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September 12th, 2012
12:06 PM ET
Ambassador's killing shines light on Muslim sensitivities around Prophet MohammedBy Dan Gilgoff and Eric Marrapodi, CNN Belief Blog Co-Editors (CNN) – Violence over depictions of the Prophet Mohammed may mystify many non-Muslims, but it speaks to a central tenet of Islam: that the Prophet was a man, not God, and that portraying him threatens to lead to worshiping a human instead of Allah. “It's all rooted in the notion of idol worship,” says Akbar Ahmed, who chairs the Islamic Studies department at American University. “In Islam, the notion of God versus any depiction of God or any sacred figure is very strong." “The Prophet himself was aware that if people saw his face portrayed by people, they would soon start worshiping him,” Ahmed says. “So he himself spoke against such images, saying ‘I’m just a man.’” The prohibition against such portrayals was on stark display Tuesday, as mobs in Egypt and Libya attacked U.S. compounds in response to a film that vilifies the Prophet Mohammed, who founded Islam in the 7th century. The attack on the U.S. personnel in Benghazi, Libya, was orchestrated by extremists who used the protests as a diversion, U.S. sources told CNN Wednesday. The attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi killed J. Christopher Stevens, Washington's ambassador to Libya, as well as three other Americans at the compound. Follow the CNN Belief Blog on Twitter The film that’s believed to have inspired the violence depicts the Prophet Mohammed as a child molester, womanizer and ruthless killer, going a big step beyond violating the basic Muslim prohibition against depicting the Prophet, even in a favorable light. There are questions about who is behind the movie. Initial reports identified a supposedly Israeli-American real-estate developer named Sam Bacile, but it's unclear if that person even exists. A member of the film's production staff told CNN that the producer's name was listed as Abenob Nakoula Basseley. In Sunni mosques, the largest branch of the faith, there are no images of people of any kind. The spaces are often decorated with verses from the Quran. CNN’s Belief Blog: The faith angles behind the biggest stories Mohamed Magid, an imam who leads the Islamic Society of North America, says the Muslim prohibition on depicting prophets extends to Jesus and Moses, who Islam treats as prophets. “Pictures and images are prohibited from being worshiped,” Magid says. There have been historical instances of Muslims depicting the Prophet, says Omid Safi, a religious studies professor at the University of North Carolina who has studied the issue. "We have had visual depictions of the Prophet in the form of miniatures and pictures in the Iranian context, the Turkish context, the central Asian Context,” says Safi, author of the book "Memories of Mohammed." “The one significant context where depictions of the Prophet have not been image-related has been in the Arab context.” “As you go farther east, away from the Arabian Peninsula, you find depictions of the prophet in art,” said Johari Abdul-Malik, the imam for Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia. He noted that images of the teachings of the prophet were sometimes used to bridge gaps in illiteracy. But even depictions of the Prophet by Muslim artists has been a sensitive issue. Akbar, a former Pakistani ambassador to the United Kingdom, says that Muslim artists in the 15th and 16th centuries would depict the Prophet but took pains to avoid drawing his face. “It would be as if he was wearing a veil on his face, so the really orthodox could not object – that was the solution they found," Akbar says. In a Muslim film called “The Messenger,” which circulated throughout the Muslim world in the 1970s and 1980s, the Prophet is depicted only as a shadow. Adbul-Malik said that in the Quran, there is “no statement from the prophet requesting his image not be recorded.” The passages relating to a ban on creating images of the prophets come from the hadith, recordings of the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed and his closest companions. The hadith is not viewed on the same plane as the Quran but as important to understanding the Quran. Scholars of religion say Muslim opposition to portraying Mohammed wasn’t generally violated in earlier centuries because of a gulf between much of the Muslim world and the West. In the age of globalization, non-Muslims and critics of Islam have felt free to depict Mohammed, including in offensive ways. In 2006, a Danish cartoonist’s depiction of the Prophet wearing a bomb as a turban with a lit fuse provoked demonstrations across the world. Akbar says that until relatively recently, depictions of Jesus tended to be reverential, but Christianity has had a decades-long head start in dealing with negative portrayals of Jesus in film and art. soundoff (4,725 Responses)« Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 Next » |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Decent people don't use violence when other people don't follow their religion. I think all organized religion is bunk and while all cultures should be respected, Muslims need to get with the modern age and stop using religion as an excuse for violence and murder. Of course the truth probably is the masses are encouraged by their leaders to hate the US for any convenience reason to distract them from the economic and political oppression in their own country. Never the less it is sad that people are being brain washed like this.
hat disgusting misinforming words. Islam believes in peace and equality, and condemns violence in every way. A muslim would never kill another sacred human being, just because someone does something bad in the name of Islam doesn't make them a Muslim. Terrorism goes against the beliefs of Islam, and you are wholly wrong for believe that it is the cause. Ghadafi was not a Muslim, dont just make assumptions just like any bigoted person.
Islam is with the modern era. Its mentions chromosomes, black holes, life on another planet, salt and fresh water not being able to mix. All these have only been discovered recently but it was mentioned in the Quran written 1400 years ago.
Again the muslims make themselves the victims when we are the ones under attack. they are totally insensitive to our concerns. They are so insensitive that they wanted to build a mosque at the ground Zero site but again they acted like they were the victims. I don't feel sorry for them one bit. Did they watch people jump out of the twin towers?
What is wrong with building a mosque in new york. Islam is a religion which tolerates peace and condems violence. Those responsiblee for 9/11 are not muslims. Just because of a few idiots you are against over 1 billion people who are Muslim. Violene begets violence, hatred begets hatred and terrorism begets terrorism. The victims are the millions killed in countries like Iraq, Lebanon and more. Remember you were not attacked first, how can you hate eople for hating Americans when you hate every Muslim.
DID YOU KNOW OVER 200 MUSLIMS DIED ALSO IN THOSE BUILDINGS????? DONT BE AN IGNORANT FOOL. THOSE THAT COMMITTED THOSE ACTS WERE NOT MUSLIMS. THEY WERE TERRORISTS THAT WERE REVENGING THE U.S. FOR ITS HORRIBLE FOREIGN POLICIES AND PAST ATTACKS AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE.
Who gives a darn what these people think. Were're not here for them to change our lives. Get a back bone and run your own country without our money.
NO JOKE!!!
Islamists are cowards empowered by a violent religion and creepy eschatology!
What disgusting misinforming words. Islam believes in peace and equality, and condemns violence in every way. A muslim would never kill another sacred human being, just because someone does something bad in the name of Islam doesn't make them a Muslim. Terrorism goes against the beliefs of Islam, and you are wholly wrong for believe that it is the cause. Ghadafi was not a Muslim, dont just make assumptions just like any bigoted person.
lol Alan. Why aren't there large crowds protesting against the violence, then?
The muslim ideology / religion is just that. Nothing is worth the life of another – nothing. Don't worry about the Muslims though CNN has their backs.
I get the whole "worship God not his messager" and to a degree I can respect the 'i'm just a man" thing, but this is just far and beyond what any sane, reasonable person can justify.
@dude..this is cnn..the tingle of obamas leg..his camapign propoganda arm..
don't hold your breath waiting for cnn to say that freedom of speech trumps whiney muslims sensitivities
Wait a minute... WE get attacked if we display a picture (ANY picture?) of Mohammed just because someone somewhere may get confused and start worshipping him as a God? That's OUR fault?!... 'cause I gotta tell you I see a lot of pictures of people and I'm not compelled to worship any of them. Recommendation: Muslims: Attacking those that actually worship the pictures instead of killing innocent people just because one Loon from Idiotville in CountryCouldBeYours uploads a video he made in his garage. CHILL for Crist sake.
Thanks for the logic that not even CNN can figure out.
Theocracy vs. Democracy. It's Oil and Water in the middle east which is why it's so difficult for non-theocratic minded people to understand. CNN is plainly liberal and feels that this particular "belief of hatred" can meld into America mainstream–not gonna happen! Isalm is, plainly stated, a religion of hatred. "If they (the infidels) do not follow, kill them" (paraphrased from the Quran). Yep, that'll go over SO well!!
religions suck.
We don't tolerate temper tantrums from three year olds. Why do we tolerate them from grown men? Memo to the Arab World: Folks are going to have opinions you don't like. (you cannot have a cookie). Grow up and get over it.
Lol great
If they don't want to see the movie, don't go...the rest of the world is held hostage as to what images we are allowed to see, in case islam is offended. You know what's "offensive"? Flying commercial airliners full of human beings into office towers....
Attention all Muslims! I don't really care! Draw me if you want, I'm strong enough to take it! I certainly don't want you to commit senseles acts of violence in my name! Stop being morons!
who cares,WHO CARES, again, leave with your quran on a horse named mohammed.....BUT where are you going to go??
Nowhere the drones cant fly. lmao
You can't just fly drones anywhere. we can't go around violating anyones airspace we feel loike.
Let's begin here. Aside from the lunacy of killing over idolatry, in effect, behaving like idolaters, what kind of "understanding" can we get from something that says, among dozens of other things, "O you who believe! do not take the Jews and the Christians for friends; they are friends of each other; and whoever amongst you takes them for a friend, then surely he is one of them; surely Allah does not guide the unjust people."
There is n line like that in he Quran, don't make up rubbish. Perhaps reading the Quran first before quoting things rather than making things up.
Huh! If the prophet Mohammed was simply a man, then why do they put him above critisism? It doesn't make sense. Additionally, if what Mohamed Magid, the imam who leads the Islamic Society of North America says that Muslim prohibition on depicting prophets particularly in insulting manners extends to Jesus is true, then why are they ever so silent when Hollywood, artists or comedians mock, insult or draw insulting images of Jesus. CNN needs to see through this deception.
THEY DO. ISLAM REGARDS JESUS (PEACE BE UPON HIM) AS ONE OF THE GREATEST PROPHETS. WHICH IS WHY JESUS' NAME IS MENTIONED IN THE KORAN MORE THAN THE PROPHET MUHAMMED. MOST AMERICANS KNOW NOTHING ABOUT ISLAM EXCEPT WHAT FOX NEWS PREACHES. AMERICA IS DEAD LAST IN EDUCATION. AND NUMBER ONE IN IGNORANCE.
Who cares? If it wasn't this, they would make up something else to be "offended:" about. Stop trying to figure out -why- somebody is trying to kill you, and just wake up to the fact that SOMEONE IS TRYING TO KILL YOU. When the knife is at your throat is not the time to question WHY the knife is there.
If what you are saying that Mohammad is "just a man", then he is a fair game. Depicting him based on the Koran is what the film is trying to show. Islam is afraid of the truth. This is where it boils down - the TRUTH. Islamic extremist whose stone-age, barbaric and antiquated mentality could not accept the fact that Islam is NOT A PEACEFUL RELIGION.
i dont think there is a PEACEFUL religion
This makes little sense. The more Mohammed is "portrayed", particularly negatively, the more he will appear to be human and less likely that be "worshiped" or confused with Allah. Muslims don't seem to be overly concerned about trashing Buddist or Christian shrines, but they can certainly get bent out of shape with a cartoon about Mohammed.
Muslims are sensitive to depictions of Muhammad because the culture of Islam has created a society in which it is acceptable to act violently towards other people rather than to raise a civil objection. All of the major religions tend to act irrationally when their beliefs are tread upon (except the Buddhists, but that's barely a religion); only Muslims are allowed and expected to react violently.
If you are able to believe the fictions that religions teach you, you're malleable enough to be molded into a violent reactionary.
What disgusting misinforming words. Islam believes in peace and equality, and condemns violence in every way. A muslim would never kill another sacred human being, just because someone does something bad in the name of Islam doesn't make them a Muslim. Terrorism goes against the beliefs of Islam, and you are wholly wrong for believe that it is the cause. Ghadafi was not a Muslim, dont just make assumptions just like any bigoted person. Currently the situation in Libya is worse than the previous oppression, where each individual tribe is at war, thousand are still dying or being held in prisons. What you say is just purely racist and you are saying someone is bad for just being a Muslim.
do some research on muhammad and islam you will be surprised.
NOW I KNOW THE EFFECTS OF A BAD AMERICAN EDUCATION. ITS CALLED IGNORANCE.
Alan......LOFAO!!! Muslims are peace loving??? That is rich! That is a really good joke!! They say laughter adds years to you life....my life just got 10 years longer!! Thanks again!
CNN is confusing the words "sensitive" and "coo-coo, wacko, nut job, crazy". I'm sure many crazed nut case killers throughout history have been "sensitive" to certain words or actions that set them off on their killing sprees.
So true, but being a wimp so that the hed chopping bullies wont get all teary eyed and chop more heads is easier than facing facts and courageously stating them.
So true, but being a wimp so that the head chopping bullies wont get all teary eyed and chop more heads is easier than facing facts and courageously stating them.