?The West is under ideological surveillance by Islam.? The proclamation was made by French professor Robert Redeker after several death threats against him forced him and his family into hiding. The threats were a direct result of an op-ed piece by Redeker in Le Figaro on September 19. In the article, the philosophy professor and author of several books, speaks his mind about what he calls the violent nature of the Islamic faith. He called the Koran ?a book of incredible violence? and Prophet Mohammad ?a merciless warlord.? The piece immediately caused an outcry around the Muslim world. Egypt and Tunisia banned the issue from newsstands, and a commentator on al-Jazeera denounced Redeker. He and his family were threatened the very same day by phone, email, and on Internet forums. The forums went as far as publishing photos of the teacher, his home address, directions to his home, and what they claimed to be his cell phone number (source).
The belligerent responses are reminiscent of other violent reactions to criticisms of Islam. There is an ideological war underway in Europe in which those who exercise their freedom of speech are pitted against those who refuse to accept criticism of their faith.
These episodes are becoming more frequent but are not a new trend, although it appears more regular today. In the 1980s, Dutch comedian Rudi Carrell was put under police protection after he made a joke about Iran?s Ayatollah Khomeini. His performance provoked mass demonstrations in Iran , and several warnings later he issued an official apology in fear of further consequences. A few years later, Indian author Salman Rushdie had a fatwa called against him by the Ayatollah after the release of Rushdie?s book The Satanic Verses. Rushdie?s translator was killed, and he went into hiding for nine years until the Iranian government publicly decided in 1998 to distance itself from the fatwa. Rushdie, though, still lives a semi-clandestine life, as there are many fanatics calling for his punishment. Similarly, the feminist critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali today lives under the threat of murder, a threat that is being taken very seriously after the death of her colleague Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh .
In the light of the palpable hostility among the Muslim and Western world, we are witnessing a steady increase in incidents in which Europeans are seeing their democratic values being attacked to the point that they feel forced to back away from their original positions or arrangements. A great example is the repeated apologies and explanation Pope Benedict XVI felt compelled to make after his remarks on Prophet Mohammad infuriated Muslims around the world, prompting several threats against the Vatican and leading to the murder of a Catholic nun in Somalia as well as staged attacks against Catholic churches around the world. After the global flare-up of the Mohammed Cartoon row , many seem to opt for retreat instead of defending their viewpoints. The Berlin State Opera recently decided to cancel an opera of Mozart?s ?Idomeneo,? including a scene depicting the severed head of Muhammad and other religious leaders, in fear of potential terrorist attacks.
Retreating is not necessarily the best way to shun repercussions. Recently, a Syrian-born political scientist, Bassam Tibi, in Germany regretted that ?Europeans have stopped defending their values.? He further highlighted the counter-productiveness of this stance stating that Islamists view retreating as weakness, which compels further anger.
Violent mass-protests, murders, and thwarted attacks have proven just how severe the consequences of criticizing Islam can get; however, the most important point behind all these incidents is that angry outbursts are often staged. The West must become fully aware of the orchestration behind most of these violent whirlwinds. Just about all violent mass demonstrations that have followed a public remark against Islam by a Westerner have been instigated and fanned by Islamic leaders. In the case of the Mohammed Cartoon, Danish Imam Ahmed Abu Laban purposely ignited and rallied the Muslim world over the cartoons, which had been published months before without initially causing much controversy other than a few open remarks condemning the publications, by distributing supplementary cartoons that had been fabricated and exaggerated. Likewise, many Islamic leaders in the Muslim world have helped stage mass demonstrations in which flags and pictures are burned, boycotts are called, and sometimes fatwas are issued.
While the West is spending millions on trying to advance their democratic ideas and promote values of tolerance and freedom to the Muslim world, Muslim leaders have to do very little to bring about a mass support for their position.
These incidents must be recognized for their real purpose: a new political weapon in the war of ideas.