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For Danish Queen with Love


A M Awan

To answer the question why a tiny European country like Denmark has resorted to taking such a sacrilegious initiative against the Islamic civilization requires a background to be discussed in detail. Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II, who has reigned since 1972 and celebrated her 65th birthday on February 11, is very popular among the Danes. She is heading the Lutheran-Evangelical Church, of which 85 per cent of Denmark’s 5.4 million inhabitants are members. Unlike other monarchies in Europe, she enjoys tremendous influence in the society, particularly among the fast growing conservative Christian believers. The Queen, who does support the now stepped-up anti-integration campaign with special emphasis on anti-Islam ideology, since she professes knowledge of Islam due to her interest in archaeology, has authored a number of research papers on the subject.

In her recently authorized biography, she has warned against the rise of Islam and Islamic fundamentalism in the world. She has particularly warned the Danish government sooner it expels the Muslim immigrants from the country, the better. “People must show their opposition to Islam” is the main theme of her book, dictated to journalist Annelise Bistrup. “The rising Islam is a challenge we have to take seriously. We have let this issue float about for too long because we are tolerant and very lazy”, she further warned. The campaign to rid Europe of Muslim immigrants from the third world countries also gained momentum because of the London bombings in which the British youth of Pakistani origin were found involved. Muslims in Denmark make up about three per cent of the 5.4 million population.

The trend, however, has triggered a debate among the heterogeneous races integrated into the societies and Europe and America, playing actively a constructive role in their economies and societies. As a matter of fact the growing threat of comparatively fast spreading Islam amongst the inhabitants of Europe, America and Australia has sent waves of warning to the policy makers there. The backlash, often harder and swifter, is always considered a psychological reaction, equally swifter and harder, to the surreptitious emergence of a new faith. Senior politicians in Italy’s government have launched a policy manifesto vowing to protect Western civilization from what they say were twin threats of Islamic fundamentalism and moral vacuum. The onus is often put on some notable immigrants from Muslim countries who have succeeded in demonstrating their excellence of character and proved to be as only comforters to many of the sore-sole locals, one way or the other. But this may not be the effective way of disintegrating them from the areas where they have pooled years of life and contributed into those societies.

Pope benedict, in a clear reference to the controversy over caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him) called upon the Christian world on February 20 that the world’s religions and the symbols had to be respected by all means. “In order to promote peace and understanding between peoples and mankind, it is both vital and urgent that religions and their symbols are respected and the believers are not the object of provocations that wound their religious feelings,” he warned in a speech to the new Moroccan ambassador to the Holy Sea, over the publishing of blasphemous sketches a Danish newspaper, causing protests worldwide.

Not only newspapers in 50 countries including Denmark, Holland, Norway, Germany, France UK and US have reprinted the sketches, but also an American clothing outlet has begun selling T-shirts bearing the blasphemous caricatures showing the Prophet (PBUH) as a ‘terrorist’ carrying a bomb in his turban. T-shirts by MetroSpy Company in the US went on sale last week priced at $19.99. The Holland newspapers have threatened to publish these sketches every week. A Californian company in US has uploaded the sketches on a website. It has invited cartoonists from all over the world to send in blasphemous sketches. Same sketches are being e-mailed to millions of internet users across the globe. The governments in US, UK and EU countries are defending the caricatures as right of _expression. The Danish Prime Minister and Chairman of European Commission have supported publication of the sketches on the basis of freedom of speech. As a reward the Jyllands-Posten has been honored with the Victor Prize for “having opened everyone’s eyes by showing how easy it is to introduce cracks in freedom of expression and how so-called political correctness in infiltrating what we believe to be inalienable rights.”

There has been crude resistance from the West, despite the ongoing wave of protests across the world. Pakistan’s President General Pervez Musharraf raised the issue with the visiting President Bush and called for interfaith harmony. He also vowed to take it up with the United Nations, but there was no public response from the US President. The Queen of Denmark is being asked to issue comments to the media but there seems a deliberate silence. A number of countries have called for inter-faith dialogue and the efforts are aimed at tactfully shift the blame on the other side, rather than gracefully taking the responsibility.

Efforts to bridge the gaps between the two civilizations must be aimed at creating harmony, not confusion. Frequent inter-faith dialogues through impartial conduits should be conducted for tangible results. After a thorough homework, moderates from the East need to be appointed by OIC with a message of rapprochement and accommodativeness. Most of the critics do not have enough knowledge of Islam and comparative studies of other religions. The Queen of Denmark is said to be having an influence from the Christian clergy in a limited scenario.

Europe and America have been considered the home of trans-national cultures, thanks to the influx of immigrants from all over the third world. These countries, particularly the Scandinavians, have been, otherwise, a replica of inter-faith harmony and religious tolerance. Even an ordinary follower of Jesus Christ (PBUH) does not resort to religious provocations. The question is how come attempts are now being made to desecrate the sanctity of Holy Quran and the beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). Obviously one seems a well-calculated conspiracy behind the move aimed at provoking Muslims. The question is whether the Muslims should get trapped into the cobweb, or react to these provocations as per the enemy’s choosing?

Amidst the wave of ‘Muslim-dubbed’ terrorism, a question is being frequently asked today whether Islam is a failure or a story of success. How Islam (a sanctuary of peace) has been turned into a problem? At the outset Muslims rose high, reached the far ends of the then known world with a speed unknown to history. But equally steep was their fall, too steep for a recovery. Hard facts lead to the conclusion that while Islam undoubtedly infused a new spirit among the Arabs, enabling them to overthrow the Persian and the Roman empires and become master of the world, it did not have the capacity to keep pace with the times, Islam lagged behind and the steep rise of the Muslims took a precipitous downward trend for good. The experiment has failed and it would, according to Abul Kalam Azad, be stupid to give it another trial (India Wins Freedom - page 227). They also ask if Islam sponsors eternal truth and is capable of keeping abreast of the times, why it should have come to a dead stop. The question is important and deserves to be seriously considered and satisfactorily answered.

The Prophet (PBUH) presented to his listeners the Holy Quran, pure and simple, without allowing any mingling with it of man’s own thoughts, concepts, theories or beliefs. He offered them pure what he received by Revelation. His appeal was based on reason. “I call to God with sure knowledge. I and whoever follows me” (12/108). The presentation of the Quranic message was rational and based on true knowledge; there was no compulsion there, neither mental through miracles, nor physical by the, sword. Secondly, those who accepted the message after due thought and conviction and without mental reservation were initiated into mastering it as best as they could. Rasoolullah (PBUH) explained to them the provisions of divine laws together with the purpose underlying them. He taught them how they should, in the light of the inviolable principles of Islam, think out a solution of the problems which might confront them. Thirdly, all atmosphere of true freedom was created in which personality could grow and man’s inborn capacities of head and heart could develop. The shackles of man-made restrictions and conventions gripping them broke one by one and they felt that they were neither another man’s dependent nor his slave. True freedom prevailing n the Quranic Social Order provides the base for the development of human personality. The Holy Quran says about them, “God will be well-pleased with them and they are well-pleased with Him.” (9/100)

This was the simple and straight-forward program which enabled the Prophet (PBUH) to create a community of people whose healthy deeds gave a miraculous acceleration to the pace of divine laws and established a social order in no time to bear witness to, the glorious achievements of Islam. Do we exist with that form of the community today? Shouldn’t we follow that code of life for a tolerant and peaceful society?


This post first appeared on IQRA - Voice From The Heart, please read the originial post: here

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For Danish Queen with Love

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