The Hatred Movie and US Hypocrisy

(Shabeer Ahmed, Islamabad)

When you attack black people, They call it "Racism", When you attack Jewish people, They call it "Anti-semetism", When you attack Women, They call it "Gender discrimination", When you attack Homosexuality, They call it "Intolerance", When you attack your Country, They call it "Terrorism", When you attack a Religious sect, they call it "Hate speech", But when They attack at the dignity of the Last Prophet of God Muhammad (Peace be upon him), They call it " Freedom of Expression " . This is the highest hypocrisy and double standards. The French exhibited extreme level of hypocrisy and malice than the Americans, French publishers produced naked cartoons about Prophet (saw) the government termed it the freedom of speech. When the Muslims in France wanted to protest they were deprived of freedom to protest, the French riot police prevented anyone going out to protest.
 
There is enormously growth in Islamphobia in the Western world particularly since the tragedy of 9/11. The blasphemous movie “Innocence Muslims” is not a matter of freedom of speech; it is an incitement and provocation. We live in an era of the ‘war on terror’. Most rational people oppose terrorism, whether committed by states or by organizations and individuals. But the ‘war on terror’ has become a conflict with Islam. The film is an open attack on Islam and forcefully links the Prophet of Islam with terrorism. They are saying that he is the root of terrorism around the globe and that if you want to fight terrorism, you have to battle this man and his followers. They are saying you have to root out Islam.

The free speech cannot be held up as an abstract right. With free speech comes a responsibility. Your freedom stops where other people’s freedom begins. In his instructions to the jury, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett stated that the First Amendment protection of free speech has limits, including vulgar, offensive and shocking statements, and that the jury must decide "whether the defendant's actions would be highly offensive to a reasonable person, whether they were extreme and outrageous and whether these actions were so offensive and shocking as to not be entitled to First Amendment protection". Most of us might have heard the name of “Hide Park”, it is located in London. You are free to express of your thoughts and preach ideology but you are never allowed to give any negative remarks about the British Queen, it is considered a heinous crime against the crown and monarchy. Now from this minor example one can judge that how gratitude and honor is given to the kings but what about the prophets of God? Is caricaturing them not a heinous crime? Are prophets inferior to kings and queens? Also the Western World and America have double standards towards Muslims in the context of the right to freedom of speech.

This freedom of speech does not apply when it is the matter of Julian Assange, the founder of the Wikileaks who was expressing his views, showing world the real black face of the US but Julian’s mouth now has been sealed thus depriving him of the right to freedom of speech. Similarly, Mark Oven is also the victim of US injustice and is facing trial for penning up “No Easy Day”, thus he was also not granted the right to freedom of speech. See also Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire , a case where certain personal slurs and obscene utterances by an individual were found unworthy of First Amendment protection, due to the potential for violence resulting from their utterance. On May 29, 2006, President George W. Bush signed into law the Respect for America's Fallen Heroes Act, prohibiting protests within 300 feet (91 m) of the entrance of any cemetery under control of the National Cemetery Administration from 60 minutes before to 60 minutes after a funeral. Penalties for violating the act are up to $100,000 in fines and up to one year imprisonment. The bill garnered overwhelming bipartisan support in Congress with a 408–3 vote in the House, with 21 not voting, and a unanimous vote in the Senate. Want to know more about double standards of America?

There is strictly ban on the subject of Holocaust in the western world and in America that even people are jailed, fined and even sentenced to life prison if they discuss Holocaust publicly. Nobody has permission to utilize the right to freedom of speech in the context of Holocaust. In addition to it, there is no exercise of right to freedom of speech when someone wants to produce documentaries and films on 9/11, before filming anything you are bounded to get the script approved by the Pentagon and the Library of the Congress, but if you want to make an anti-Islam movie you need not to seek permission from the authorities because it is your constitutional right, you are free to practice your freedom of speech do whatever your heart says, whether to draw blasphemous cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) or make a movie but be careful, never ever try to depict Reverend Jesse Jackson as a golliwog, or of a hooked nose Jew counting money, the liberal press would turn against you and would boycott you, full of angry editorials would be written denouncing the racism of such images. You don’t have the right to freedom of speech when it is the matter of publishing private photos of the Prince William and Kate Middleton otherwise legal prosecution will be taken against you but oh yes, if you want to print any of blasphemous cartoons of the divine prophets, no legal action would take place and also you need not to seek any permission from the Muslims.

Slogans of racism are merely hollow slogans they are just for other nations of the globe. When in 2003, Jyllands-Posten, the right wing paper that first published the racist caricatures of the prophet Muhammad (SAW), refused to print a cartoon of the resurrection of Jesus fearing that publication of the cartoon would provoke anger among Christians. Freedom of speech implies in labeling Muslims as Jihadi, Fundamentalists, extremists and now terrorists, there is no freedom of speech to call Jews or Christians by such labels. Freedom of speech is when you call for holding competitions on blasphemous cartoons on Facebook and uploading anti-Islam documentaries on You Tube. Freedom of speech will be called when you ban Hijab (veil) in your country and deprive the basic human right from Muslim women. Punish Muslims if they utter the word of ‘veil’ on their lips. So this is your so-called, notorious freedom of speech. Shame on hypocrisy and double standards, the world hates you.

The movies like “Innocence of Muslims” can never be censored in America, the Superpower of the world is helpless to censor it because the producers of such movies and media institutions are beyond the reach of the Pentagon and Washington, the forces whose army is fighting against Afghan Mujahdin and shedding the blood of Iraqis. On the other hand, the history tells us that if a movie is made against the national interests of the country they are immediately censored and producers are punished. One such a movie was “The Pawnbroker (1964) directed by Sidney Lumet that was banned in the US. The photographer Robert Mapplethorpe was also not given the right to freedom of expression in 1990 when the Cincinnati Arts Center arranged a show to feature his photography because it supposed to hurt the feelings of the American nation therefore it must be banned. Also during the same year Mike Diana, an American artist was convicted for obscenity because he had drawn cartoons that were judged legally obscene but if he had drawn blasphemous cartoons like to this day, had he been convicted? Indeed the US has double standards that are deteriorating its democratic face and champions of the human rights. Tatyana Limanova, the Russian newscaster was only dismissed from her job because while reading news she gave president Barack Obama the finger live on air, as the action was an insult for the presidency therefore again the right to freedom of speech was not exercised but if by this action any Asian leader had been insulted, it had been given the right to freedom of speech. Nevertheless, the Hollywood movies such as “Delta Force”, “Retribution” and the “Theft of the Sky”, “Factual Lie”, “Fort” and the drama “World Trade Centre” all were anti-Islam items and were not censored by the Pentagon and the Library of the Congress.

The Western media equipped with highly developed technology is engaged in formulating anti-Islam movies, documentaries and it is also a reality that the Gulf War was a media war; the western media with the power of modern technology broadcasted the gulf war live from the battle-field to the whole world. The participants of that war were CNN, Voice of America, BBC, Monty Charlo (France) and Israeli T.V, but among them the role of CNN was more evident. It had a special pact with Pentagon and was provided with required resources and extra ordinary facilities. Similarly in the battle of Iraq & Afghanistan the media was widely used to legalize the American occupation in those countries. Even today the Western media is intentionally hiding the facts about Iraq and Afghanistan that Allied forces have badly been defeated in both the countries and the soldiers are committing suicide. America now is thinking deeply to call back her armies from these countries.

Perhaps Europe does not know that how important is religion in human beings' life. Again we would repeat our words that it is not the first time the western world has abused Islam in the name of so-called "freedom of speech". The self-proclaimed civilized Christian world has taken such puritan steps in the past too. Islamphobia, a neologism that refers to prejudice or discrimination against Islam or Muslims has been deliberately expressed. Muslims identity is dealt with mockery and terrorism. Even the Holy Quran was dishonored in Baghdad, Kabul and Guantanamo Bay jails. When in 1989 the world notorious writer Salman Rushdie published his "The satanic verses", the Muslim world demonstrated intense anger, abhorrence and hatred, it decried but the British Government paid a deaf ear to the Muslim resistance. It provided shelter to animal-spirit man. Now the US government’s refusal to take action against the producer of “Innocence of Muslims” is adding fuel to the fire that might result in the attacks on US interests around the globe. The US must predict as how dangerously the circumstances will be when the clash of the civilizations takes a speed, therefore it is high time to review anti-Islam policies and support of the blasphemers must be stopped now. Atmosphere of tolerance, peace and harmony ought to be prevailed by leaps and bounds; this is the actual nobility of humanity. The UNO should make blasphemy laws to protect all the prophets of God not merely the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be upon Him) but all the prophets are highly appreciated, respected and noble, they must not be deemed as common human beings as some ill-fated and notorious individuals think so.

Shabeer Ahmed
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