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As events unfold in France, centering on Islamophobia, there is a sense of déjà vu. We have witnessed this sequence of events a few times before.
There is some provocation or another against Prophet Muhammad initiated by a non-Muslim group or institution. Unsurprisingly, the Muslims react. In the midst of demonstrations and rallies, there is an act of violence perpetrated by an offended Muslim or his co-religionists. The violent act leads to further demonization of Muslims in the media, who are currently in a frenzy.
Feeling attacked, some Muslim groups intensify their emotional response, sometimes leading to more deaths of both Muslims and non-Muslims, even in countries far away from the place where the provocation first occurred. Calls are also heard to boycott goods produced in the country where it all began.
On this occasion, French President Emmanuel Macron strongly asserted that the cartoons of the Prophet produced by the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo in January 2015, and republished since then, represented freedom of expression.
His claim angered many Muslims in France and elsewhere, although some other comments he had made recently about “Islam is in crisis” and “Islamic separatism” have also upset some people.
However, it was the beheading of a French school teacher, who had shown the cartoons in a class discussion about freedom of expression, by a young Muslim of Chechen origin that caused not only Macron but also other leaders and a large segment of French society with hostility towards Muslims and even towards Islam. Notably, almost all major Muslim leaders and organizations in France also condemned the beheading. So did many Muslims in other parts of the world.
It is not enough to report a horrible and insane murder of this kind.
Not many Muslim theologians have publicly argued that resorting to senseless violence to express one’s anger over a cartoon of the Prophet is an affront to the blessed memory of the Messenger of God.
Because even when he was physically abused in both Mecca and Medina, Prophet Muhammad did not retaliate violently against his adversaries. He continued his mission to preach justice and mercy with goodness and dignity. It is an attitude that should be nurtured and nurtured in the Muslim world today, especially by those who rule religious authority and political influence among the masses.
If a change of approach is necessary among some Muslims, French society as a whole should also reevaluate its understanding of freedom of expression.
Freedom of expression should never glorify the freedom to insult, mock, humiliate another person, community or civilization. Respect for the feelings and feelings of the other religious should be an integral part of one’s belief system, whether secular or not.
The fact that the French state and much of French society have marginalized religion does not mean that it should also show outright disregard for the love and reverence of a Muslim for the Prophet, especially when 6 million French citizens profess the Islamic faith.
In fact, respecting and understanding the feelings and values that constitute faith and beliefs has become crucial in a globalized world where at least 80% of its inhabitants are linked in one way or another to one religion or another. We cannot pretend to be champions of democracy and yet ignore, or worse, denigrate what is precious to the majority of the human family.
This does not mean that we should slavishly accept the attitudes of the masses towards a particular faith. Reforms within each religious tradition must be continued, but must not undermine respect for the foundations of that faith.
French leaders and elites who regard freedom of expression as the defining attribute of their national identity should also recognize that there have been many inconsistencies in their positions.
A French comedian, Dieudenne, has been convicted in court eight times for allegedly altering “Jewish sentiment” and is banned from acting in many venues. A Charlie Hebdo cartoonist was fired for alleged “anti-Semitism.” There is also the case of a writer, Robert Faurisson in the 1960s, who was fined in court and lost his job for questioning the conventional narrative of the Holocaust. Many years later, the French intellectual Roger Garaudy was also convicted of trying to reinterpret certain aspects of the Holocaust.
The hypocrisy of the French State goes beyond judicial sentences. While officials are legitimately horrified by violence by individuals, France has a long history of perpetrating brutal massacres and genocides against Muslims and others.
The millions of Algerians, Tunisians and Moroccans who died during the French colonization of these countries bear tragic testimony to this truth. Vietnam and the rest of Indochina reinforce this cruel and callous record.
Even in contemporary times, the French state has had no qualms about embarking on military operations from Afghanistan and Cote d ‘Ivore to Libya and northern Mali, serving its own interests of dominance and control rather than the needs of the people in these lands.
Honest reflections on their own past and present misdeeds are what we expect from the French state and society in 2020. There is no need to pontificate others. This is what we would like all the colonial powers of old to do, in part because neocolonialism is very much alive today.
Chandra Muzaffar is the president of the International Movement for a Just World.
The opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.
