Dialogues of Naguib Mahfouz: Insult and injury By Mohamed Salmawy Salmawy: What are you thinking of these days? Mahfouz: Two things worry me right now. One is the unacceptable mockery of Prophet Mohamed and the other is the ferryboat tragedy that has claimed hundreds of lives in the Red Sea. Salmawy: What's your opinion on the Danish drawings of the prophet? Mahfouz: They were a mistake, no doubt. Denmark is known for its humanitarianism and civilisation and the people there should know that religious symbols must be respected, regardless of one's own beliefs. What happened has hurt all Muslims, the moderates most of all. For years moderate Muslims have been calling for openness. They still call for a dialogue among civilisations and co-existence among religions. What happened has been a terrible blow for moderation. The West has come across as disrespectful and disinterested in dialogue and co-existence. The whole thing has been a windfall for extremists. Now they can claim that the West despises our civilisation and looks down on our religious symbols. Such arguments may drive some Muslims towards confrontation. It may entice Muslims to resist the ungodly West that seems to have no respect for faith and religious symbols. How can we have a dialogue with the West, the extremists will argue. The best way of addressing Western civilisation is through conflict, they will say, fulfilling the prophecy of those who have spoken about the clash of civilisations. This is a terrible conclusion to reach. Salmawy: Are you for the boycott? Mahfouz: Certainly. A boycott may not be the best means of addressing what happened but under the circumstances it's the only option we have. The world understands only the language of force. Perhaps the West will finally come to see the Muslim point of view and comprehend our need to protect religious symbols. Salmawy: Westerners claim that it's all part of free speech. Since they poke fun at their own religious symbols, they argue, it does no harm to poke fun at the religious symbols of others. Mahfouz: First of all, we're against mockery of all religious symbols, not just Muslim ones. We believe in all prophets and are upset when any is portrayed in an insulting manner. We need to differentiate between free speech and disrespect for religious symbols. Every man has the right to stretch his arms, for example, but not to the extent that he hits the face of the person next to him. One man's freedom ends where another man's face begins. This has been a slap on all our faces and not a valid exercise of freedom. Salmawy: How about the ferryboat accident? Mahfouz: That was a case of serious negligence. Investigations are still underway and we will eventually know who is responsible for this tragedy. The culprits should be brought to justice for the loss of life cannot be taken lightly. The investigation must continue until the full truth is known. This is the only way to avoid such incidents in the future. The country cannot afford more tragedies. Everyone is waiting for the outcome of the investigation. And I hope that it does not seek to pin the blame on someone who is mentally deranged. This is not the way out.
