By John Adoor Deng, Australia
Many of us have seen fierce demonstrations carried by hundreds and thousands of Muslims across the globe. Most of these demonstrations have portrayed critical bitterness from most of the Islam fanatics over a blasphemous video released by an American Israeli. Although this was not a deliberate making of US government, Muslims have expressed their severe feelings towards the US Government and citizens ending up in killing of diplomats and destroying infrastructures inhibited by the US diplomats. Among countries where severity of this demonstration felt are Iran, Turkey, Sudan, Egypt, Yemen, Tunisia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, India, Iraq, Morocco, Syria, Kuwait, Nigeria, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Australia, Britain, the United States, France, Belgium, and several other countries which have held many demonstrations to condemn the blasphemous movie over the past week.
Also apart from Imams and clerics, other key leaders in Islamic based organisations have expressed their deep bitterness over the video. For example in Lebanon, Hezbollah Secretary General Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah on Monday addressed about 500,000 people who gathered in southern Beirut to protest against the anti-Islam movie. The Hezbollah leader said the United States would face grave repercussions across the Muslim world unless it suppressed the film that demeans the Prophet Mohammad.
Understandably, Muslims have rights to express their feelings toward the element that has to some extent questioned their faith. As Prophet Mohammed is a central entity in the Islamic religion, thus attacking Mohammed in any form or manner is interpreted as a threat to the existence of the Islamic religion.
On the other hand, many analysts are still confused to correlate the link between an individual making up mistakes and the nation or government that has no share in the individual own's mistake. The fact that an American Israeli made this infamous film does not justify the killing of US Ambassador, American people and destroying American Embassies. Truthfully, American government and people have nothing to do with this infamous video and that the killing of American Ambassador and staff is baseless.
Exceptionally, South Sudanese Muslims understood that a nation and other innocent people cannot be punished for a one man mistake. They have a solidarity with all other Muslims condemning the video content, but believing that killing innocent people for one's mistake is not acceptable. They intelligently ignored few calling to amount a threat demonstration at American Consulate in Juba. These honourable Muslims understand that the Prophet of God cannot be fully defended by human being; He is capable to defences himself.
Finally, the author of the article joins ranks with those condemning the release of the video, making of it. However, the extreme demonstrations that precipitate the killing of the innocent people are condemnable. Again, our honourable Muslims in South Sudan deserved our big thank you for having supressed few calling for demonstrations.
The Author is John Adoor Deng; MPRL & Director of South Sudan Support Foundation. He is reachable at: johnadoordeng@yahoo.com.au