As a Muslim I have noticed how the recent upheaval about the film trailer which aimed to insult our beloved Prophet (pbuh) has taken over the news, Internet, twitter and blogs worldwide. It is difficult to not be offended as comments about the film are dominating every conversation everywhere.
After being bombarded by rhetoric about the disgraceful film I felt compelled to watch it on YouTube. To be honest, the film seemed to be a pathetic attempt to deface the Holy Prophet of Islam (pbuh) and after watching about 30 seconds of it I turned it off.
Understanding that many people over the course of history have tried their very best to deface the Prophet of Islam (pbuh) I wanted to know how I should react to this situation. Looking to the Middle East I saw Muslims who stood up to challenge the production of the video yet they seemed barbaric in the way they expressed their hate.
When I heard that they were killing people because of the film I knew their reaction was completely wrong. So on one side you have the disgraceful production of the film and on the other you have the inhumane acts of the Muslims in the Middle East.
Although I believe that the film is an insensitive and harmful production full of lies, I also believe that the reaction by the Muslims is not in line with the beautiful teachings of Islam.
The Promised Messiah (pbuh) and Founder of the Worldwide Ahmadiyya Muslim Community emphatically declared that an aggressive “jihad by the sword” has no place in Islam. In its place, he taught his followers to wage a bloodless, intellectual “jihad of the pen” to defend Islam.
This is what we follow and this is what separates us from the rest of the Muslim world. Therefore my response to the film will be one of logical arguments and reason not hate and revenge.
The Ahmadiyya Post, Opinion. By Zubair Ahmed. 16 Sept 2012
Zubair Ahmed is a documentary filmmaker, Editor-in-Chief of the Student Pages Magazine UK. Editor-in-Chief of the Tahir Magazine UK. A member of the National Press and Media team within the London based organisation MKA UK. A member of the young Muslim Writers Association UK (MSQ UK). Social activist and humanitarian. He is the Founder of The Ahmadiyya Post.
Follow Zubair on twitter at: @ZubairAhmed2012
The 13-minute video that ignited a wave of violent protests all over the Muslim world is a deliberate incitement to religious hatred, murder, violence and imminent lawless action. Hence, as per the features of the US Constitution, the film is not protected by the First Amendment. In addition to this, there is yet another angle that makes the video vulnerable to criminal liability.
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