By Grant LaFleche

(Forwarded by Zafar Khizer)

In an editorial in support of freedom of speech, especially when it is very offensive, Mr. LaFleche writes:

“There are two views on freedom of speech, noted linguist and political commentator Noam Chomsky once said, and you can decide which view you want.

It’s a starkly simple and important perspective on a freedom that, more than any other, defines what Western society is. And the real test of this principle is whether we uphold it in the face of views that might make you squirm.

“Goebbels was in favour of free speech for views he liked. So was Stalin,” Chomsky said. “If you’re really in favour of free speech, then you’re in favour of freedom of speech precisely for views you despise. Otherwise, you’re not in favour of free speech.”

It’s worth remembering Chomsky’s words when we consider the uproar over a 13-minute anti-Muslim film mocking the prophet Muhammad made in the U.S. that triggered a wave of violence in the Middle East, including attacks on American embassies recently” Click on link below to read full editorial;
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2012/09/18/defend-free-speech-regardless-of-the-violence

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Published: September 18, 2012

Thomas Friedman is senior NYT columnist and frequently writes about Muslims and Israel. He is very critical of Israel’s present policies. His columns are read widely and also by many Muslims. He is responding to present violent protests in Muslim countries and writes: 

“On Monday, David D. Kirkpatrick, the Cairo bureau chief for The Times, quoted one of the Egyptian demonstrators outside the American Embassy, Khaled Ali, as justifying last week’s violent protests by declaring: “We never insult any prophet — not Moses, not Jesus — so why can’t we demand that Muhammad be respected?” Mr. Ali, a 39-year-old textile worker, was holding up a handwritten sign in English that read: “Shut Up America.” “Obama is the president, so he should have to apologize!”

“I read several such comments from the rioters in the press last week, and I have a big problem with them. I don’t like to see anyone’s faith insulted, but we need to make two things very clear — more clear than President Obama’s team has made them. One is that an insult — even one as stupid and ugly as the anti-Islam video on YouTube that started all of this — does not entitle people to go out and attack embassies and kill innocent diplomats. That is not how a proper self-governing people behave. There is no excuse for it. It is shameful. And, second, before demanding an apology from our president, Mr. Ali and the young Egyptians, Tunisians, Libyans, Yemenis, Pakistanis, Afghans and Sudanese who have been taking to the streets might want to look in the mirror — or just turn on their own televisions. They might want to look at the chauvinistic bile that is pumped out by some of their own media — on satellite television stations and Web sites or sold in sidewalk bookstores outside of mosques — insulting Shiites, Jews, Christians, Sufis and anyone else who is not a Sunni, or fundamentalist, Muslim. There are people in their countries for whom hating “the other” has become a source of identity and a collective excuse for failing to realize their own potential.”

Click on the link below to read full article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/19/opinion/friedman-look-in-your-mirror.html?_r=0

Following are the statements by some major American Muslims Organizations.

Statement by ICNA

“ICNA strongly condemns the violent attacks on American embassies in Egypt and Libya. Nothing is worth the cost of a human life, and we firmly believe that there is no honor or faith in committing such violence.

We extend our deepest condolences to the families of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and the other three American personnel at this tragic time. Today we lost diplomats and friends to the people of Libya; we commend Amb. Stevens and U.S. envoys in Libya and elsewhere for their dedication to peace.

We are disturbed that the perpetrators of these attacks are claiming to defend the Prophet Muhammad’s   honor. The Prophet   was a man of peace and mercy; to engage in such violence and senseless killing is to truly defile his legacy. We implore Muslims in the region and around the world to remember the Prophet’s   teachings and honor his life by following his example of kindness and love in the face of hostility.

We appeal to Muslims in the Arab region and elsewhere to ignore cheap attempts for publicity by hateful bigots. By engaging in violence Muslims are not only harming innocent lives but also falling in the trap set up by bigots.

We also appeal to the larger American public to be wary of such attempts by individuals and groups, who, in most cases, have foreign ties and engage in such hateful projects that not only endanger Americans’ and others’ lives overseas, but incite hate attacks against minorities in America as well.”

Statement By ISNA 

“The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) unequivocally condemns the killing of U.S. Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevens, and his staff and condemns the attack on US Embassy in Cairo. Reports indicate that those who killed him did so as a reaction to a video depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in a profane manner. Although we believe that this video is hateful and bigoted, this could never be an excuse to commit any acts of violence whatsoever. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is loved and respected by hundreds of millions of people across the world, and no one take this from our hearts. No one should fall into the trap of those who wish to incite anger. The Prophet (peace be upon him) should be our example in everything we do, and even though he was attacked and insulted many times throughout his life, he always reacted with compassion and forgiveness, never with revenge or violence.”

Statement By CAIR

“We condemn the disgraceful killings of the American diplomats in Libya in the strongest terms possible. We also condemn the attack on our nation’s diplomatic facilities in Libya and Egypt. The actions of the attackers are totally inexcusable and un-Islamic.

“We agree with Secretary Clinton, who said that ‘violence like this is no way to honor religion or faith.’ The extremists who carried out these attacks deserve punishment, and the extremists who produced and promoted an intentionally inflammatory film deserve condemnation.

“Islamic traditions include a number of instances in which the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had the opportunity to retaliate against those who abused him, but refrained from doing so.

One tradition, or hadith, states: ‘You [Muhammad] do not do evil to those who do evil to you, but you deal with them with forgiveness and kindness.’ (Sahih Al-Bukhari)

“Muslims are also taught the tradition of the woman who would regularly throw trash on the prophet as he walked down a particular path. The prophet never responded in kind to the woman’s abuse. Instead, when she one day failed to attack him, he went to her home to inquire about her condition.

“In another tradition, the prophet was offered the opportunity to have God punish the people of a town near Mecca who refused the message of Islam and attacked him with stones. Again, the prophet did not choose to respond in kind to the abuse.

“We must not let extremists control the political or religious discourse. That means that people of all beliefs should repudiate those who would commit acts of violence in response to intentional provocations and repudiate those whose only goal is offending religious sentiments.”

CAIR yesterday called on Muslims in the Middle East to ignore the distribution of the “trashy” anti-Islam film, clips of which are circulating online, that resulted in the attacks in Libya and Egypt.

CAIR is America’s largest Muslim civil liberties and advocacy organization. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

Statement By ADC

Washington, DC | www.adc.org | September 12, 2012 — The American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) strongly condemns the brutal attack on the U.S. Consulate in the Libyan city of Benghazi that erupted during protests last night. Four Americans were killed in the attack, among them the U.S. Envoy to Libya, Ambassador J Christopher Stevens.

This senseless act of violence occurred amidst angry protests decrying an anti-Islamic film produced in the U.S. that appeared on YouTube. Thousands of Egyptians also protested the film at the U.S. Embassy in Cairo yesterday. The film is highly insulting to the religious sentiments of Muslims.

While ADC is committed to the right enshrined in our nation’s Constitution of free speech, there is no question that the purposeful provocation of any religious group is divisive and reprehensible. However, responding with violence only plays into the hands of those who seek to divide us and inevitably leads to painful loss.

ADC extends its deepest condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of those killed; and urges Muslim Americans and Muslims around the world to always react with reason, not anger, against any ignorant attack on Islam.

By Robert Fisk

This article was shared by Azeem Farooki;

It only takes a couple of loonies a few seconds to kick off a miniature war in the Muslim world

“With the help of our wonderful new technology, however, it only needs a couple of loonies to kick off a miniature war in the Muslim world within seconds. I doubt if poor Christopher Stevens – a man who really understood the Arabs as many of his colleagues do not – had ever heard of the ‘film’ that unleashed the storming of the US consulate in Benghazi and his own death. It’s one thing to witlessly claim that the US would go on a “crusade” against al-Qaeda – thank you, George W. Bush – but another to insult, quite deliberately, an entire people. Racism of this kind stirs many a crazed heart.”  To read full article click on the link below:

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/09/13-0