The Respect Of A Cousin
Edward Miller*

After the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten's 12 caricatures of the prophet
Muhammad were republished in European newspapers, riots erupted in Damascus, Gaza, Beirut and elsewhere throughout the Muslim world. The violence is an extreme manifestation of the deep hurt felt by virtually all Muslims.

As we condemn the violence on the streets, perhaps we should take a moment
to understand the hurt in the hearts of the great majority of Muslims who
did not engage in violence.

For Muslims, the mere rendering of an image of Muhammad is sacrilege. The
portrayal of Muhammad in a pejorative fashion is to them an inconceivably
offensive desecration, on the level of what would be for us the defilement
of a Torah scroll. Because it was done in newspapers across Europe, it was a
slap in the face repeated thousands of times.

Perhaps it is a question of respect, not freedom. Freedom of expression
theoretically protects the right of a non-Jew to desecrate a Torah scroll.
Yet we would all view freedom of expression as a hollow defense to such a
vile act.

Some say Muslims can't take criticism and simply don't understand freedom of
the press. In my own limited experience, that has not been the case. For the
past year I have written a column in a Muslim newspaper, Muslims Weekly, in
which I have criticized suicide bombing, the treatment of Jews under Islamic
rule, the anti-Jewish rantings of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and
even Muslims Weekly's own reporting about Israel. But it was all done with
respect, an informed appreciation of the wonderful benefits that Islam
conferred upon the Jewish people, along with a willingness to look at our
own imperfections together with those of the other.

Regardless of whether or not the European press was constitutionally free to
publish the offensive images, the act was a blatant and vulgar act of
disrespect to Islam. Such insults no doubt contribute to the frightening
specter of a clash of civilizations.

What can we do as Jews to lessen the hostilities? Perhaps, just perhaps, a
little respect would help. Rather than ripping the wounds wider with
editorial musings extolling freedom of speech and condemning violent
protests, is it not time for a bit of healing?

The pages of this Jewish newspaper present a place for a small start by
showing Muslims right here that though we too have the freedom to say
anything we like, we choose to convey respect to our Muslim cousins.
Printing something positive about Muhammad best does this.

There is a space between romanticizing the past and vilifying it. There is a
time to focus on the dark side of history and a time to view the other in
the best light. There is a time to cull from our rabbinic writings the good
our sages saw in Islam and there is quite a bit of such sentiment recorded.
We Jews need to learn to be more flexible, pursuing the claims of Jews
expelled from Arab countries and criticizing anti-Jewish TV programs and
cartoons in the Muslim media, while at the same time displaying gratitude
for all the good Islam did for us. There is a time to jump over our pain and
see the humanity of the other. That time is now. Let us start:

There is a Hadith (oral tradition concerning the words and works of
Muhammad) recorded by Bukhari in the name of Amer Bin Rabiha that reads as
follows:

A funeral procession passed us and the Prophet stood up for it. We said, but
Prophet of God, this is a funeral of a Jew. The Prophet responded, rise.

One can search the writings of the ancient non-Jewish world for a more
powerful example of a public display of respect for the humanity of the Jew.
There simply is no more powerful statement than the single word uttered by
Muhammad nearly 14 centuries ago.

Some readers will bombard this newspaper with reams of material showing a
darker side to Islam, as if it were just too much for them to hear one good
thing. But it is there, it is a sacred part of their tradition, it is good
and we should hear it and respect it.

When you give respect you get it. When you take criticism, you earn the
right to give it. Perhaps this article will be republished in Muslim
newspapers, compete with its critical comments about the pain we feel in the
face of anti-Jewish cartoons and worse in Muslim media. Muslim readers may
come to understand that an article by a Jew, in a Jewish newspaper, was one
of respect, telling its audience: We know that the one mocked in newspapers
in Europe is the one who had the humanity to tell his companions to rise for
the funeral procession of a Jew.

* Edward Miller, a local attorney, is active in efforts to reconcile Jews
and Muslims.
Special To The Jewish Week