Recently I have been hearing about a cartoon printed in a Danish newspaper depicting the Prophet Muhammad, and the huge uproar it has caused in the Muslim community. This particular cartoon was offensive on two levels: religious and ethical. It has led to riots in the street, the burning of the Danish flag, and other acts of aggression. Although this is very common in this part of the world, a lot of media attention has been focused on it. In an article of the Hattiesburg American, a man asks why this is such a big deal to Muslims and why has a simple cartoon caused such a big mess. Jon Altman does his best to suggest why the Muslim community is so offended, and I believe the way he went about doing so was effective.
First, he gave the man some background on Islam, which I think is a very good idea.
Altman Family Reunion, 18-19-June-2011
Conquests of Prophet Muhammad and the Rashidun Cal...
Muslims..Most people living in southern Mississippi do not fully understand the ways of the Islam religion, and sometimes people dislike what they do not understand. Ignorance often walks hand in hand with hate, so to educate people on the religion and the teachings of the Koran is not a wasted effort. In the Koran, a commandment is given that "you shall not make any graven images", so the cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad, according to Altman, was considered blasphemous in the Islamic community. Even though we have some cartoon depictions of Jesus or other religious figures, and are not offended by it, the Muslims take this commandment very seriously. This first offense taken was of a religious one.
The second offense was more of an ethical one that I find ignorant and very disrespectful. Another cartoon depicted the Prophet wearing a turban, and wrapped up...