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Should Muslims be upset about this? Probably not. Muslims themselves have depicted Mohammed in art in the past, although usually covering the face - nobody kno
by jheriko 17y ago
Should Muslims be upset about this? Probably not.
Muslims themselves have depicted Mohammed in art in the past, although usually covering the face - nobody knows what he looked like so it is not possible to depict his face accurately... so I have always assumed it was just a mark of respect. e.g. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Siyer-i_Nebi_151b.jpg http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Siyer-i_Nebi_151b.jpg
Besides that, I think retaliating with violence is pretty unacceptable if you truly live by the Koran - It says nowhere inside of it that such depictions are forbidden - but it does say in plenty of places that unlawful killing (by the law of the Koran) is forbidden and that it displeases Allah. Since depictions of Mohammed break no law in the Koran, how can murder be justified in retaliation? (Koran 4:29, 5:28-32 etc.)
In his own lifetime, Mohammed offered shelter and guidance to those who had defamed him public, removed him from his home, chased and persecuted him and his people... I wonder what he would think of all this today?
- tome 17y agoWho cares whether violence is or is not permitted in the Koran? Retaliating with violence is completely unacceptable for any person who values sense.
- jheriko 17y agoMuslims care - that was why I took that line of argument. Its much easier to convince people on their own terms.
- tome 17y agoI see. I hope you're right, but I fear you're wrong. The culture of physical intimidation and oppression is just that, a culture. Religion is used to justify it, but never stands up to scrutiny. I don't think there's such a thing as a resonable muslim, or indeed reasonable christian, there are just reasonable people, independent of their religion. Either someone can see that threats of murder are unacceptable or they cannot. Rereading of their holy book is not going to change what's formed in them due to the culture which they have been exposed to their whole lives.
- euroclydon 17y agoRereading of their holy book is not going to change what's formed in them due to the culture which they have been exposed to their whole lives. I agree with you that culture is hugely important in determining what a person considers to be justifiable killing. I don't agree that re-reading their holy scripture can not change their attitude. People have life-changing religious experiences all the time. One reformed murderer comes to mind who actually went on to write a large chunk of Christian scripture.
- xenthral 17y ago> "In his own lifetime, Mohammed offered shelter and guidance to those who had defamed him public, removed him from his home, chased and persecuted him and his people... I wonder what he would think of all this today?" According to some hadith he also ordered the assassination of poets and artists who mocked him, after he rose to power, so its not a black and white issue of precedence, though it seems many fundamentalists interpret the assassination as the last say.
- theotherside 17y agoSource? As a muslim, I have never heard about this. Tradition holds that he was exceedingly overbearing with his persecutors, the most notable example being forgiving the persons who killed his pregnant daughter while fleeing Mecca, after they came into his hands as captives. (Note that it doesn't matter if you believe the historical record, only that this is the ideal that Muslims hold themselves to.)
- jimfl 17y agoYou will find it to be a challenge to reason someone out of a position they did not reason themselves into.
- pmichaud 17y agoThe injunction against pictures of him is part of a wider injunction against idols. Muslims don't generally create realistic art for fear that the representation could lead to temptation to worship a false idol, which IS against the book. Because of the source of the rule, pictures of Mohammed are especially forbidden, because they pose an extra risk of being worshiped.