Innocence of Muslims, Ignorance & Insincerity of Politicians

Out of curiosity I watched the "Innocence of Muslims" on YouTube last week. Of course, this was done before the video was deleted.

The 13-minute film is, to be very frank, a crude production.

The tent was a simple structure haphazardly put together. Outside the tent, it is not hard to see that the desert setting has been faked.

Several actors, amateurs sporting Western faces with stiff acting skills, are not only outlandish, but also comical in treating the Aladdin animation as Arabian archetype.

It wouldn't take someone with profound understanding of the Islamic faith to realise that the dialogue of the video is nothing more than junk talks derogatory to the Islamic Prophet.

I simply could not carry myself to the end of this video. Such a film is not worthy of my attention. The people making this film are downright ignorant.

That said, we have a good deal of ignorant people walking on this planet, worse still, ignorant fanatics.

For instance the film's producer Sam Bacile (not his real name of course) has hardly any knowledge of Islam but is grossly obsessed with some untold ill motives. Ignorance and fanaticism aside, I really cannot find other excuses for him to come out with this film.

Cluster bomb

However, like a cluster bomb, this inexplicable video has rocked the entire Islamic world, triggering wave after wave of aggressive outbursts.

Bacile has since gone into hiding and is so far spared from the scourge of the Arab world, but not some unfortunate folks in the likes of the slain ambassador.

We have to count our blessings that Malaysians have exercised a high degree of self-restraint, not allowing this idiotic video to disrupt our social harmony.

However, some minor ripples did pop up.

Mahathir has again exploited this issue to slam the West. To him, the entire Western world is one piece of homogenous metallic panel.

In reality, the Western world is an abstract, intricate and multifaceted concept that embodies at least a billion inhabitants subscribing to countless of value systems, religions and very diverse viewpoints.

That imbecile by the name of Sam Bacile does not represent the West (he is an Egyptian-born Coptic Christian later emigrating to the States). I am sure overwhelming majority of Westerners are against his crudely produced video.

Rally but why outside US embassy?

Meanwhile, it is equally unfathomable for Khairy Jamaluddin to rally Muslims to demonstrate in front of the US embassy after the Friday prayers. Bacile is not taking refuge inside the US embassy in KL, and Malaysians should be matured enough to deal with this thing sensibly.

DAP's Ngeh Koo Ham tweeted: "Khairy wants Muslim protest against Sam Bacile. For Islam or for his political gains?"

He made a good point by throwing out the question, but what followed was redundant and insensitive: "Are Muslims wasting too much time and energy on this?"

It is inappropriate to raise a query on other people's religions in the midst of tension. An unintended lapse on the part of Ngeh could have sent a ripple across the Malaysian society.

A little understanding should do wonders in taming the roaring emotions, here or abroad.

-mysinchew.com