Earlier this year, 17 Danish newspapers spurred a new wave of protests in the Muslim world by reprinting an infamous set of caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Intended to express solidarity and press freedom, the “blasphemous” cartoons did not go unnoticed by Islamic extremists.
An audio warning from Osama bin Laden appeared on the Internet in March, and an Al Qaeda operative claimed responsibility for a June 2 bombing that decimated the Danish Embassy in Islamabad as a warning against religious disrespect.
Meanwhile, an unknown group of locals took to the streets of Brno and Prague, plastering reprints of the cartoons and other anti-Islamic fliers near the hubs of the cities’ Islamic communities.
In March, the anonymous distributors spread dozens of fliers depicting Muhammed with an ignited bomb instead of a turban near Brno mosques, prompting a critical reaction from the Foreign Affairs Ministry.
“In his time, the Prophet Muhammad did not know what a bomb was. It’s sheer mockery,” said Foreign Affairs Minister Karel Schwarzenberg. “In my opinion, such posters are an expression of intolerance and aggression. I consider it a sad truth that something like this has appeared in the Czech nation. It has nothing to do with freedom of speech.”
When the following criminal investigation failed to identify the perpetrator, Brno police were forced to shelve the case. “Finding out who pasted up these fliers is extremely difficult,” Brno police spokeswoman Andrea Procházková said in a March 20 statement.
After a two-month hiatus, the posters began appearing near Prague mosques May 31. Aside from the turban bomb posters copied from Danish newspapers, the newest fliers include the distributor’s own renderings: They depict Muhammad as a devil-horned pedophile.
All of the posters are emblazoned with the caption “May be provocative, but the freedom of speech is still more important!” and include the address of an unfinished Web site that lists links to anti-Islamic films including Fitna, a 15-minute interpretation of violent passages in the Koran by right-wing Dutch deputy Geert Wilders.
On the Web site, the anonymous author compares Islam to a “dormant volcano.”
“If it has a small role in the society, like in the Czech Republic, it can even seem like a problem-free religion. But that doesn’t mean it’s not dangerous,” the author wrote. “In some parts of the Euro-Atlantic civilization, the rough and reproachable aspects of radical Islam are already evident.”
Peaceful teachings
Despite such comments, local Muslims remain steadfastly placid. When asked about the inflammatory posters that recently appeared in the city, Yosef Sharif, a Charles University postgraduate student and Muslim from Libya, merely shrugged and smiled.
“We don’t feel a problem with anybody,” he said, shortly after emerging from Friday prayer at the Islamic Cultural Center in Prague. “Here, the community is not as big as in Germany and France. … Our imam persuades us not to make any crazy comments, to be open-minded and understanding.”
Inside the mosque, the imam himself reiterated Sharif’s pacifist outlook.
Eleven years after founding the Prague Islamic Cultural Center, he emphasized the importance of secularity and requested that his name not be published to avoid the politicizing of his statements.
“I discourage any demonstrations or protests against [the caricatures],” he said. “Muslims here prefer to be patient and not to cause any problems for authorities, who are friendly. Any problem may endanger the government’s supportive attitude.”
By urging moderation and discouraging displays of conservative Islam such as “long beards, long robes and big yellow hats,” the imam advises local Muslims to adapt to Czech society.
“In some countries, there may be radical Muslims. They stage protests and irritate lots of people, but this is not our way,” he said. “Muslims do not follow politics. They do not follow political aims by using religion.”
Instead of inciting protests, local Muslims should deal with the caricatures’ distributors in a peaceful manner, he said.
“This group could not harm the attitude toward Muslims, because the majority of people understand that this is wrong,” he said. “It’s nothing new — the Prophet Muhammad was also harassed in his time, but he was patient. We should learn from the prophet to forgive these people, because he did the same.”
To prevent the spread of intolerance, Munib Hassan Alrawi, director of the Brno Islamic Foundation, encourages openness and education.
“When a Czech person receives enough information about Islam, his attitude usually becomes completely different,” he said.
Miroslav Mareš, an expert on political and religious extremism from the Masaryk University in Brno, said the moderate nature of the local Muslim community — which is relatively small in comparison with France, Germany or Holland — was partly strategic.
“It is true that a majority of local Muslims are secular. They tend to distance themselves from anyone with a more dogmatic approach to Islam,” he said. “They do not want to upset their social position here.”
Unlike the resident Muslims who view the Czechs as tolerant and understanding, Mareš expressed reservations about local attitudes toward Islam.
In recent years, citizens signed petitions against the construction of mosques in Czech towns like Orlová in north Moravia or Teplice, north Bohemia, he said.
“As long as the community is small, it won’t create any conflict,” he said. “But, if it became larger, the Czechs would see it as a problem, even if [the Muslims] remain peaceful.”
the loving face of european tolerance and peaceful freindly relations.
offcourse switch the country names to Iran, or Saudia, and all the none Muslims would be screaming their heads off, mainly the Europeans who like to play victim 24-7.
the loving face of european tolerance and peaceful freindly relations.
offcourse switch the country names to Iran, or Saudia, and all the none Muslims would be screaming their heads off, mainly the Europeans who like to play victim 24-7.
I don't think you're gonna find anyone muslim or not that's going to agree with these actions.
I don't think you're gonna find anyone muslim or not that's going to agree with these actions.
u know what, i dont really mind if europeans do this stuff, its their country. this is not a problem for me. the problem for me, is that when europeans do this time and time again, but then cry foul play when they get the rough side of things in the Muslim world. that is my problem, the double standards. they do the same things, then they turn around and act like the victims and then want to lecture Muslims on how to behave?
go ahead, do all the abuseeeeee you want i say, ban mosques, ban hijabs, ban halal, ban everything you deem to be Islamic, but i also say dont cry when the same happens to you in our countries, thats all.
ok i dont understand y they keep repinting em .. i mean once twice .. wat is the point...seriously if u ppl believe this will make islam look bad n will stop ppl to convert then NO at the end of the day it will make ppl curious n they will try to find the truth .. its reallly GETTTTIN annoooooyyyoin .. so honestly if u guys think this will help yall well it anit cuz it will create more problems cuz they r based on false n lies.. peace
u know what, i dont really mind if europeans do this stuff, its their country. this is not a problem for me. the problem for me, is that when europeans do this time and time again, but then cry foul play when they get the rough side of things in the Muslim world. that is my problem, the double standards. they do the same things, then they turn around and act like the victims and then want to lecture Muslims on how to behave?
go ahead, do all the abuseeeeee you want i say, ban mosques, ban hijabs, ban halal, ban everything you deem to be Islamic, but i also say dont cry when the same happens to you in our countries, thats all.
I can't speak for Europe but people in the US are normally very tolerant. We have a live and let live attitude. Don't get me wrong if you get us mad we can be short on mercy and tolerence but for the most part the muslim communities live in harmony with the rest of society.
eastern europeans are quite racist, especially to black people. you see this in many football matches, where the fans hurl none stop abuse to black players. Muslims are just a new target for their racism, . i dont mind though, we Muslims will know how to handle and treat these neo nazis.
I can't speak for Europe but people in the US are normally very tolerant. We have a live and let live attitude. Don't get me wrong if you get us mad we can be short on mercy and tolerence but for the most part the muslim communities live in harmony with the rest of society.
Europe is not the US. The attitude is completely different. It used to be confined to the continent, but now its starting to seep into the UK (which is more like the USA than Europe) as well. I think every time there is a major controversy such as the cartoon crisis or the Dutch film Europeans become more and more radicalised.
One important difference between the USA and Europe is that in the USA Islamophobia is based on religion, as in conservative Christian extremists, but in Europe it's secular, nationalist and liberal (except in Britain where the BNP is anything but liberal).
Europe is not the US. The attitude is completely different. It used to be confined to the continent, but now its starting to seep into the UK (which is more like the USA than Europe) as well. I think every time there is a major controversy such as the cartoon crisis or the Dutch film Europeans become more and more radicalised.
One important difference between the USA and Europe is that in the USA Islamophobia is based on religion, as in conservative Christian extremists, but in Europe it's secular, nationalist and liberal (except in Britain where the BNP is anything but liberal).
But you don't see Americans going out of their way to insult muslims like you see in Europe. In Texas, which has a large christian base, the muslim population aren't being harrassed. Sure you do get bigota like Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh but they hate everybody that isn't white and they aren't the norm.
But you don't see Americans going out of their way to insult muslims like you see in Europe. In Texas, which has a large christian base, the muslim population aren't being harrassed. Sure you do get bigota like Anne Coulter and Rush Limbaugh but they hate everybody that isn't white and they aren't the norm.
That, my friend, was exactly the point I was making...
I think the next pogroms in Europe will be against Muslims, somewhere in eastern Europe or Italy. In a sense they've all ready happened, during the Balkan wars.
Britain is better than the rest of Europe, as the Islamophobic party here is also authoritarian and hates anybody who isn't white, which means that they are only a fringe party closer to the Nazis than anything else. But I would still rather live in America than here, for other reasons as well.
P.S: the other reasons are not to do with your accents, SAFA!
That, my friend, was exactly the point I was making...
I think the next pogroms in Europe will be against Muslims, somewhere in eastern Europe or Italy. In a sense they've all ready happened, during the Balkan wars.
Britain is better than the rest of Europe, as the Islamophobic party here is also authoritarian and hates anybody who isn't white, which means that they are only a fringe party closer to the Nazis than anything else. But I would still rather live in America than here, for other reasons as well.
P.S: the other reasons are not to do with your accents, SAFA!
I think we are a lot more conservative here and yet our government isn't involved in our lives as much as they are in Europe. It's hard to explain. What you se on tv is not indicative of what Americans and America really is.
That, my friend, was exactly the point I was making...
I think the next pogroms in Europe will be against Muslims, somewhere in eastern Europe or Italy. In a sense they've all ready happened, during the Balkan wars.
Britain is better than the rest of Europe, as the Islamophobic party here is also authoritarian and hates anybody who isn't white, which means that they are only a fringe party closer to the Nazis than anything else. But I would still rather live in America than here, for other reasons as well.
Race riots already hapenned in western Europe,in Leeds,Birmingham and Bradford.
This country is dying because of a lack of men, not a lack of programs.
Race riots already hapenned in western Europe,in Leeds,Birmingham and Bradford.
I'm not really sure about them, but weren't they two-way riots rather than simply mosques and Muslim businesses being ransacked? Much worse happens in the Muslim world to Christians sometimes, and in other third-world countries as well.
As for Italy, there was recently a thread here about Italian rightists tearing down a Mosque and replacing it with a car park named after an anti-Islamic writer. They didn't do it because of planning permission or whatever, but because it was a Mosque.
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the loving face of european tolerance and peaceful freindly relations.
.. so honestly if u guys think this will help yall well it anit cuz it will create more problems cuz they r based on false n lies.. peace
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