The head of the Danish Islamic Center says that a
“misunderstanding” is behind the belief that Islam forbids the depiction
of the prophet Muhammad.
“Nowhere in the
Koran does it say that one cannot portray the prophet Muhammad. The
prophet has always been drawn in both Western and Muslim literature
throughout the centuries,” Fatih Alev told public broadcaster DR.
“I’ve noticed that Muslims generally have the impression that they
should be against these cartoons [such as the ones in Charlie Hebdo and
Jyllands-Posten, ed.] because the prophet is being shown and that cannot
be allowed. But it is a misunderstanding,” he continued.
Alev said that even if Muslims interpret the Koran as being against
portrayals of Muhammad, those rules should only apply to Muslims
themselves.
“Just like the ban on pork and
the consumption of alcohol, the ban on depictions is also only something
that affects Muslims. Non-Muslims are free to do whatever they want,”
the Danish Islamic Center chairman told DR.
Despite that, he said it was “very easy” to see why so many Muslims
were upset by the Charlie Hebdo and Jyllands-Posten depictions.
“The prophet Muhammad has always been drawn throughout history, but
the new thing is that the prophet is being depicted in a negative mode
with the intention to insult and that’s why people react so strongly,”
he said.
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