Information and Misinformation

The 'Information Age' has given us almost immediate access to information and MISinformation - the problem now is that many don't seem to bother to distinguish one from the other.  It's almost an 'if it's online and on the first page of the search results then it must be true' situation.

Back in the day, research required a person to actively and decisively sift through a wealth of information.  Nowadays, it's a few keyboard strokes and barely any attempt at verification :(

We can't forget visual misdirection - when 9/11 happened there was 'footage' of 'celebrations' in the Middle East being broadcast by some news stations; the footage turned out to be stuff they had pulled from their archives, but they didn't tell anyone that and, to this day, more than a decade later, many believe the footage to be 'real'.  The seeds were sowed and millions were demonised within moments.

Similarly with the riots in Pakistan – the media showed the chaos (that’s ‘newsworthy’) but no the peace.  Even the Pakistani media didn’t put forward any of the many peaceful protests, so how were those outside of the country to know there were peaceful gathers occurring, too?

Millions demonised again (and I’m a party to that demonisation because, as much as I searched, I couldn’t find anything (initially) which showed the peaceful protests).

Information and Misinformation.

Now, apparently, Iran wants to put together its own ‘internet’ – as dangerous as the MISinformation that is currently out there, online, is…this could be even more so.  Although countries like China have various firewalls etc set up blocking certain sites and information sources, that information can still be accessed…but what could be the position a couple of generations down the line?  What happens when information is restricted?  What happens when half-truths and lies are being touted as ‘truth’? (Hello ‘Dark Ages’, it’s been a while)

‘Knowledge is power’, we know that, but ignorance and false-knowledge is dangerous (we know this, too, but some people are still uber-keen in promoting it however they can :( )

Time to step up

‘Nothing is heavier in the scales of a believer on the Day of Judgment than his good behaviour.  Allah (swt) detests a person who is obscene and shameless.’ (Tirmidhi)

Across the world we keep being exposed to ‘the two faces of Islam’:

-         death-chanting, aggressive, violent and ‘out of control’

-         peaceful, praying and calling for calm

The ‘second face’ is often ignored, side-lined and quickly forgotten (it’s not really ‘newsworthy’, especially when you can show images and footage of rampaging flag-burners), but there’s a problem within that ‘second-face’ – they keep shying away.

We need that ‘second-face’ to be out there and not back down.

We need the scholars and speakers to keep preaching and speaking and teaching.

And praying.

When the people of Taif pelted the Prophet (saw) with stones and chased him out of the city, he didn’t seek their deaths.  He prayed for them and their children.

When the woman who hurled abuse at him, daily, as he walked for the morning prayer wasn’t there one morning, he asked about her wellbeing and, hearing she was ill, went to see her.  He even addressed her as ‘mother’.

When the woman who ordered the assassination of the Prophet’s (saw) uncle and later mutilated his body and chewed his liver, was brought before the Prophet (saw) years later…he forgave her.

With regards to the man who assaulted Zainab (ra), the Prophet’s (saw) daughter, causing her to miscarry…the Prophet (saw) forgave him.

Time and time again, he forgave those who abused and oppressed him.

Time and time again, he forgave those who abused and oppressed those dear to him.

Time and time again, he warned against becoming one of the oppressors.

Those out there seeking ‘violent retribution’ need to take a few moments to consider what it is that they’re actually doing.  Are they truly and absolutely ‘fighting’ for Allah and His Prophet…or are they giving way to their own frustrations?  On one occasion, when Ali (ra) was fighting in a jihad, he had his opponent ‘on the ropes’ when his opponent then spat on him.  Ali (ra), to the astonishment of the others there and his opponent, threw down his sword walked away, leaving his opponent alive.  Why?  Ali (ra) later said that he knew that if he had delivered the killing blow at that point it would not have been in a fight for God but because of the anger at being spat on, rendering him a murderer instead of a noble warrior.

So, in light of all this, those encouraging violence and those doing violence in response to the ‘movie’ need to re-assess their actions and motives.

It’s easy for me to say these things, ‘hiding’ behind this platform – but I’m not a scholar.  I’m not the kind of person others will listen to and adhere to and follow.  Those people, noted scholars and speakers, are out there…but they only seem to come forward for brief moments.  They need to step up and do more.

It doesn’t matter if their words aren’t receiving the ‘right press’, they just need to keep doing it.

Insha’Allah, they will.

Protesting is fine, rioting is wrong.

Allah (swt) warns us against becoming ‘transgressors’, going ‘beyond limits’ but, time and time again, Muslims across the world are shown ‘transgressing’ and ‘going beyond limits’.  They keep crossing the line and, for the most part, are unashamed in doing so.  They feel justified.

Their anger over the Prophet (saw) being slandered is righteous and is justified, but their targeting of people who have nothing to do with any slanderous comments made or the movies, etc, is neither righteous nor justified.

Frankly, the producers, director etc are lying when they claim they ‘didn’t expect this kind of reaction’.  It’s exactly the reaction they were looking; it’s exactly why they were so disappointed when no one paid any attention to the ‘movie’ months ago; it’s exactly why they ‘anonymously’ dubbed the trailer into Arabic, reposted and directed attention towards it.

The riots are exactly what they wanted so they could sit back and say ‘see?  We told you the Muslims are a murderous and bloodthirsty lot’.

The initial protest in Egypt was done ‘right’, so to speak.  Sure, it was aggressive but there was also unity – there were Muslims and Christians in attendance, both protesting the ‘movie’.  The Libyan one, though…certain people clearly had ulterior motives – why else would they turn up with RPGs and other weapons?

There’s also another thing these so-called ‘Christians’ enjoy ‘lauding’ and (whether wittingly or not) enjoy taking advantage of – the lack of slander and vitriol on the part of Muslims towards Jesus (as).  Yes, they’re ‘outraged’ when Muslims assert that Jesus (as) is not God and is not His son, but they take comfort in the fact that no Muslim will ever claim Jesus (as) was a paedophile or a womanizer or consorted with women of ill-repute.  It’s not because the texts, narratives, beliefs and so forth regarding Christ across the spectrum of Christianity are so ‘clean’ or beyond reproach, but that we, Muslims, love and revere him so much that we cannot and will not say anything slanderous about him.  For any one of us to do so would render us non-Muslim.  (so it's best left to their own scholars and writers to sully Jesus' (as) name, but when they do we, Muslims, must protest such things, too!)

It’s really that simple.

Going back to the protests: demonstrations commanding (encouraging) good and forbidding (condemning) evil are right and permissible; willfully and intentional inciting violence, however, is not.  Yes, some demonstrations will descend into conflict, but to go there with the intention of harming others…that is wrong.

The true purpose beyond protests and demonstrations is dawah – to bring awareness to others and to show them the truth through words and actions.  The words?  Lectures and narrations refuting, for example, allegations made against the Prophet (saw).  The actions?  Salaat (prayer).

If some of the protestors are ‘antsy’, they should drink some water and calm down.  If that’s not sufficient, they should sit down.  If that’s not enough, they should lie down.  Throughout it all, though, they should perform dhikr – remembrance of Allah (swt).

Do all this and we would truly provide a slap in the faces of all those inciting Muslims to violence.

Do all this and we would truly be upholding the honour of our beloved leader, the best of mankind, the mercy from Allah (swt) – our beloved Prophet (saw).