True Message of the Prophet

There is a debate among scholars and intellectuals on the essence of  what we understand of God. Is the God that we worship a stern, omnipotent and merciless power or is God the omnipotent, merciful and compassionate Being ? Was the Prophet of God , Muhammad, a messenger of peace and love or hatred and war?   While the Holy Quran clearly indicates that God's compassion exceeds his wrath and that his forgiveness overrides his punishment, but evidently a certain radical interpretation has surfaced occasionally ; mostly in response to attacks from the outer, implying a more radical and violent impression of Islam. A deliberate and well orchestrated effort to display a negative image of Islam by Western media has also been underway for long.
While the insulting films posted recently on YouTube and the offensive caricatures attempting to mock the beloved Prophet of Islam were indicative of a new wave of Islamo-phobia, Muslims worldwide responded in varying tones and forms.  Where American embassies were available, thousands poured into the streets to protest and this led to violence and bloodshed. Among them the most  evident cases were in Libya , Pakistan and Egypt while peaceful marches in other cities still continue.
In an attempt to respond to the accusations and offensive efforts to smear the image of Islam and Muslims, many have resorted to intercultural and intellectual debates. In a recent interview I referred to the Dialogue Among Civilizations as a resort and resolution in face of the current attacks and threats against Muslims worldwide. Some radical sites responded harshly to my comments by claiming that the idea is "shipwrecked" and finished now. The idea which was put forward by President Khatami during his term and welcomed by the UN has stark enemies among radical anti reformist groups in power today in Iran.

In addition many Muslims throughout the world , particularly those living as minorities in Western societies started diverse initiatives to influence public opinion and to counter the offensive efforts in a polite and meaningful manner. In addition to internet and social net campaigns ( one called the True Message of the Prophet has started in Facebook) many groups in the UK and Scandinavian cities set off in the streets to demonstrate the baseless claims of the anti Islam propaganda campaigns.  They talked with people in the streets and gave them flowers along with words from the Quran or from the Prophet.

Tehran's Uncertain but Radical Diplomacy

During the past week, after a group of radical youth attacked the British Embassy and Gholhak residence in Tehran, many reactions have occurred. Diplomatic missions have left host countries on both sides and rhetoric in condemnation and support of the action has not subsided. The majority of political observers have questioned the intentions behind the action and even some conservative and pro-government groups seem to have condemned the act. The stark reality is that Principalists who are wielding absolute power in Iran, are responsible for all the events taking place at both internal and external levels. The financial scandals and rising inflation on one side, the unlawful policies taken  and the ongoing pressures on Reformists and critiques on the other, all point to the incompetence of the Principalists in managing the affairs of the country. The two rival factions of Principalists, as a result of  their serious internal disputes, have created many setbacks in the economy. Some believe they are resorting to taking the internal disputes to a new diplomatic and international level.

The majority of Iranians hope that rational policies will replace the current decisions and that the international community will prevent any radical decision against Iran. Sanctions and economic pressures are taking their toll, initially on the private sector and the people . Even the threat of harsher action or a military strike will play into the hands of the radical forces and create more difficult conditions for the people and opposition groups like the Reformists.

Even the threat of war should not be tolerated at a time that we are still witnessing the crimes against humanity in Afghanistan and Pakistan in the name of NATO and international coalitions.  Where has war created more security and happiness? Afghanistan, Iraq, and Palestine are all paying a heavy price due to years of war and violence resulting from occupation and oppression.  Libya has suffered much from the aerial attacks of NATO even though these attacks resulted in the removal of a dictator. Neocons and radicals in the US and the Zionist lobby are pressing for war against Iran once again ,since they feel threatened by the influence of a strong and reasonable Iran.

Let us hope that the American people will remind Obama that they voted for him since they were weary of the war mongering Bush and his neocon entourage . Now what is to be done if Obama proceeds in those very steps towards a new war and aggression? His analysts and advisors need to inform him that Iran is now very different from any country that has been attacked in contemporary history. He also needs to be informed that Iran has not attacked nor initiated war against any nation in the past 750 years , more than three times of US history.

Another piece of advice that Obama needs is that Israel does not look to secure US interests in the region. Instead it supports creating more havoc to find room for its aggressive policies in face of the Arab Spring and Islamists coming to power in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya through a democratic process which might undermine Western hegemony.

European countries like Britain should display more restraint and revisit their one sided policies against Iran, the majority of British voters who condemned the militaristic actions of Blair will not side with  a war mongering Cameron either. He better also see the wider picture and change tone and attitude towards Iran. On an internal note I hope that pressures on Reformists will diminish so that we could witness a strong turn out for the up coming elections.

 Time to hope and pray for better prospects on all said above.

Interfaith Dialogue: Rhetoric or Practice?

Last week many global leaders joined an interfaith dialogue initiative led by King Abdullah the Saudi Monarch. The fact that leaders have acknowledged the imperative of dialogue as a remedy to current inflictions is in itself a positive development. The fact that erroneous Western policies towards the Muslim world have been criticized by Arab leaders who are renown for their Western alignment is also noteworthy. However the fact that such an initiative would be led by leaders who do not have a prominent role in the Islamic world and who have not followed such initiatives in their political careers is questionable. It takes the whole initiative to the level of empty rhetoric with no practical backing.
Today, in the absence of personalities such as President Khatami who put forward the policy of Dialogue Among Civilizations and led an initiative which was warmly welcomed by the global community and is still followed in academic and independent circles , it is natural that self proclaimed leaders would step forward and fill the gap. The outcome is however essentially different. Before being considered as a politician President Khatami is considered to be a thinker and scholar of political and religious science. He has enough theoretical backing for what he has proclaimed . He considers his progressive pro-democracy Islamic thought to be a natural outcome of the Islamic Revolution. For eight years, he displayed in practice, the example of a political leader with robust ethical principles who stands as a role model for Islamic leadership. President Khatami is still a popular figure, among young Iranians he is a beacon of hope for those who aspire to see the prosperity of Iran's Islamic Democracy.