L'aura del Campo

Danmarka and Respect

Winter: 2 Mulk (February 8)

TREASURE OF THE DAY

The Prophet Muhammad has always taught Muslims to be kind to one another, to show tolerance and forgiveness. He taught us to be good to orphans, and our neighbours (despite their religious faith), to the needy and to him who asks for help. I hope this offer of kindness and support can be seen throughout the Muslim world. We have been told and encouraged to be kind and just to those who are good to us, it is a command that I hope we are able to fulfill.

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Dreams has an entire folder on Islam for those who are inquisitive. To navigate her works on Islam and related subjects, go to "Invalid Item" .


2006-02-08
morning, 30 degrees. 45 in San Jose, CA. 79 in San José, Costa Rica.

Kev's in San Jose. Me? ¡I'd rather be in San José! Unless Kev invited me to San Jose.

I've been thinking about the situation that started in Danmarka with the cartoons published by Jyllands Posten.

Although I believe in free press, I was brought up to believe that name calling wasn't proper. My parents were very strict about this. I grew up in a neighborhood of ethnic Germans, both Catholic and Lutheran, who looked down on everyone who wasn't like them. I was not German (even though I knew I was, in part. I didn't learn until much later how German I really was.) according to them and therefore less-than-human. Fortunately, not everyone was this way.

I remember one incident. My friend Mark Neuner, was telling Polack jokes and I told him to tell German jokes. He had the most difficult time saying anything! Now, Mark was a very kind and decent teenager, not a trouble-maker, and very polite. And when I saw him 3 years ago he still was wonderful (old, but wonderful!). And kind? Does marrying his love even though she couldn't have children count? Even though he grew up with one sister and three brothers and wanted children of his own? Did he hate others? No. He ran a car shop in the inner city at a time when White folk were not welcome in that part of town and had no problems. And because of learning disorders and the pain it caused, he has always reached out to others less fortunate than himself. (His severe dyslexia kept him back in school.) Have I ever loved Mark less because he's human? Never.

No the world isn't flat and Mark is a great person, take my word for it. But back to Dinamarca. If the danés were merely poking fun at themselves there wouldn't be a problem. The prob is poking fun at others.

And the problem with poking fun at others is that it isn't fun. I didn't laugh much as a kid. Hated school. Didn't get along with most of the kids in my grade or neighborhood. My parents didn't help either in that respect, but that's another issue. Have learned in life that self-righteous perfectionists are very lonely assholes. Anyway, going to college opened up a whole new world where people weren't of one social-ethnic background. And when I transfered to Kansas University, I met people from around the world.

And that world doesn't like to be insulted. No one does, really. The Dansk should've known how insulting depicting Mohammed was/is/will be. The prophet is not merely a political, historical, or religious personage. Mohammed is The Prophet. It is not the same as picking on the Pope, George Bush, Israel, Al Qaida, nations, people, ideas, etc. And the same goes for the Qur'an. It is not merely a book. It is The Book. This lack of sensitivity on the part of the press and government in Danmarka is the root cause of all this grief.

I'll put it another way. If I tell you that it is not okay to call me names and you continue to do so because 'everyone else does' and 'we run this place, you don't' that does not make you right and me wrong. What part of ignorant, stupid and mean do you not understand at that point?

Free press is not the issue here. Respect is. Until the Danes and other Europeans respect Islam, Muhammed and the Qur'an, they will continue to pay an awful price for their stupidity and callousness. Believe me when I say that I haven't forgotten the bigoted people of my youth, not their cruel words nor their actions.

However, just because the Danes were wrong doesn't mean they should suffer violence around the world. Anymore than my friend Mark deserved (and received) anything less than love from me.

But they did throw the first stone ...

2006-02-08
afternoon, 36 degrees here and also in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Prof. Lani Guinier wrote a book, "Tyranny of the Majority", after being tarred and feathered by the US Congress.

It is possible to read excerpts at this Amazon link:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0029131693/qid=1139431045/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/104...

Her premise is that the majority doesn't always play nice, nor fair. She decries the "I win; you lose." philosophy prevalent in American society. She bases much of her political argument on the insight of James Madison, President of the U.S. in the early 1800s.

I personally believe that for a society to be fair and just it must consider all its members to be of value. This is the basis of Human Rights, which some religious folk denounce as secular, but which I defend as God Given Rights that even majorities, democratically elected majorities, have no right to abrogate.

Now ... I must go look for a poem to place here and find a treasure here at WDC to display. (So many to choose from!)

Sketched recently thinking of my Uncle Warren (1918-2000):

Heart of the melon

The heart's sweet without the seeds,
rind hard enough to make sweet pickles.
It is the seeds we swallow or spit out.
We're not bold enough to be like my old uncle,
scooping out the middle,
leaving the rest to rot.
That Oklahoma sun and sand was known
to sweeten even him!
He grew grumpy in the grey cold north.
With this return of frost,
I choose to think of him,
a child among the watermelons,
gobs of red flesh on his mouth. [162.744]