Cartoonist Targeted... Again

CNN and BBC News report that a man was shot by police as he tried to enter the home of the Danish cartoonist Kurt Westergaard on Friday.  The man seemed intent on harm, as he allegedly carried with him an axe and a knife.  Police shot the intruder, who was then hospitalized in stable condition.  Mr. Westergaard was home at the time of the incident; he and his young granddaughter were unharmed.

Numerous death threats and complaints have been aimed at this Danish artist, who published a controversial cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad back in 2005.  Mr. Westergaard says that he drew a bomb in the Prophet Muhammad's turban to show "that some people exploited the prophet to legitimize terror."  That is certainly a valid and true criticism.

However, the cartoon was interpreted by others as calling the Prophet Muhammad a terrorist.  Muslims began complaining.  Some right-wing newspapers fanned the flames by re-printing the cartoon as a matter of "free speech."

Muslim protestors played into their hands by hosting angry rallies and making death threats.  Such behavior is out of line with Islamic teaching, as this latest attempted attack is also.  The Prophet Muhammad himself dealt with much greater insults and injuries during his lifetime.  Through it all, he never lost his temper or dealt harshly with his critics.

Last year, Mr. Ibrahim Cooper of CAIR asked the question, "What Would Muhammad Do?"  Muslims allow ourselves, as he said, "to be locked into a downward spiral of mutual mistrust and hostility based on self-perpetuating stereotypes."  Rather than continue this path of negativity and self-fulfilling prophecy, we should stop, reflect, and condemn this attempted attack.  Let's begin following the example of the Prophet whom we hold so dear.

Cartoonist Targeted... Again originally appeared on About.com Islam on Saturday, January 2nd, 2010 at 05:08:46.

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Source: Islam About Dot Com