Old article: Mob frenzy marred Muslim case

This is not the first instance, nor is it going to be the last one. It has now become a routine of sorts to hear that someone tried to throw muck on Islam by denigrating the prophet or the teachings of the religion. But every time the outcome is almost the same – Islam getting a bad name and its followers a black eye in the aftermath of each episode. This is not because of the blasphemous behaviour of offenders, but the Muslim zealots’ frenzied and violent reaction.

This is the drama being play out for the past one week. An obscure citizen of the US made a film depicting Prophet Mohammed’s character in a bad light. The film sparked off instant protests, especially in the counties where Muslims have a sizable numbers. They not only targeted so-called enemies but also jeopardized their own future. Anti-US protests swept across the so-called Muslim world leaving three persons, one of them a US ambassador, dead and dozens injured.

As if this was not enough, nearer home, in Ghaziabad, six people were killed and 12 injured in mob fury and police action. Reason: Some unidentified miscreants threw torn pages of Koran at the platform of a railway station. The incident came to light even as Muslims elsewhere demonstrated their raw anger against the offensive film in the most bestial fashion which is antithesis of all that their religion, or any religion for that matter, stands for. They could do well by following the noble teachings of their own religion. Had they done that they would not have been doing all that shames themselves.

While the Ghaziabad incident is yet to be unraveled, it is no less diabolical given that it has taken much bigger toll than the offensive film. As for the row over the film, it is different in the way that those behind it are not unassuming victims caught unawares by the storm over an act they had not expected to be as explosive. They are in fact the sly conspirators who made the film on purpose acting on a meticulously devised devious and diabolical plan. They knew full well the implications of their mischief and had foreseen the magnitude of its fallout. Their motive was not just to slander Islam and its prophet, but to provoke Muslims into a mindless frenzy which eventually would boomerang on them.

The magnitude of the conspiracy can be gauged from the fact that the producer of the film initially tried to hide his identity calling himself a Jew and went on to announce that his venture was financed by Jews. Later, it turned out that he is a Coptic Christian. What is intriguing is that they have succeeded in their purpose, thanks to the unpretentious Muslims. Had they not reacted the way they did, the insignificant movie would have passed off without a flicker.

The knee-jerk reaction of some zealots marred the case of Muslims and made the film and the conspiracy behind it look like a lesser evil.