” said Mirza, an internist at Woodland Clinic in Manitowoc.
What he said he heard from the audience, many of them from Oostburg, was that the mosque might attract terrorist elements to the area.
Oostburg resident Melvina Gall, who attended the hearing, said a mosque “would be detrimental to the health and welfare of our community. Look at the track record in the past of what the Muslims have done and are doing,” referring to terrorist attacks in recent years.
“He’s going to have people coming from all over the area. I surely don’t know these people,” Gall said. “There might be a couple who might have on their mind to harm Christians.”
Rev. Walter Hackney, interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Oostburg, said he does not oppose the proposed mosque “from a freedom of religion point of view,” but from a safety standpoint.
“Can there be a government official who can assure us that they will not in anyway be teaching or doing things that are unsafe for the community,” he said in a telephone interview. “I have concerns about it.”
In an article titled “The Muslims May Be Coming” that he wrote for the church newsletter, which is available on the church’s Web site, Hackney said:
“Does this group of Muslims denounce violence against Jews, Christians, and other non-Muslims? If so, how much of a paper trail in English and Arabic has the group already written about such matters as 9-11 or the treatment of Jews and Christians in Muslim-majority countries? How much is presently written about these issues on their website? Even more importantly, what kind of accountability will be in place? Will there be a non-Muslim county or village official (that fluently reads and speaks Arabic) who will certify annually that this group is not teaching fundamentalist /terrorist ideologies? If so, who will be paying for this service? Will they seek to have legal exemptions for or special treatment because of their Muslim faith?”
“We are not terrorists,” said Mirza, a Pakistani who moved to the United States in 1988. “We just want for our community to follow our religion and have a place where we can pray.”
Mirza said 80 to 100 Muslim families live in Sheboygan County and that many, if not most, hail from European countries such as Bosnia and Albania. He estimated five to 20 families would attend the Sauk Trail Road mosque, if it’s approved.
The nearest mosques are in Milwaukee, Green Bay and Appleton, he said.
Mirza has applied for a conditional use permit to use the site as a place of worship. The site is currently zoned highway commercial.
After last month’s public hearing, the matter was referred to town staff and will be before the Plan Commission again at 7 tonight for a report from the town’s building inspector and to vote on whether to grant Mirza an extension on his request.
Gall said she and other residents will be on hand, but Town Clerk Cheryl Rostollan said there probably won’t be opportunity for public comment until it comes before the Town Board.
Town Chairman David Gartman said he has received “only one or two phone calls” on the matter.
“I’m trying to not get into a judgment before it comes before us” on the Town Board, Gartman said.
Mirza bought the property as an investment and plans on renting it to the Islamic Society of Sheboygan County. Classes for children to learn the Quran, the Islamic scriptures, have already been held in the building.
Editor’s note: This was a Special Report print-exclusive story that ran Sunday and is now available to online readers.
Officials in the Town of Wilson may decide soon whether to grant a conditional use permit to a group that wants to establish the county’s first mosque in the former Tom’s of Wisconsin building at 9110 Sauk Trail Road.
Mansoor Mirza, a Pakistan-born physician who recently moved to Sheboygan from Manitowoc, bought the property last year and plans to lease it to the Islamic Society of Sheboygan County. Mirza said 80 to 100 Muslim families live in Sheboygan County and that many, if not most, hail from European countries such as Bosnia and Albania. The conditional use permit is needed to allow the site to be used as a place of worship. The site is currently zoned highway commercial.
Technically, the main issue is whether the building’s septic system has been brought up to code, which the Islamic group says it is.
But to many Sheboygan County residents, the debate is between protecting the United States from international terrorism or defending the nation’s Constitutional guarantees of freedom of worship.
It’s a debate that’s divided many people, especially in nearby Oostburg.
Islamic fundamentalists “could walk into this church tonight right where you are sitting and blow us all to smithereens,” Brigitte Gabriel, who leads the Florida-based group, ACT for America, warned an audience of nearly 600 people via live video feed Wednesday night at First Reformed Church in Oostburg.
“This country was founded on religious freedom,” said Richard Edwards, teaching pastor at Bethel Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Oostburg and a professor of philosophy and religious studies at the University of Wisconsin-Sheboygan, who addressed a group of nearly 300 people at his church last Sunday. “These people have a right to worship as they choose and I want to worship the way I choose. Freedom of religion is the American way.”
Since then, “I’ve had some people who have accosted me in a public place and questioned my commitment to Christianity,” he said.
County Supervisor Devin Lemahieu of Oostburg received three anonymous phone calls accusing him of spreading hate speech after he reprinted a three-page article titled, “Stealth Violent Extemism,” from American Legion magazine in the April 29 issue of Lakeshore Weekly, a shopper that he owns. The article says the ultimate goal of Islamic fundamentalists is to institute Islamic law, known as Shariah, throughout the world.
The article was an advertisement paid for by Bill Hopeman, a Hingham shop owner, and “three or four others,” Hopeman said. He declined further comment.
Also in that edition was an advertisement from the Rev. Les Kuiper, senior pastor of First Christian Reformed Church in Oostburg. In the ad, Kuiper noted that his church gives up to $90,000 a year to a missionary in an Islamic country.
“I doubt that this missionary would post a public message declaring that his neighbor’s god is a deceptive anti-Christ who threatens public safety and security,” Kuiper wrote, referring to other ads that had appeared in the Lakeshore Weekly the week before.
“Generally, the ad was in response to the tenor that seems to be in our community right now,” Kuiper said in a telephone interview. “There seems to be a lot of fear and I guess I can understand people having some fear, but I guess I don’t think it’s appropriate to make those kind of statements in a public posting.”
Posing a threat
In another meeting last week, more than 150 people on Monday filled the Rocca Room at Mead Public Library to overflowing to hear Karl Kuhn, an ordained United Church of Christ clergyman and religious studies professor at Lakeland College, talk about the basics of Islam and the diversity of people within it.
“The very idea that a gathering of Muslims poses a threat to a community shows a misperception that Islam is inherently connected to violence,” he said. “Muslims everywhere, especially in Western nations, find the actions of terrorists reprehensible.”
He often lost control of the meeting, however, as the audience, evenly split between mosque supporters and opponents, engaged one another.
“What if an imam says it’s time to rise up?” against Americans, one woman yelled. An imam is a Muslim religious cleric.
“I feel very confident that we won’t experience anything but the joy and friendship of neighborhood and fellowship” as a result of a mosque being created, said the Rev. Lorri Steward, pastor of Ebenezer United Church of Christ in Sheboygan.
Mohammed Yessin and his wife, Ebpssam, who moved to Sheboygan from Syria 25 years ago and hope to attend the new mosque, were at the Monday night event “to hear what people are thinking,” he said.
“They asked some good questions. They asked some crazy questions, too,” said Yessin, a Kohler Co. retiree who raised five children in Sheboygan, all of whom graduated from North High School. “Overall, I was pleased with what I heard.”
Without the mosque, Yessin and other Muslims say, they will have to continue traveling to Milwaukee, Appleton, Green Bay or Kenosha to find a place to worship.
The Rev. Gregory Whelton, senior pastor of St. John’s United Church of Christ in Sheboygan, said, “I’m absolutely certain that if any Christian said the nearest church was in Milwaukee or Green Bay or Madison, they would want to have one closer. It doesn’t seem very Christ-like to not allow them to do that.”
Whelton is president of the Sheboygan County Ministerial Association, which sponsored the Monday forum.
“Our Muslim neighbors are here and they’ve been here for years,” he said.
Public safety an issue
The Rev. Wayne DeVrou, senior pastor of First Reformed Church in Oostburg, opposes the mosque and says the town should reject the proposal on public safety grounds.
That’s because, he says, the Islamic Society of Sheboygan County is affiliated with the Islamic Society of Milwaukee, which is a member of the Washington, D.C.-based Islamic Society of North America and of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, both of which have been accused of being fronts for terrorist organizations.
In an e-mail to town officials, he wrote: “I have reasons to be skeptical of what the true intentions of the (Islamic Society of Sheboygan County) are in relation to the future use of the facility, what will be taught in the mosque and their affiliations with terrorist groups. I believe that they are misrepresenting themselves to you and the surrounding community.”
The Rev. Walter Hackney, interim pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Oostburg, said in an article he wrote for his church’s newsletter that if the mosque is approved, the town should hire an Arabic-speaking staff member to keep tabs on the group.
“What kind of accountability will be in place? Will there be a non-Muslim county or village official (who fluently reads and speaks Arabic) who will certify annually that this group is not teaching fundamentalist/terrorist ideologies?” he wrote.
DeVrou agreed that there are no guarantees of what might be taught in the mosque.
“There is currently no law against teaching hatred in mosques,” DeVrou wrote in an e-mail. “The local ordinance (to grant the conditional use permit) will have to be approved or denied without (consideration of) any of these factors, including the potential risk of safety.”
DeVrou has a son in the U.S. Army who is currently stationed in Afghanistan.
“I have a vested interest in this,” he said.
Community support
Last year, the town granted a conditional use permit to a church under similar circumstances. Mirza, the physician who bought the building, has said he will sue the town if it does not approve the application.
Mirza said he believes the Sheboygan-area community is generally supportive of his efforts to convert the 5,000-square-foot building into a mosque.
“Ninety percent of the people in Sheboygan are in support of the mosque,” he said.
Kuiper and Edwards said they’re concerned that the uproar over the mosque is distracting local churches from their true mission.
“Rather than being afraid, I think we as Christians simply need to be confident of the good news that we represent and focus on communicating the good news instead of reacting out of fear,” Kuiper said.
Kuiper said he doesn’t believe the issue has been divisive in the community, at least among the Oostburg clergy, who gather every Thursday for breakfast. Kuiper said the group is in the process of drafting a statement of unity in response to the debate.
Additional Facts
Coming up
The Town of Wilson Plan Commission will meet at 7 p.m. Monday to vote on recommending a conditional use permit to the building at 9110 Sauk Trail Road to be used as a place of worship. The Town Board will vote on whether to grant the conditional use permit when it meets at 6 p.m. Monday, May 17. Public comment will only be taken at the May 17 meeting.
After an hour and a half of fiery discussion, including comments from two dozen speakers, and before an audience of more than 120 people, the Wilson Town Board voted unanimously Monday night to grant a conditional use permit for Sheboygan County’s first mosque.
With the approval, Mohammad Hamad, the Imam, or spiritual leader, of the local Muslim community, said the first worship service at the former Tom’s of Wisconsin health food store at 9110 Sauk Trail Road would be held Friday, the traditional day of worship for Muslims.
Hamad said he was happy the process was over.
“I believe right now we have to focus on the future and put this harsh talk behind us,” Hamad said after the meeting.
“I was a little surprised at the misunderstanding” about Islam and the local Muslim community, he said, adding but the mosque will help open a door to better understanding.”
The proposal had drawn large crowds over the last several months to town Plan Commission meetings and several hundreds to public forums at local churches and other locations, with some saying the U.S. Constitutional guarantee of freedom of worship dictated approval while others said the mosque could attract Islamic fundamentalists and even terrorists to the area.
“I assume they are nice citizens,” Gordon Monson, of Sheboygan, said Monday night, referring to the Muslim community, a couple of dozen of whom were in the audience Monday night. “But they belong to an organization with a bad history.”
A member of the audience expresses her views Monday night while a speaker addresses the Town of Wilson Town Board on whether to grant a conditional use permit for a mosque in the town. Photo by Gary C. Klein/The Sheboygan Press (The Sheboygan Press)
— Detroit News: Vandals hit Downriver mosque twice within a week
— Detroit News reports “Brownstown Township — Police are investigating two incidents of vandalism that happened within a week at a local mosque.”
— “Windows were broken and doors were smashed at the Masjid Umar-bin-Khattab Mosque on May 9 and again on Saturday, with the second attack caught on videotape, said spokesman Muhammad Khan.”
— “‘You can see five young persons on the recording,’ Khan said.”
When we promote cartoons that mock an individual religion, race, gender, or ethnicity, are we mocking them – or mocking human dignity?
In April 2010, a controversial U.S. comedy television cartoon “South Park” censored one of their broadcasts which was to include a cartoon of Muhammad along with other religious figures in their cartoon, after receiving threats from the New York blog “Revolution Muslim.” As a response to the South Park censorship, one cartoonist, Molly Norris, came up with the satirical suggestion to make May 20 as “Draw Muhammad Day.” Molly Norris was shocked that people took her “joke” seriously, and planned to indeed hold a “Draw Muhammad Day” on May 20; Ms. Norris has since called for this to be canceled, but some still plan to do this.
Despite the predictable offense to Muslims, a number of cartoonists have done cartoons of Muhammad and Muslims. Cartoons of Muhammad have been done and published by Swedish artist Lars Vilks and by Danish political cartoonist Kurt Westergaard. There has been an extreme reaction to these (and other) cartoons. Lars Vilks was recently assaulted during a lecture on free speech in Sweden, and was the target of a transatlantic murder plot that including two American women promoting violent jihad. In January 2010, Kurt Westergaard’s home was broken into by a man with an axe and a knife. Both have received numerous death threats. There have been numerous threats and protests by Muslims offended by cartoon of Muhammad. Such outrage is not limited only to violent extremists, as many Muslims view images of Muhammad to be disrespectful to their religious views.
Nor is such outrage limited to individuals and groups. On April 15, 2008, the Pakistan National Assembly passed a resolution to urge the United Nations to support an international death penalty for those responsible for such cartoon “blasphemy.” This Pakistan National Assembly session was attended by Pakistan Prime Minister Gilani, “who arrived moments after the passage of the resolutions.” So while it may be comforting to only subscribe such concerns to a few “radicals” in groups like “Revolution Muslim,” clearly there is a broader group around the world who find such cartoons outrageous enough to warrant “capital punishment.”
In the West, there have been a number of articles on this subject by Muslim authors, explaining why Muslims are offended by such cartoons. On Muslim author, Shahed Amanulla, decries the idea of “Draw Muhammad Day” as “Collectively Punishing Muslim Americans.” Another Muslim author, Zahed Amanullah, states that while he is offended by such cartoons, “For many Muslims, pointing to a cartoon, a teddy bear, or a voodoo doll and saying it’s the prophet, doesn’t make it so. We know better than to worship them.” Mr. Amanullah clearly states that there is diversity of opinion on this subject among Muslims.
Public comments to such articles by Muslim authors often complain that they don’t sufficiently defend our human rights of freedom of expression. So I am writing this from the perspective of a non-Muslim supporter of our universal human rights, with a statement on our responsibility for human dignity, a message to non-Muslim readers, and a message to Muslim readers.
Human Rights and Responsibilities include Human Dignity
Does our human rights include the “right” to be offensive? Yes, they do. But along with our rights also come responsibilities that are inherent in any shared society. That includes the responsibility to also defend each others’ human dignity. Such commitment to human dignity is a fundamental part of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, signed by the United States of America and other nations of the world.
Human dignity is also recognized in the preamble of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which recognizes “the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” The signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10, 1948 by the nations of the world included a statement that the United Nations recognized such rights as part of their respect “in the dignity and worth of the human person and in the equal rights of men and women.”
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was created in the aftermath of Adolf Hitler’s Nazi Germany, a nation that brought crimes against humanity to a level not previously witnessed by mankind. But one of the Nazis’ first tool to degrade and attack human dignity was Julius Streicher’sDer Sturmer newspaper created in 1923; Streicher was inspired to join the Nazi party after hearing an Adolf Hitler speech in 1921.
From 1923 through the end of Nazi Germany, Der Sturmer (“the Attacker”) was a publication that attacked the humanity and dignity of Jews in Germany and around the world, using “cartoons.” The notorious Der Sturmer cartoons were historically significant in spreading images to degrade Jews and portray them as enemies against Germans and all of humanity. The Der Sturmer anti-Semitic newspaper and cartoons were used to spread hate against Jews throughout Germany among the common man, and were distributed to Germans in countries around the world. The Calvin College states that the distribution reached over 2 million readers at one point. Along with the cartoons degrading and spreading hatred towards Jews, Der Sturmer’s fevered pitch of hate against Jews called for extermination of the Jewish people, for which Julius Streicher was tried and convicted of war crimes. The Nuremberg courts that convicted him warned of “the poison that he has put into the minds of millions of young boys and girls will continue on for years to come, since he concentrated so much of his hatred for the Jews.”
Anyone who has seen the Der Sturmer cartoons and articles can readily see the truth in this. Jews were caricatured in hateful ways that did not end with Nazi Germany. The hate cartoons by Der Sturmer and others sought to degrade, dehumanize, and strip the dignity from Jews. Yet the Der Sturmer hate cartoons remain alive on the Internet, and are part of the root web site of the “white nationalist hate group” Stormfront in America. In America, the Der Sturmer cartoons are viewed as part of our freedom of expression – despite all the horrors that they contributed to.
How can humanity not have learned its lessons after seeing the consequences of demonizing and degrading identity groups in Nazi Germany? But we know it did not and has not. Even as the United States of America was signing the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, offensive cartoons continued to appear and have continued to appear over the decades — especially about black Americans.
Nor have such offensive cartoons been limited to only “fringe” organizations, or relegated only to distant history. Racial caricature cartoons of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice have appeared in the Washington Post and many other publications. The parade of racial caricature cartoons of President Barack Obama have been in many places.
Iran has hosted an International Holocaust Cartoon Competition of its own for those who deny that the Holocaust took place. In many parts of the Arab press (as well as the Western media), anti-Semitic cartoons degrading and dehumanizing Jews and Israeli leaders have been commonly published for many years.
There seems to be no end of ways to create offensive cartoons about any race, religion, gender, or national origin. Mocking the human dignity of others in offensive cartoons depicting men, women, children seems to be the great equalizer of those promoting disrespect and some cases, outright hatred. Still, offensive cartoons have been defended by our freedom of expression.
We respect such universal human rights. But we also recognize, as did the United Nations in their Universal Declaration of Human Rights that all human beings are also equal in dignity as well. Such human dignity is not just a right, it is also a responsibility.
A Message to Non-Muslim Readers
Cartoons about Muhammad has caused an outcry of indignation by offended Muslims, especially in Muslim majority nations. To non-Muslim readers, I am aware that one of the main reasons for the continued popularity of cartoons about Muhammad and Muslims to some non-Muslims is a defiance to those telling you that you are not allowed to do this. The perspective is “I’ll show them what I can and cannot do. I’ll show them about how they seek to silence my freedom of expression.” People like to win arguments, and they don’t like being told what they can and cannot express. But there is also a point at which your reason must also win over your emotions of frustration.
There are many things that we are “free” to do, but we do not do out of respect for others, as part of civil society, and to peacefully co-exist. We are free to spit on our neighbor’s lawn, but if we want to be good neighbors that live in peace, we do not. Do you feel deprived, censored, from not offending your neighbor? Of course not. You know better. You have to live together.
But when it comes to cartoons about Muhammad and Muslims, such reason seems to disappear. Some seek to demonize Muslims in cartoons to prove their “freedom of expression.” What do you really think you are accomplishing by offending Muslims? Do you think that demonizing Muslims will impact religious extremism or extremism? What minds do you think contempt will change? What hearts do you think disrespect will reach?
Some non-Muslims are simply angry, tired of being threatened, and want to “strike back” at religious extremists by targeting all Muslims. Have you considered that by seeking to offend all Muslims to get back at religious extremists that you have judged all Muslims as one, singular monolithic group that must all think and believe the same way? How different is it for non-Muslims to condemn all Muslims than it is for Muslim religious extremists to condemn all non-Muslims unequivocally?
In your anger and frustration, aren’t you becoming exactly what you seek to condemn?
What really infuriates many of you is the inconsistency on public condemnations of offensive expressions. This is especially the case among many Christians, whose images are regularly defiled and disgraced in art galleries, national television, on the Internet. Some believe that “well, if our religious views can be mocked, why can’t theirs?” But you also know “two wrongs don’t make a right.” Christians also are commanded to love their fellow human beings. Currently a popular anti-Islam website has an image of the cartoon character “Calvin” urinating on the Qur’an. It is no small irony that the image is simply a Photoshop modification of the cartoon character “Calvin” urinating on the Christian cross, or anything else someone respects.
You can choose to be different from those whose actions outrage you, or you can choose to be no different. Which choice do you think will gain you credibility in the world? Have we learned nothing from humanity’s history of living together?
A Message to Muslim Readers
To Muslim readers, it is reasonable to expect respect and human dignity. It is reasonable to expect that your religious views and images are not offended. Such human dignity is both a right and a responsibility. However, we must all recognize that statements and images that we merely view as offensive are not a crime. We may view such images and comments as disrespectful, contemptible, but we also know that “two wrongs don’t make a right.” While the majority of the likely Muslim readers are no doubt stating, “of course, I know that,” the reality is that in many parts of the world (including in the West), there are those who continue to seek to punish “blasphemy” with capital punishment – either legally or by taking the law into their own hands and claiming they are divinely guided.
To challenge such views, it is essential that more Muslims are visible to the public in supporting our unqualified, universal human rights, and are visible to the public taking exception to those who would defy such freedoms. We need more public demonstrations of our shared commitment for human rights, pluralism, and dignity – and not just on the Internet or in conference rooms, but in the public together.
I know that you have other things to do with your life besides condemning Muslim extremists and other extremists. You have family, school, job, and other responsibilities that demand your time and attention. But the hope for peace for the next generation is largely dependent on the history that we write today. Whether that history is only written by the angry and the offensive or whether that history is written by those committed to our universal human rights – is our decision. We must continue to defend such human rights by defying religious extremists who would rationalize violence and hate against others.
I offer Muslim readers the opportunity on May 20 to publicly express online their own commitment to our universal human rights and pluralism, as a counter to “Draw Muhammad Day.” Provide your responses on your commitment to our universal human rights and pluralism via at info@realcourage.org, and they will be shared with the world on Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)’s web site at RealCourage.org.
I invite you to use May 20 as an opportunity to publicly show that you are larger than those who would mock you and share your convictions on our shared human rights and pluralism.
Our Choices, Our Responsibilities
Contempt and hate have the same universal application, regardless of our religion, race, gender, or ethnicity.
But we can choose a different path. Instead of choosing universal contempt, we can choose a path of universal human rights and dignity.
We share a common conscience towards how we treat humanity and how respect each other. We share a common responsibility to our shared universal human rights. We share a common obligation to upholding each others human dignity.
I have dusted off one of my own “cartoon” characters from when I was a small boy, a stick man figure that I used to call “Mr. Blank.” I have added him here to make a point – anyone can make a cartoon, everyone has free expression. It is our choice and our responsibility how we use that free expression.
We are Responsible for Equality And Liberty.
In defending those universal human rights, we are also Responsible for Human Dignity.
WOKV reports that “The FBI is looking at this case as a possible hate crime, and now they’re analyzing it as a possible act of domestic terrorism. ‘It was a dangerous device, and had anybody been around it they could have been seriously injured or killed,’ says Special Agent James Casey. ‘We want to sort of emphasize the seriousness of the thing and not let people believe that this was just a match and a little bit of gasoline that was spread around.'” WJXT also reports that the FBI characterized the failed attacker as someone with knowledge of explosives, and at this time the suspect is wanted for arson and hate crimes. According to UPI, there were 60 people in the building at the time of the attack. First Coast News in Jacksonville is reporting on the condemnation of the possible terrorist attempt by local and national community leaders.
The FBI has released a surveillance video of the suspect in the May 10, 2010 attack on the Jacksonville, Florida mosque. From the video, the suspect appears to be a middle-aged white man.
Image of May 10 Attacker from Surveillance Videos (Photo: FBI)
The FBI is asking for those with any information on the May 10, 2010 bombing to contact the FBI at 904-248-7000, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office at 904-630-0500, or CrimeStoppers of Northeast Florida at 866-277-8477.
Islamic Center of Northeast Florida (ICNEF) in Jacksonville, Florida (Photo: ICNEF web site)
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Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) condemns such hate and violence. We support our unqualified, universal human rights, including our freedom of conscience and the pluralism to allow such freedoms. We urge all those who promote hate and violence to unburden their hearts from hate and violence.
On May 10, 2010 at 9:35 PM, there was a firebomb attack at the Islamic Center of Northeast Florida (ICNEF) in Jacksonville, Florida. Media reports state that no one was injured and no significant damage was done.
WJXT reports that the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department stated that “an explosive device caused a small fire” at the back of the building. The fire was put out with fire extinguishers and caused minimal damage. WJXT also reported that the FBI had obtained surveillance video of a man who was carrying a gasoline can, and that the video would be released later on May 11, 2010.
WOKV reported that in April 2010 a man interrupted a service at the Jacksonville mosque, stating “stop this blaspheming” and said that “I will be back.” Police have not yet established if there is any connnection.
Islamic Center of Northeast Florida (ICNEF) in Jacksonville, Florida (Photo: ICNEF web site) WOKV Photo of ICNEF After Attack (Photo: WOKV)
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) condemns such hate and violence. We support our unqualified, universal human rights, including our freedom of conscience and the pluralism to allow such freedoms. We urge all those who promote hate and violence to unburden their hearts from hate and violence.
