South African Paper Publishes Muhammad Cartoon. See link: http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/africa/05/21/south.africa.mohammed.cartoon/index.html?hpt=T2

While I’m definitely not a fan of CNN, this article really caught my eye, and for once I might actually have to agree. The quote says it all:

“Zapiro said he believes all faiths should be subjected to satire. No religious groups, he said, should be able to think they are above society and not respect freedoms afforded to people who live in democracies.”

I am by no means a religious person. Yes, I believe that there is “something” out there, some sort of afterlife; but I have yet to engage myself with a specific religious following. Maybe it’s because I’m poorly educated about the topic, or maybe it’s just because of my lack of interest. Moreover, maybe it’s because I’m all too aware of the worldwide human suffering taking place around the world at every minute; the religious wars and genocides that claim the lives of millions every year; the religious hatred spewing from issues ranging from racism, reproductive rights, to homosexuality. I suppose that maybe I just focus too much on the negative effects of religion and the devastating consequences I have come to study and observe in university that I feel I have lost interest in any type of religious following.

That being said, it’s important not to dismiss the joy that religion may bring about. Some have used religion to help turn their lives around and help others. Many people are truly happy with their faith, and that is something that I can definitely respect. I believe every human being on this earth has the right to be happy in their lifetime, and if faith is something that will bring that happiness about, then I’m all for it.

However, we live in a global village. There are many, many different walks of life and many different faiths.  I believe that every faith has the right to exist and be followed because honestly, no one has the answers. Let’s face it, there is no one on this planet that can truly say that he or she was present at the beginning of mankind. Therefore, I believe every faith has the right to be heard because there really isn’t any right or wrong answer.

The Muslim faith has been widely recognized, and unfortunately misunderstood by the world since 9/11. Just as any other religion, there are extremists. Always has been, and always will. Every religion has “blood” on their hands, just take a look through a history textbook. The Muslim faith is a stark contrast to what North American and European society is used to, and therefore when 9/11 occurred, the Muslim faith was misunderstood, labeled, and became a global scapegoat. The Muslim faith now has many negative connotations and has become almost a burden to anyone who follows it in North America. While I disagree with many of the “guidelines”, if you may, that make up the Muslim faith (women’s rights abuses), I respect the fact that it is a strongly followed religion from a very different place in the world. Just because you don’t understand something, does not mean that it’s lost its legitimacy. Therefore when 9/11 hit and the Muslim faith was chastised, all that came to mind was the FLQ crisis in Quebec. The Quebec separatist movement was (and some might argue still is) a legitimate movement by French Canadians to separate from the rest of the country. It was the terror caused by two separatist extremists that really ruined the legitimacy of the movement, just as the actions of extremist Muslims ruin the legitimacy of the those who follow the Muslim faith non-violently. It’s true disappointment that I feel when I hear of the new generation of racism targeted towards those of the Middle East, or Muslim/Arab followers here in North America.

Back to my point.

Back in 2007 Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoon artist, drew some pictures depicting the Islamic prophet as a roundabout dog. The image was published in a newspaper in relation to self-censorship and freedom of religion. This caused major outrage and protest by Muslims themselves and foreign governments. Since then, Vilks has faced attempted murders and increasing threats to his life by outraged Muslim followers. Recently, a “campaign” was created on Facebook as “Draw Muhammad Day” to protest the right of expression. As I’m sure you can imagine, this sparked incredible outrage once again, leading Middle Eastern countries to block Facebook altogether. Even the notorious South Park creator faced death threats and backed down from a episode that depicted the prophet in a negative light.

Now to the article. A South African newspaper very recently published a cartoon illustrating the prophet once again; this time depicting the prophet’s followers as lacking a sense of humor. Surprise surprise, Muslim’s are pissed. But I’m at the point now where I agree with the cartoonist, and the quote above says it all. With the hundreds of faiths in the world today, “no religious groups should be able to think they are above society and not respect freedoms afforded to people who live in democracies.” As I stated before, I believe all religions have the right to their own legitimacy and respect. But I do NOT believe that one religion should be granted superiority over another. The Muslim faith is not the first religion to be “picked on”, and it definitely will not be the last. The situation reminds of me a school yard bully who can’t handle a joke or criticism, and resorts to violence and rage to express themselves instead of “taking one for the team” and laughing it off like everyone else manages to do. Using terror and fear to promote a religion’s “superiority” should not be tolerated, whether it’s Islam, Christianity, Hinduism, or any other faith. Muslim populations deserve respect and understanding, but they are pushing a few too many buttons at this point and I think that this South African cartoon might help bring this issue to light.

We’re living in a global village now whether relgious followers like it or not. Can’t we all just get along?