It does not end here. Muslim countries and their citizens will be expected to accept such duplicitous standards if they wish to join the ‘civilised world’, a term that resonates so passionately in the speeches given by many world leaders. The term ‘civilised world’ is wholly constructed within a particular and inconsistent notion of freedom and democracy bluntly presented to the Muslims as ‘what values we have, you must adopt’ otherwise ‘what we have, you can’t have’. The referral of Iran to the United Nations over nuclear power and the threat to stop monetary assistance by Israel, European Union and the Unites States to Hamas are regarded by ordinary Muslims as prime examples of this philosophy.

What has hurt the vast majority of Muslims throughout the world is the obnoxious slandering of the Prophet of Islam - a decisive figure in the history of theistic religion. This is then defended as freedom of speech by some politicians who call upon Muslims to respect this gratuitous insult as a core democratic tradition.

The fact that Muslims jealously guard the reputation of their Prophet may look odd to many who are brought up in a secular world that sees religion as a private affair for the individual. In Islam, Prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him) is held in the highest esteem and mentioning his name will invoke invocation of Divine blessings. His wives and family members are equally respected. Every Muslim child is taught to imitate him daily in every aspect of his/her life and reminded that his authority over them is greater than themselves. It is as if the Prophet is alive within one and revivifies daily. It is therefore not surprising that the intellectual reaction from the majority of Muslims to the cartoons is met with such an uncompromising opposition.

Such a firm, opposing attitude of Muslims regarding their Prophet is looked upon by some quarters as backward-looking and oppressive since it goes against the freedom of speech and has apparently escalated vengeful reaction. Whether this view is out of ignorance or shows the general decline of tolerating the ‘others’, the point not to miss is that we have one billion Muslims amongst us in this planet who also have their genuine interest in guarding what they deem as significant and have something to say about issues affecting them. Islam is a way of life throughout the world, animated by a common spirit far more humane than most care to realize. If only one takes the trouble to understand the real causes that lead to oppression and injustice within the world rather than take an easy and convenient respite in the PR slogans that blame anything and everything on Islam.

Indeed, when a man is prone to quarrelling and fighting all his life, he is rendered unsettled if the enemy ceases to exist. Then he tries to create another enemy, and if he fails to find one, he fights his own shadow. This has been the case of the so-called world leaders who manage the ‘civilised world’. Soon after the two World Wars, the Cold War was initiated and when the polarisation ceased to exist after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, an urgent need was felt to find a substitute.ÔøΩ They found one in Islam. The ascending power of Islam put their mind back to the days of the crusades. It was a challenge with which they thought they must grapple and thus, a vehement propaganda against the history and the truth of Islam was begun. Those individual Muslim scholars and statesmen who agreed to play their tune and to compromise - they were handled with velvet gloves. To those who remained firm and steadfast as practicing Muslims, a label of fanaticism and fundamentalism was given. A third group which raised a whimper of protest against inequity, exploitation and torment meted out to them and rose to defend their rights – they were conveniently termed as terrorists. For Muslims, Islam is under attack under the guise of the ‘war on terror.’

Furthermore, the controllers of media machinery have played their role. On the one hand, they have helped to resurrect all the lies which were rampant against Islam since the medieval times, now going as far as insulting the Prophet of Islam and on the other, they have unashamedly attributed every major upheaval - be it murder, bomb explosion or tragedy, to Islam. Even when the grass or the leaves rustle, the general media would like the world to believe that a snake has been placed there by the Muslims. The Muslim media continue to lament and complain. Take any Muslim monthly magazine or a weekly article and you will find its major part devoted to the description of instances of Muslim miseries and sufferings. This response, though useful and helpful, has engendered fear and lack of confidence amongst Muslims.