2008 Woodie Awards
Controversial drawing should emphasize respect, open public forums
By Sabiha Ameen / Daily Bruin (UCLA)
Issue date: 3/10/06 Section: Opinion
(U-WIRE) LOS ANGELES -- The printing of the caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad, first by a Danish newspaper and later by other news sources, has gained worldwide attention.
Though the issue is sensitive to Muslims and their beliefs, such an event should not dissuade students from engaging in intellectual discourse and dialogue that questions the basis for this apparent "clash" of values.
Muslims historically have not been ones to shun dialogue. Scholars have said the scholastic and humanistic movements in Italy from the 14th to 16th centuries were largely influenced by classic Arab-Islamic texts. This was the extent of knowledge in the Middle East when Europe was still in the Dark Ages.
However, even with free speech, limits must exist in order for different peoples to coexist peacefully.
Individuals or groups asserting that organized religion cannot dictate our moral sensitivities are invariably falling prey to their own criticism.
They are, in effect, forcing society to adapt to their own code of ethics by whimsically transgressing those of others. Ultimately, it all comes down to respect.
Muslim citizens in Western countries are not asking for more censorship. They are not asking for the abolition of Western values. And they are not asking for an Islamic state in the United States.
They just want respect like everyone else.
We all have the right to speak our minds, but we also have the right to be respected.
Representations of all prophets are forbidden in Islam. This is not only to give them due respect, but also to adhere to the principle of faith that dictates that in order to avoid any idolatrous temptations, God and the prophets are never to be depicted.
The major news organizations in the United States have exercised caution, responsibility and restraint in not showing the caricatures.
However, the College Republican students at the University of California Irvine held an event last week displaying the caricatures under the guise of promoting free speech. Such a discourse was not supported by the administration and many non-Muslims.
It was discarded as a tasteless attempt intended to provoke the Muslim community.
By neither publishing the caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad nor holding events that display the caricatures, the Daily Bruin Editorial Board and UCLA student organizations have not only acknowledged their responsibility to the community but have also internalized the simple concept of mutual respect.
We, as students of reason, not only cherish freedom but are also cognizant of the need to establish a constructive and intellectual discourse on campus.
This issue certainly warrants dialogue. We all have the capacity to be free, rational and reasonable. All we need is a forum, common ground and a venue to venture into such intellectual discourse.
Though the issue is sensitive to Muslims and their beliefs, such an event should not dissuade students from engaging in intellectual discourse and dialogue that questions the basis for this apparent "clash" of values.
Muslims historically have not been ones to shun dialogue. Scholars have said the scholastic and humanistic movements in Italy from the 14th to 16th centuries were largely influenced by classic Arab-Islamic texts. This was the extent of knowledge in the Middle East when Europe was still in the Dark Ages.
However, even with free speech, limits must exist in order for different peoples to coexist peacefully.
Individuals or groups asserting that organized religion cannot dictate our moral sensitivities are invariably falling prey to their own criticism.
They are, in effect, forcing society to adapt to their own code of ethics by whimsically transgressing those of others. Ultimately, it all comes down to respect.
Muslim citizens in Western countries are not asking for more censorship. They are not asking for the abolition of Western values. And they are not asking for an Islamic state in the United States.
They just want respect like everyone else.
We all have the right to speak our minds, but we also have the right to be respected.
Representations of all prophets are forbidden in Islam. This is not only to give them due respect, but also to adhere to the principle of faith that dictates that in order to avoid any idolatrous temptations, God and the prophets are never to be depicted.
The major news organizations in the United States have exercised caution, responsibility and restraint in not showing the caricatures.
However, the College Republican students at the University of California Irvine held an event last week displaying the caricatures under the guise of promoting free speech. Such a discourse was not supported by the administration and many non-Muslims.
It was discarded as a tasteless attempt intended to provoke the Muslim community.
By neither publishing the caricatures depicting the Prophet Muhammad nor holding events that display the caricatures, the Daily Bruin Editorial Board and UCLA student organizations have not only acknowledged their responsibility to the community but have also internalized the simple concept of mutual respect.
We, as students of reason, not only cherish freedom but are also cognizant of the need to establish a constructive and intellectual discourse on campus.
This issue certainly warrants dialogue. We all have the capacity to be free, rational and reasonable. All we need is a forum, common ground and a venue to venture into such intellectual discourse.
