The image of Islam

The reaction to the cartoon depiction of Mohammed represents a dual failure of societies. On one hand, Islam as a religion, and the importance of respecting all of the Prophets, has not been explained to non-Muslims in the West. On the other hand, we have seen a media unwilling to represent a positive Islam in any sense, and a Western culture that has not seen beyond the media's false representations of Islam. This cartoon was merely the icing on the cake of the media's negative depictions of Islam and its followers in recent years. Day after day, to watch Fox News or CNN, you see only terrorism and its repeated association with Islam, though Islam in no way condones terrorism, and in fact forbids it. Never before has a religion been so targeted and attacked. Even in the ridiculous cartoon contest set to occur in Iran, the cartoons are designed to attack the people, and not the religion itself.\nTo begin, let us clarify what Islam is, and what it means to be a Muslim. From the first man, Adam, to the final Messenger Muhammad, peace be upon them, all of the Prophets and Messengers have one unified message.\nAllah says: "He has ordained for you the same religion which he commanded unto Noah, and that which We have revealed to you (O Muhammad), and that which we commanded unto Abraham and Moses and Jesus saying Establish the religion, and be not divided therein. Dreadful for the idolaters is that unto which you call them." Qur'an 42:11\nIslam is a way of life. This way of life is a constant development of consciousness: consciousness to respect women, consciousness of mutual respect and honor, consciousness of God. This consciousness comes about from two sources. First, it comes from reading the Qu'ran, understanding it, and inculcating it -- this is the Pure Speech of God descended through the angel Gabriel -- and secondly it comes from the Hadith, which are the sayings and teachings of Muhammad. Sadly, in many countries today, Islam is only a form of culture. But Islam is not a culture or tradition, but rather guidance from God, greater than any culture or tradition or time. This lack of understanding of Islam has lead to the recent problems that have been highly publicized. We must separate the individual who is imperfect, from the Religion of Allah which is perfect and complete. \nA false, insulting, and blasphemous cartoon depicting the founder of Islam as a terrorist has offended billions worldwide -- disrespecting any prophet is strictly forbidden in Islam. This cartoon represents an unprecedented low for the media and society alike. Many claim that Muslims have no right to be upset. This is only a case of freedom of speech. Supposing this is the case, speech is not, nor has it ever been, completely free. Just last week, a British man was sentenced to three years in prison in Austria for denying part of the Holocaust. That is an example of a blatant double-standard of both the media and western governments.