"The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr"

[Benbow]

Guess who said that? Someone well-educated, peace-loving, responsible, kind? Let me introduce - the Prophet Mohammad (Peace Be Upon Him).

In the UK this morning, all the responsible media (newspapers, tv and radio national broadcasters) are doing something practical to extend people's knowledge of Islam and so help them to understand the hurt and outrage caused by the Danish cartoons.

Who was Mohamed? In answering the question we should not make the mistake of beginning with historical facts. Rather we should turn to verse 21 of Chapter 33 of the Koran, which describes the life of Mohamed as "a beautiful exemplar". Elsewhere in the Muslim holy book he is extolled as the model of righteousness, the perfect individual, the one whose wives are seen as the mothers of the faithful. He is a man whose actions and ambitions are held to be worthy of the closest scrutiny and imitation by his followers. And across the world every day 1.3 billion Muslims - almost a quarter of the population of the world - seek to do just that.

Beggars in the slums of India, wealthy oil sheiks in Saudi Arabia, scholars in Egypt, shopkeepers in Bradford, landless women in Indonesia, convert intellectuals in the University of Cambridge all seek daily to emulate Mohamed in every aspect of their lives. Christians may purport to act in imitation of Christ in their spiritual lives. But, because we know more about Mohamed than about the founder of any other major faith, many Muslims seek a physical pattern too. Which is why so many Muslims wear beards, as their Prophet did, and the women veils, as Mohamed's wives did. And much more.

<snip>

Yet where Christians had to make do with gospel portraits of an idealised numinous Christ, more concerned with meaning than biography, Muslims inherited something very different. Mohamed's four main biographers gave accounts of a man with normal fears, hopes and anxieties - who laughed, played with his children, had trouble with his wives, was bereft when a friend died and besotted when his baby son arrived. It offers detail which Muslims even today try to make the pattern of their lives and makes Mohamed a particularly vivid presence to believers.

Paul Vallely, in The Independent on Sunday

http://news.independent.co.uk/people/profiles/article343048.ece

Is the American mass media doing anything half as civilised and courteous to promote international and cross-cultural understanding? Thought not. Can't go upsetting Xian fundy shareholders and the zombies in the White House.

[JNelson6563]

1. Very nice

Enlightening post, thank you. :hi:

Julie

[Benbow]

2. My pleasure :-) n/t

[tecelote]

3. Yeah, thanks for posting!

[annabanana]

4. nominated

Articles like this should have been all over all our front pages for the past 5 years. A responsible media would have initiated a mass-education plan when all of America was saying "What was THAT?.. Who are these people? Why would they do such a horrible thing?"

[MADem]

5. Comparing the Prophet to some of these whack jobs is no different

than comparing Jesus to Pat Robertson or Jerry Fallwell. It is an issue of education, unfortunately.

[Benbow]

6. No, you are mistaken - in the West we have become "degenerate" n/t

[MADem]

7. So say some whack jobs, over there AND over here n/t

[ClayZ]

8. K and R

:kick:

[Wordie]

9. Thank you so much for this wise and sensitive post. Recommended.

[Wordie]

10. kick