Muslim Reaction To Hate Movie Trailer

M. CHTAINI

09/15/12

The late  Ambassador Christopher Stevens began his international experience in Morocco teaching English as a Peace Corps Volunteer. He was a great friend of the country.
I have always admired these young Americans Peace Corps volunteers in Morocco who were willing to sacrifice the comforts of home and go to Morocco’s cities, villages and countryside to provide services such as teaching in schools and performing health services in dispensaries.

Today, I am at a loss for words about what happened in Libya where U.S. diplomats were killed, a country whose people recently fought and died to overthrow a tyrant. How can the Libyan Revolution lead to this?

The majority of Muslim people in the world  see  the US as a country made up of people they would like to emulate. Americans came from all over the world under different circumstances, often with nothing, to make a new life for themselves. When I first landed at [what is now called] JFK, in 1962, I had $25 dollars in my pocket. In my half century living in America, I know that America’s political system is not perfect, but it is better than any other.

The Muslim world needs to understand that freedom of speech in the U.S. applies to all individuals, including groups whose views are repugnant and unacceptable to the  majority. Such views have recently been directed against Islam, as in the case of  those who call the Muslim God a monkey and burn the Koran and showed a movie clip defaming Islam. These incendiary actions create reactions from factions in the Muslim world who want to exploit this hate speech, whose impact is amplified by media coverage. They are against relations between the U.S. and the Muslim world based on mutual respect and commitment to peace, freedom and economic development and friendship.

The assassination of U.S. diplomats in Libya is a tragedy for their families and the country. It creates yet another wedge in the U.S.- Muslim world relations, just as the war in Iraq and Afghanistan and the anti-islam hate speech.

Why would Libyans, a people who are seeking to be democratic and free of oppression, attack U.S. diplomats? Why would Egyptians, a people who are also seeking to be free, occupy the U.S. Embassy? Why should all the Muslim countries have the reaction that we see today? The swift, organized attacks with heavy weaponry took time to plan and coincided with the 911 anniversary. Was it the terrorists' revenge for the killing of their leaders? Or is this an isolated action? This will be known once the perpetrators of this act are brought to justice and tried. This Friday, the President of Egypt is calling on his supporters to show, by peaceful demonstration, their dissatisfaction with the behavior of the zealots in the U.S. who vilify and defame Islam through mock trials, Koran burning, and movie clips.

Muslims who want live in freedom and democracy like Americans are unfortunately conditioned to accept the belief that their governments are responsible for everything that happens in the Muslim countries because of the way these countries and people have been ruled from the middle ages, through colonialism, until now.
When the extremists in the U.S. behave the way they do against Islam, the majority of the people in Muslim world fail to distinguish between the acts of individuals and the acts of their government. They see these acts as condoned or endorsed by the US government.
As long as the American religious extremists are not held in check there will continue to be reactions from those who manipulate the people in the Muslim world against the U.S., a goal that the terrorists are seeking and will continue to seek.
The question is: Why should American citizens get killed so that the "crazies” in the U.S. can take freedom to this extreme? As we all know, when terrorists cannot attack the target they perceive as being their enemy, they attack the target that is closest to them which symbolizes that enemy. Unfortunately, as long as the “crazies” in the U.S. continue their attacks against Islam, the “crazies” in the Muslim world feel justified to attack innocent U.S. representatives in their respective countries.
Are the “crazies” in both worlds on the verge of instigating a religious war? Or are the majority on both sides try to curb the  incendiary hate speeches and deal with their own extremists?

Those individuals in the U.S. who attack Islam in ways that would not be tolerated if it was Christianity or Judaism, are doing it for money, publicity or self-aggrandizement have contributed to creating a situation in which innocent people have died. They should be held responsible in the court of public opinion and the court of law just as  those in Libya who transformed what could have been a non-violent protest into murder at the U.S. Consulate.

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Comments (8)  

 

+7 #1 Free speech or not? — MH 2012-09-15 08:44

Thank you Mr. Chtaini for your article explaining the freedoms that exist in America. It's part of the constitution and unfortunately it allows "crazies" freedom of speech as well. I would disagree with your last paragraph. The faith of Christians and Jews are attacked regularly in American society and press but they respond with the free speech rights granted them and not with violence and intimidation. Muslims have chosen to respond in violence rather than dialogue and the "crazies" who made the video should not be held responsible for that when they were only exercising their freedom to express their views, as inappropriate and offensive as those views may be to the rest of us. This is what it means to live in a free society. If Muslims want freedom from oppressive governments they need to learn how to respond to free offensive speech in appropriate ways. You can't say you want freedom and then try to suppress it through violence and intimidation when that freedom speaks out against your ideas. You need to make a choice.

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0 #2 Freedom of Speech has limitations — Mr Tazi 2012-09-15 16:03

According to the Freedom Forum Organization, legal systems, and society at large, recognize limits on the freedom of speech, particularly when freedom of speech conflicts with other values or rights.[40] Limitations to freedom of speech may follow the "harm principle" or the "offense principle", for example in the case of pornography, religious belief or hate speech. Limitations to freedom of speech may occur through legal sanction or social disapprobation, or both

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+2 #3 Barking at the wrong tree. — man en blanc 2012-09-16 12:18

Was it a repugnant fourteen minutes YouTube "trailer" that ignited the Muslim world? Maybe, but that's not the full story.
The Arab world has always been a powder keg looking for a match. What we are witnessing is the Arab Spring hangover. So-called "moderate" Muslim have elected prime ministers and the extremists,i.e. Salafists started to salivate at the prospect of an 8th century Khalifat. They feel that they gained a foot in the door, but they are not known for being patient.
What will happen next is anybody's guess. Except that the sleezoids at Foxnews and other right wing nuts seem to know better than us.
The Arab world is fighting for its soul and destiny. Sadly, it will be a very messy journey.

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+2 #4 Wacko against wacko — Nellia 2012-09-16 20:45

RIP Mr Stevens ! You didn't die in vain .

Records of radical muslims will never understand the meaning of free speech .Had the author of this video incited violence against a group of people then he would be sitting in jail ; However this was not the case. The man was a vivious wacko who was exercising his 1st amendment right to free speech and radicals just ended up proving his point by acting like crybaby primates.

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+3 #5 enough — is enough! 2012-09-17 10:47

While I flat out abhor what this wacko did to insult the prophet (PBUH) I equally abhor the reaction of the thousands of the so-called "Muslims" that does nothing but tarnishes the reputation of a great religion. The "wackos" to be can see clearly now that there are Millions of uneducated 3rd world Muslims who would "take the bate" every single time to validate the inaccurate belief many westerners already have about Islam. They then leave it to us "real Muslims" having to defend their stupid / laughable reactions. In honestly, I think it is time for the real Muslims "the educated ones I mean" not those we see in picture with missing teeth, screaming at the top of their lungs with tchach tayr min foumhoum", or those who got refused Visas to US (in the case of those Moroccan demonstrating in front of the consulate of Casablanca :0 ) to step in and say enough is enough. Stop acting like idiots and calling yourselves Muslims. Otherwise these idiots are going to do everything in their capacity to make life hard for non-Muslims that defend us or any person contemplating to convert to our great religion.

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+1 #6 Mirror Mirror on the wall.. — Riz1 2012-09-18 00:27

I do find the video insulting and whilst I myself can ignore it and turn a blind eye, I can certainly see how many right wing extremists would use it to batter the USA rather than the person who created it. The reactions to the video go further than just the content, with the USA’s unconditional support for Israel at the helm of these protests, the West’s attack on the Burqa and Hallal meat fiasco etc. However, I find that it is Muslims that will be held accountable rather than the producer of this video. He is after all, a non Muslim. It’s expected that he is a non believer. We say that this is a defamation of our religion but I find that, for example the people of Morocco will have more to answer to God than the man of this video. A country that has placed a King as if he is a God. A country that has placed his picture at many points in buildings and public spaces. A country that bows to a man and kisses his hand and that of his child. A country that holds bowing alegiance ceremonies to a King, bowing 3 times, when we only bow to God. Where on a mountain, you have inscribed the name of your King with the name of Allah, but no mention of our prophet Mohammed (pbuh). A country that makes and sells alcohol and consumes some 70% for domestic consumption. On Judgement day, you will be told that he is a non believer and so his punishment is will be as such, however you will be asked, why as believers have you gone against the Quran, thus your punishment will be greater. Allah expects more from you but nothing from him. Mirror mirror on the wall, who is the unbeliever most of all ?

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-2 #7 RE: Muslim Reaction To Hate Movie Trailer — riffi 2012-09-18 23:45

You still don't understand the Muslim world is in identity crisis,the Muslims are asking themselves been Muslims are arabes also?.The loony tribal Arab mentality want to impose their bedouine jahilya mentality as the prophet Mohamed (saaws)called them.The Islam doesn't belong to the Arabs but to the whole Muslim nation who are from different cultures. Islam is a religion not a culture.respect .

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+4 #8 Muslim reaction shameful — Maverick 2012-09-19 00:52

The so-called movies is disgusting to say the least.Stupid uneducated coptic immigrant who can't even speak proper English,wannabe filmaker.It would have been easy to refute his argument by making another video no problem.If it hasn't the hysterical reaction of Muslims very few people whould know about it.Just like Salman Rusdie who unknown until stupid Muslim demonstration made him famous overnight.I bet lot untalended writers or wannabe filmaker want to cash in , because islamophobia is a mainstream phenomoneon right thanks Muslims morons who claim to defend the faith, they are doing more harm to our religions than the so-called enemies of Islam.

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