There is a famous quote about 'opinion' which I cannot repeat here. So, suffice it to say that it does allow room for people like you and me not to have an opinion about the goings-on in the world, however momentous they maybe. Of course, there is no denying that murdering has to be condemned and that every person in this world needs to have 'la libertad de exprecion' i.e. the freedom of expression. But it is difficult to take a definitive stand beyond that. Well, at least it is for me.
And that's because I believe that there are peaceful, and yet effective ways of registering your protest and that it is wrong to make fun of any religion - not because it might anger the fundamentalists of that religion but because it might hurt many who practice that religion daily and have nothing whatsoever to do with bullets and bombs. If you are mocking their faith, then it does not matter whether you are mocking the fundamentalistic aspect of it or otherwise. For people who don't have time or energy to study or debate the finer points or the true teachings of their religion (and most of the people following any religion will fall into this category), the symbols become as important as the religion itself. And though the majority of them won't reach out to the friendly neighborhood guy who has been recruiting for some terrorist organization or other, such mockery will create an 'us vs. them' kind of feeling that the world can really do without. It doesn't matter that you haven't been singling out any specific religion to make fun of and targeting almost all of them. The question is you should wonder what effect your action is going to have on the world. And considering that, is it really worth it? Just because you can do something, should you do it? And while we can do precious little to stem the growth of religious fanaticism, should we go out of our way to stoke it?
So as I look at the world leaders who marched arm-in-arm on the streets of Paris, I wonder why none of them spared a moment for the victims of the Boko Haram massacre. :-(
And that's because I believe that there are peaceful, and yet effective ways of registering your protest and that it is wrong to make fun of any religion - not because it might anger the fundamentalists of that religion but because it might hurt many who practice that religion daily and have nothing whatsoever to do with bullets and bombs. If you are mocking their faith, then it does not matter whether you are mocking the fundamentalistic aspect of it or otherwise. For people who don't have time or energy to study or debate the finer points or the true teachings of their religion (and most of the people following any religion will fall into this category), the symbols become as important as the religion itself. And though the majority of them won't reach out to the friendly neighborhood guy who has been recruiting for some terrorist organization or other, such mockery will create an 'us vs. them' kind of feeling that the world can really do without. It doesn't matter that you haven't been singling out any specific religion to make fun of and targeting almost all of them. The question is you should wonder what effect your action is going to have on the world. And considering that, is it really worth it? Just because you can do something, should you do it? And while we can do precious little to stem the growth of religious fanaticism, should we go out of our way to stoke it?
So as I look at the world leaders who marched arm-in-arm on the streets of Paris, I wonder why none of them spared a moment for the victims of the Boko Haram massacre. :-(
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