Anti-West
protests throughout many Muslim countries this last week or so have
had a slight end of the world feel about them. The extremely tacky
and distasteful “Innocence of Muslims”, a short film that was
clearly made with the intent to antagonise Muslims the world round,
has had it's desired effect. Although it would be accurate to state
that it was only a fraction of the worlds Muslims who were out there
protesting, and a even smaller number who turned to violence, I still
felt disappointed and concerned at the reaction, especially
considering these were largely grown men. The people responsible for
this video are clearly contemptible, but why they would want to
offend so many people in this way is unclear at this point. But,
however distasteful or offensive we might find this video, we must
defend freedom of speech at all costs. To have something banned
simply because we don't agree with it's tone or message would be to
regress as a society, possibly the start of a very slippery slope
that leads to a less civilised world.
As a big fan
and regular viewer of animated sitcoms such as Family Guy and South
Park, I've seen numerous episodes where they poke fun at characters
from the Christian faith, namely God and Jesus. I'm aware of some
discontent from some faith groups, particularly in the US, but these
sitcoms largely go about their business with little hassle and
serious threats to their lives are pretty rare. So why do Christians
in the West largely ignore what could be seen as an attack on their
faith? And why is the reaction so different throughout the Muslim
world? I don't see religion as a progressive force in society in
general, but in the West Christian views seemed to have mellowed and have accepted that people are free to criticise whenever they see
fit. Many Christians, I imagine, laugh along to the same episodes as
I do, seeing no conflict in laughing at parts of their faith while
still holding that faith strong and close to them.
Maybe the
intensity of the protests throughout the Arab world can be partly
blamed on the conditions they find themselves living in, using their
religion as an outlet for dissatisfaction relating to the lack of
democracy, lack of freedom of speech, lack of education and jobs, and
so forth. Whatever the reasons for the violence it can never be
justified. If religion is to be taken seriously in the 21st
century then scenes like this need to be avoided. People like me who
have no faith are prepared to accept and even respect other people's
faith, but not when it acts in such a destructive and violent manner.