Freedom of Speech but not of Insult

Submitted by B. Mustapha (Nigeria), Feb 17, 2006 at 06:47

Pls mind you there is a positive & a negative critcism. Even the glorious Qur'an has challenged & called people to ponder over its verses & point to where there is a mistake. But if they could not, Qur'an is calling them to believe in its message.
I don't believe that drawing cartoons of Prophet Muhammad is among the positive critcism, this is just an act of insult, incitement & mockery to the Muslims.

The personality of Muhammad forms the very core of Muslim identity. Muslims believe in everything he said, follow his every word, emulate his every behavior and attempt to model their lives according to his blessed life. Without Muhammad there is no Islam as we know it. Insulting the Prophet would be like insulting someone very close to your heart, perhaps a mother or a daughter.

The Anti-Terrorism experts define terrorism to include criminal acts intended to intimidate, put fear into, force, coerce, or induce any incitement to the general public through your actions. Or does this definition applies to the general public of the West only?

The freedom of speech/expression is known in Islam since during the life time of Prophet Muhammad. there was a time when Prophet Muhammad made some divisions, someone instantly said, O! Muhammad you are not just in this sharing. People wanted to deal with him, but Prophet Muhammad said leave him (it is his right to inquire). Prophet Muhammad called the man & said to him, if I (Prophet Muhammad ) did not do justice who else can do it.

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