Drawing the Prophet Muhammad?

Okay, now before the League of the Perpetually Offended goes off on me again, a daily occurrence of which I have learned to ignore, let me state that this is in no way intended to disrespect Islam, as Islam has enough of their own disrespecting their religion, and the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).  The current lack of respect within the ranks of Islam, however, would seem to be an issue of heresy which Islam should be handling better than they are, if they are trying to handle it at all.

Yet, Islam as a whole, instead of addressing the serious issues of Islamic extremism affecting the entire world, chooses to address drawn images of Muhammad (pbuh).  As with the extremists that blindly follow an Imam that says Allah promises virgins to martyrs of the cause, it would seem the edict not to draw the prophet lacks as much credence.  Allah never declared it, Muhammad (pbuh) never asked for it, and there is little reason, other than control of the faithful, for this edict to even exist.  Yet, it does, and the fact that it does is taken on as much faith as Allah demanding the killing of innocent women and children, the "Chosen People of the book," and other sects of Islam.  But, then, I may not have the new and improved reinterpretation of the Qur'an.

As with the many heretics of Christendom and Judaism that allowed power to control their less than laudable actions down through history, there will always be those Imams that would see the world, and all of the innocence, art, and beauty it contains, burn in their efforts to control it for their own sad agendas.

As to the issue of drawing the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner, The Guardian, posted this article: Drawing the prophet: Islam’s hidden history of Muhammad images.  I think this short article does the subject respectful justice, and invite you to take a moment to check it out before you continue reading.

Regardless of whether the ban is proper or misguided, it is generally accepted as law by the Islamic faith, in general.  I find it offensive that anyone would purposefully use disrespect as a way of proving freedom of speech.  Showing your ass never proves anything except that you're an ass, and those that hold these competitions can call it what they want, but all of us need to realize they do it for no other reason than to stir an extremist pot better left alone.  That people died for drawing these pictures, was a foreseen tragedy by anyone with half a brain, which could have been avoided simply by not going out of their way to offend.  These were intelligent people with very little sense, and a twisted desire to commit suicide.  Success, you're dead!  I hate to speak ill of the dead, but those of us who might end up as collateral damage due to their stupidity are probably better off with them not here.

The simple fact that Islam has a collection of images of the prophet would make the murder of these artists seem hypocritical were it not for the substance of much of this new "art" of the prophet.  I'm not sure depicting Abraham, Jesus, Muhammad (pbuh), Buddha, or any other religious icon in a pornographic or other disrespectful context proves anything about free speech other that it has the unfortunate possibility of moving below the level of civilized good taste.  All these divisive people succeed in doing is to remind the world how far even the most civilized of us haven't progressed as a species.  

I will exercising my freedom of speech in order to put a very fine point on all this, and say there are folks out there that find these people, and their like, to be poster children for birth control.  Some others may find that comment very offensive.  Was it offensive?  Well, maybe we should think before we do anything.  Maybe we should concentrate our efforts on keeping our thoughts and actions a bit more in check, lest we offend.  

But, this is all just an opinion.  It could be wrong.  I doubt it, but it could be.

Editor's Note 

(re: disclaimer cum "get out of jail free" card) 

Before you go getting your panties in a bunch, it is essential to understand that this is just an opinion site and, as such, can be subjected to scrutiny by anyone with a differing opinion. It doesn't make either opinion any more right or wrong than the other. An opinion, presented in this context, is a way of inciting others to think and, hopefully, to form opinions of their own, if they haven't already done so.

It is my fervent hope that we keep open and active minds when reading opinions and then engaging in peaceful, constructive, discussion and debate in an arena of mutual respect concerning the opinions put forth. After over twenty years as a military intelligence analyst, planner, and briefer, I have come to believe engaging each other in this manner and in this arena is the way we will learn tolerance and respect for differing beliefs, cultures, and viewpoints.

We all fall from grace, some more often than others; it is part of being human. God's test for us is what we do afterward, and what we learn from the experience.

Frank Anthony Villari (aka, Pastor Tony)

Pastor Tony is founder of the Congregation for Religious Tolerance and author/editor of the Congregation's official blog site, "The Path."