News broke out last week that two individuals were
arrested for filming an offensive video near the
Virgin Mary Circle in Fuheis.
This has been most disturbing to Jordanians, Christians and Muslims alike.
اضافة اعلان
Opinion pieces and nationwide conversations have
echoed the sentiment that desecrating religious symbols representing Jesus
Christ and his mother, Mary, has nothing to do with Islam, a religion that
reveres and exalts both holy figures.
Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him) mentioned the
Virgin Mary in a hadith as one of four female figures crowned by God as
humanity's "best women among the people of Paradise".
In another saying, the prophet described "Mariam,
the daughter of Imran" (Arabic for Mary) as one of two women to ever reach
spiritual "perfection", along with Asiya, the wife of Pharaoh.
As Muslims, we hold the Virgin Mary in high esteem and it offends us personally when the ignorant and misguided attempt to tarnish her holy name. Although the actions of the two perpetrators seem to be targeting followers of the Christian faith, their transgressions hurt Christian and Muslim believers equally and should be treated as such in a court of law.
These two women endured unimaginable hardships
throughout their lives yet showed great strength of conviction in the face of
adversity. They held on to their faith, even when it was at odds with their
immediate families or larger communities.
In the Quran, the story of Mariam is one of the most
touching. It shows Mariam facing banishment from her own society for the
miracle of getting pregnant while being a virgin. And her love and protection
of Jesus Christ as she raised him — despite being frowned upon by her own
people — is nothing short of a timeless inspiration about resurrection amidst
pain and suffering.
Asiya, on the other hand, had to put up with a
heartless, narcissistic husband, the Pharaoh of Egypt, who worshipped himself
and wanted everyone around him to bend to his will and his proud ego.
Ultimately, hate speech, masquerading as free speech, is a poison that sows the dangerous seeds of terrorism and extremism, which in their turn threaten to destabilize communities regardless of their religious makeup.
As Muslims, we hold the Virgin Mary in high esteem,
and it offends us personally when the ignorant and misguided attempt to tarnish
her holy name. Although the actions of the two perpetrators seem to be
targeting followers of the Christian faith, their transgressions hurt Christian
and Muslim believers equally and should be treated as such in a court of law.
In April last year, the Lower House of Parliament
endorsed amendments to the Penal Code to adopt stiffer penalties against anyone
who offends the religious feelings and beliefs of others. The new penalty for
religious offenses under Article 278 of the code is now four months to two
years in prison, in addition to a fine of up to JD500. Previously, the penalty
stood at a maximum of three months in prison and a fine of up to JD20.
These changes to the Jordanian Penal Code send a
strong message about people's right to live peacefully in communities that
respect their faith without the looming threat of religious persecution
motivated by hate speech and bigotry.
In Jordan, we have our own outlook on religious
diversity; we do not follow international trends regarding people's freedom of
religion. In Europe, offending Prophet Mohammad through inappropriate
caricatures — that aim to insult Muslims, put a target on their backs, and
inflame Islamophobia — is protected under the pretext of freedom of speech. But
this type of callous rhetoric that insults people's holy figures will achieve
one end result only, and that is to spread discord and hatred among communities
and nations.
Ultimately, hate speech, masquerading as free speech,
is a poison that sows the dangerous seeds of terrorism and extremism, which in
turn threatens to destabilize communities regardless of their religious makeup.
In their essence, all faiths promote peace and
coexistence, but it is the bigots and the narrow-minded who interpret religion
in hateful ways. Such individuals and groups are found in every community: the
racist nationalists in the UK and Europe, the far-right Zionists in Israel, the
extremist Islamists in the Arab World, and the White Christian supremacists in
the US. Those are the ones who rob all religions of their true spiritual
essence and pollute humanity with a maimed version that puts racism, egotism,
hatred, and rejection of the "other" first.
In their essence, all faiths promote peace and coexistence, but it is the bigots and the narrow minded who interpret religion in hateful ways. Such individuals and groups are found in every community; they are the racist nationalists in the UK and Europe, the far-right Zionists in Israel, the extremist Islamists in the Arab World and the White Christian supremacists in the US.
At its core, religion, any religion, is a path of
transformation that inspires us to become better versions of ourselves. It
encourages us to fight our egos and vices so as to replace them with higher
values and principles that promote justice and fairness in everything we do. In
the end, what matters is our love for one another and our ability to see the common
values that bring us together.
Earlier this week, lawyer and opinion writer Sa'ed
Karajah wrote a moving article in Arabic for Al-Ghad News titled, "Christ
is in our hearts." One must concur and add: so is the Virgin Mary.
Ruba Saqr has reported on the environment, worked in the public sector as a communications officer, and served as managing editor of a business magazine, spokesperson for a humanitarian INGO, and as head of a PR agency.
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