Akkari: “Denmark needs to open its eyes”
Kristeligt Dagblad, January 5, 2006
Letter to the editor
Denmark needs to open its eyes
Moslems will not stand for their prophet being ridiculed and criticised for no reason.
By Ahmed Akkari
If freedom of religion and freedom of speech are not balanced, society at large will suffer one of two possible fates:
If freedom of religion is accommodated to the detriment of freedom of speech, society will end in stagnation as in the Dark Ages of Europe. Or it may end as a harsh and barren communist utopia with no place for dynamicism, individual differences and creativity.
If freedom of speech takes over, letting freedom of religion be ignored, undermined, publicly ridiculed and mistreated, society will end up with no basis at all. Eller as a modern sociologist put it: "Like flying two thousand meters above the ground only to discover that there is no pilot."
Letting oneself get blinded by a value without weighing the consequences may be fatal. In the Dark Ages of Europe they were blinded by the value of belief and today the opposite is the problem. From one extremism to the other, Europe is careening wildly from side to side with her passengers.
The current matter of Moslems, Imams, cartoons of Muhammed - peace be upon him - and about humor and satire is about understanding that your freedom stops where other people’s freedom begins.
Everything else is irrevelant to the core of the issue. It’s not about delegations touring the world. Neither is it about so-called disinformation or a wish to arouse people’s ire against Denmark. All that is but muddying the waters.
The issue is that Denmark needs to open its eyes to world. To make Denmark understand, acknowledge and accept that it is still a part of the world at large.
Moslems can and will not tolerate that their role model and religious idol Muhammed - peace be upon him - is criticised obscenely and unneedlessly.
So far Moslems, their Imams og organizations have sought diplomatic, political and dialogue-based solutions to a completely ununderstandable provocation and disgrace. And let us hope that those holding the reins in Denmark can restore balance before the scales are tipped and another kind of solution is sought.
No! Of course that’s not a threat, which some might prematurely might interpret it to be, it’s only a reminder and a bit of advice.
