A few years ago, a Danish newspaper printed political cartoons (shown below) depicting the Prophet Muhammad and satirizing his appearance to reflect the violent nature of Islamic extremism. Now it seems that the cartoons are being reprinted in European newspapers that wish to chronicle the death threats received by the cartoonist Kurt Westergaard. Naturally this is going to have two possible outcomes: the Islamic world erupts in the same fashion it did before; or there is a minimal outcry and nobody pays attention. A betting man should take his chances with the former.
The Muslim world is a perpetual powder keg that seems to continually be on fire. Someone intermittently pours a few extra clumps of explosives in there and the scene really gets shaken up. The problem with this is that the region is extremely sensitive to religious statements. And markedly so after the events of September 11th. This is a sign of the glaring social immaturity of the Middle East and it's pervasive bleak "world vs. us" outlook". Is there a bit of social Darwinism in that statement? Yes, admittedly so. However, it isn't being used to promote eugenics, but an understanding of what is happening in the Muslim world.
The histories show that, for the larger part of the Classical Era, the Middle East was a hub of culture and science. They presented the world with advances in medicine, mathematics, social equality (one of the most celebrated Persian generals of the Battle of Salamis was a woman), and technology. And Europe, for all its historical glory, was mired in 1000 years of darkness after the fall of the Roman Empire. It was a continent ruled by divine right warlords, social oppression, and religious zealotry. Sound familiar?
The Middle East, during that time period, was going through an age of transformation and success. It was the corridor of trade between Europe and Asia. By using its geographical location as an economic advantage, the Middle East was able to fend off constant European transgression into the holy lands and ultimately lay a foundation for an empire that would last longer than the Romans. So what happened? Why is there so much religious fanaticism that has lead to the death of possibly hundred's of thousands of people? As Western society evolved out of religious extremism and into the Enlightenment, their new god became money instead of faith. And although racial and gender equality have only recently been achieved, money only knows money and does not see in colors or gender.
As the West was beginning to stage conflicts within itself over economics instead of God, the Middle East was devolving into what Europe was shedding. Now, it is completely unfair to characterize current Middle East as a product of its own devices. The treatment of the region during the peace conference at Versailles and Cold War allegiances did much to root anti-Western sentiment amongst the people. The advent of sea routes and other progressive technologies allowed the West to reach the East without the need to deal with the region. In other words, the Middle East's economic significance was marginalized heavily. And poverty is a fertile breeding ground for religious fundamentalism.
Even now, the Middle East is on the verge of squandering what is perhaps the greatest natural resource in history. As developed economies begin to root out their addiction to oil, the Middle East will once again become economically marginalized. The tenements of Sharia Law and tribal conflicts will likely push the region further into the abyss of political and economic insignificance. And even if the West leaves the region due to a lack of strategic importance, the United States and its allies will most likely be the scapegoat for the people's problems.
The aim of this piece is to single out the Middle East and Islamic culture. It does not matter that America has its own brand of fundamentalism; nor does it matter that perhaps only a small percentage of Muslims are extremists. What matters in the 21st century is perception. In the information age where mass media rules the day, perception is what drives popular opinion and policy making. If the average Islamic citizen wants to correct the world's view on their religion and culture, they must take action against the extreme elements and correct the perception themselves. Otherwise, the region will be viewed as nothing but a wasteland of insanity searching for any excuse to explode.
This is what the caricatures of Muhammad did two years ago, and it is what they are going to do when reprinted later this week. There will be a wave of childish violence staged by Muslims across the Middle East in the forms of effigy burning, flag torching, and death threats to liberal media across the world. How ironic. When the media satirizes Muslim's as being violent, they respond in kind. In essence, their outrage only furthers the stereotype and perception that Islam is a religion of the sword. Perhaps it is their privilege to be so righteously angry at the depiction of the Prophet. However, if the West were to appease this sentiment then we are only allowing these extremist groups to defeat us through the liberal channels that they simultaneously seek to destroy.
I applaud the Danish and other European newspapers that are reprinting the cartoons later this week. It shows a sense of Western solidarity and belief in our values as a culture. We should not compromise the rights that our society values for the incessant whining of a social structure which would take those rights from us without a modicum of thought. And if they continue with such a response, then they will be left behind as the world around them progresses.
The Muslim world is a perpetual powder keg that seems to continually be on fire. Someone intermittently pours a few extra clumps of explosives in there and the scene really gets shaken up. The problem with this is that the region is extremely sensitive to religious statements. And markedly so after the events of September 11th. This is a sign of the glaring social immaturity of the Middle East and it's pervasive bleak "world vs. us" outlook". Is there a bit of social Darwinism in that statement? Yes, admittedly so. However, it isn't being used to promote eugenics, but an understanding of what is happening in the Muslim world.
The histories show that, for the larger part of the Classical Era, the Middle East was a hub of culture and science. They presented the world with advances in medicine, mathematics, social equality (one of the most celebrated Persian generals of the Battle of Salamis was a woman), and technology. And Europe, for all its historical glory, was mired in 1000 years of darkness after the fall of the Roman Empire. It was a continent ruled by divine right warlords, social oppression, and religious zealotry. Sound familiar?
The Middle East, during that time period, was going through an age of transformation and success. It was the corridor of trade between Europe and Asia. By using its geographical location as an economic advantage, the Middle East was able to fend off constant European transgression into the holy lands and ultimately lay a foundation for an empire that would last longer than the Romans. So what happened? Why is there so much religious fanaticism that has lead to the death of possibly hundred's of thousands of people? As Western society evolved out of religious extremism and into the Enlightenment, their new god became money instead of faith. And although racial and gender equality have only recently been achieved, money only knows money and does not see in colors or gender.
As the West was beginning to stage conflicts within itself over economics instead of God, the Middle East was devolving into what Europe was shedding. Now, it is completely unfair to characterize current Middle East as a product of its own devices. The treatment of the region during the peace conference at Versailles and Cold War allegiances did much to root anti-Western sentiment amongst the people. The advent of sea routes and other progressive technologies allowed the West to reach the East without the need to deal with the region. In other words, the Middle East's economic significance was marginalized heavily. And poverty is a fertile breeding ground for religious fundamentalism.
Even now, the Middle East is on the verge of squandering what is perhaps the greatest natural resource in history. As developed economies begin to root out their addiction to oil, the Middle East will once again become economically marginalized. The tenements of Sharia Law and tribal conflicts will likely push the region further into the abyss of political and economic insignificance. And even if the West leaves the region due to a lack of strategic importance, the United States and its allies will most likely be the scapegoat for the people's problems.
The aim of this piece is to single out the Middle East and Islamic culture. It does not matter that America has its own brand of fundamentalism; nor does it matter that perhaps only a small percentage of Muslims are extremists. What matters in the 21st century is perception. In the information age where mass media rules the day, perception is what drives popular opinion and policy making. If the average Islamic citizen wants to correct the world's view on their religion and culture, they must take action against the extreme elements and correct the perception themselves. Otherwise, the region will be viewed as nothing but a wasteland of insanity searching for any excuse to explode.
This is what the caricatures of Muhammad did two years ago, and it is what they are going to do when reprinted later this week. There will be a wave of childish violence staged by Muslims across the Middle East in the forms of effigy burning, flag torching, and death threats to liberal media across the world. How ironic. When the media satirizes Muslim's as being violent, they respond in kind. In essence, their outrage only furthers the stereotype and perception that Islam is a religion of the sword. Perhaps it is their privilege to be so righteously angry at the depiction of the Prophet. However, if the West were to appease this sentiment then we are only allowing these extremist groups to defeat us through the liberal channels that they simultaneously seek to destroy.
I applaud the Danish and other European newspapers that are reprinting the cartoons later this week. It shows a sense of Western solidarity and belief in our values as a culture. We should not compromise the rights that our society values for the incessant whining of a social structure which would take those rights from us without a modicum of thought. And if they continue with such a response, then they will be left behind as the world around them progresses.
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