Wednesday, April 02, 2008 Editorial: A fitting reaction to Fitna
ISLAM is once again the subject of hate and "counter-hate" as the Internet generation feasts on the 15-minute online movie "Fitna" that pictures Islam as a religion of violence.
We have watched the short film through YouTube and admit, it is disturbing, sickening. The disgust, however, can go both ways. To the believers and those who understand: disgust of those who can think up of making such film and worse, make this available to the multitudes connected to the Internet. To those who already have a bias of Islam: disgust for the Muslims and an affirmation of that prejudice long nurtured in their hearts and minds.
The appeal to sobriety by the Assembly of Dharul Ifta of the Philippines and the revelation that the muftis (Guardians of the House of Opinions) prefer to discuss how best to correct errors from the misinterpretation of the Q'uran as depicted in "Fitna" than react in protest, is thus a fitting reaction to what appears to be a provocation to violence (whether intended or not). It is a manifestation of the deep belief of the Islamic faithful in the path of peace.
Islam, as a religion that our Muslim brothers have embraced and imbibed with their rich indigenous culture, has for the non-Muslims created a sort of oddity. Veiled women, men in white cassocks and skull cups walking along the streets, and the Arabic prayers emanating from curious-looking minarets of bubble-topped colored mosques. Everything just draws attention to the Muslim communities' distinction. But because there is really no intent move to understand or to be understood, then there is fear.
Fear, after all, is the instinctive reaction of humans to the unknown. As children we feared the darkness because there was nothing there we can see. We feared what's inside the cabinet because it was always closed and full of stuff we can hardly discern in its unlit interiors. We feared the depths of the ocean because it was so blue and seemingly bottomless. In a similar way, we fear the Muslims. But unlike the darkness and cabinets and the deep blue sea of our childhood, very few of us really took time to know and understand Islam and come to terms with our fears of Muslims nor was there any Muslim who tried to explain away these fears. And so, it is easy to stoke that fear once more in every which way possible -- from blaming Islam as the religion behind all the world violence like Fitna does, to blaming the Muslims for Abu Sayyaf and Al Qaeda organization.
It should be inherent then for the leaders of Islam to come out and make the people understand. One can no longer just enclose oneself in one's community to be freed from all these prejudice made worse by global misunderstanding. There has been too much misunderstanding already. But only the Muslim leaders can say with authority: "Enough of the hate, enough of the prejudice because this is who we really are."
We lose nothing if we insist on sitting down and getting to know each other, even if it takes another century. Because it is only if we sit down enough and talk, will we understand one another.
