Opening Space in some different ways

Harrison Owen hhowen at verizon.net
Mon Feb 20 05:32:38 PST 2006


A Muslim friend of mine from India sent me the following. Those of you who
were in Goa for OSONOS will remember him - Mirza Yawar Baig. I think he has
opened some space in a very contentious and conflicted conversation.

What do we want to show and what do we actually show?
 
 
"How did the bandh go?" asked a friend, referring to the protest against the
cartoons published by the Danish newspaper.
 
What should I say in response?
 
"Well, you see, before the protest, we had people who were at least
sympathetic to the Muslim's cause. Even if they did not protest in public,
many of my Hindu and Christian friends wrote to me and voted in various
newspaper surveys against the cartoons. But then the protest happened. And
what did our people do? They burnt buses, vandalized shops and cars and
threw stones at the police."
 
"You mean burnt buses of Denmark and threw stones at Danish police?"
 
"No, they burnt their own (Indian) buses and threw stones at their own
police which was there to try to prevent them from breaking the law."
 
"But doesn't Islam prohibit breaking the law? And wasn't this whole thing
about protesting against the Danish cartoons which depicted the Prophet
(SAS) as a terrorist? Does not the Qur'an say: 5:8: 'Let not your enmity
against anyone lead you into the sin of deviating from justice. Always be
just. That is the closest to taqwa.'
 
"Yes of course it is. The protest was to show the world that the Prophet
(SAS) never allowed injustice. That the Qur'an prohibits injustice. That
Islam means peace. That Muslims are peaceful people."
 
"But you just said that during the protest Muslims burnt buses and
vandalized shops and cars and threw stones at the police who were trying to
prevent injustice?"
 
"Well, you see, that is because in the crowd there were agents of America
and the Israel. They are the ones who did these things and our poor innocent
Muslims get blamed for them. It is all a Zionist conspiracy you see."
 
"No, I don't see. The only conspiracy seems to be your own suicidal tendency
for self destruction. What I see is that the Muslims say something and do
something else. That they are champions at shooting themselves in the foot.
That they are great at converting their friends into enemies. That they have
no discipline or social responsibility and that their leaders are at the
head of this infamous list. People who can't even control their own emotions
are condemned to be the slaves of those who play with them through their
emotions."
 
He continues, "What I see is that to protest was the right thing to do as
the Danish newspaper had no right to do what it did. But in that protest
there was the opportunity to gain the support of all those who were neutral
in the issue. And that opportunity was not only lost but you Muslims
actually created enemies."
 
"However there is still an opportunity to right this wrong and to act
according to what your own Qur'an tells you to do. Re-establish justice."
 
"What do you mean?"

"Let your leaders publicly apologize for all the damage caused by those who
participated in the protest. And then let them then put their money where
their mouth is and pay full compensation to those whose property was
damaged."
 
"Come on....you are not serious!!!"
 
"Yes, I am. Come to think of it, didn't you tell me that you guys believe in
the Day of Judgment? And did you not tell me that you will answer for every
little thing you do even unto the weight of an atom? Well you know, looks to
me like a bus is a little bigger than an atom, eh!"
 
And he concluded, "So I ask you, do you Muslims really respect your Qur'an
and your Prophet?"
 

Mirza Yawar Baig




Harrison Owen
7808 River Falls Drive
Potomac, Maryland   20854
Phone 301-365-2093
Skype hhowen
Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com <http://www.openspaceworld.com/>

Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
Personal website www.ho-image.com 
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