Are We So Innocent? (Thoughts On Violence)

The recent airing of "The Innocence of Muslims" has precipitated rage-filled demonstrations across the arab world.   The low budget film depicts the Prophet Muhammed as an idiotic, child molesting, womanizing, homosexual fraud.  The poor quality production is certainly meant to offend, which it has done on a massive scale.  Sadly, the well regarded, kind U.S. ambassador to Libya and three of his staff members were killed in an angry attack on the consulate in Tripoli.  Embassies in Egypt and Yemen have been raided by protestors and U.S. soldiers have been killed in daring raids inside their own base.  The world has been set on edge by the intensity and suddenness of the violence.

Reaction to the sad episode has been varied.  At one extreme, we see muslim protesters placing the blame for the violence on the creator of the film.  They go so far as to extend fault to the United States for "hosting" the production, and they ask for an apology from the President.  Many extremists participate in protests calling for the destruction of this country.  U.S. and Israeli flags must be selling for a high price in arab countries because so many of their citizens want them to burn.

At the other extreme, there are folks like myself who are appalled by the fact that so many people see violence as an appropriate response to a single, poorly made film.  Rationality has completely flown the coop it seems, as the insulted direct their anger to others who had nothing to do with the movie.  Folks like myself call for peace and a condemnation of the violence.  Yet when our mood turns dark, some of us begin to wonder if Islam and freedom are as antithetical as oil and water.  What can the future possibly hold when a billion or more of the Earth's citizens find so little value in dissent, free thought, and freedom of speech?  What evils are we yet to witness in a world where personal responsibility disappears when offense is great enough?  "I'm not responsible for beating my wife-she talked back to me." Such logic seems to be perfectly acceptable in many parts of the world.

Much of the chatter in the media and the internet focuses on the one thing everyone agrees on;"The Innocence of Muslims" is one big pile of steaming horse manure.  Those who are not offended by its depiction of Muhammed are insulted by its complete lack of artistic merit.  Most find it impossible to watch more than a few minutes of the film.  I've watched about 20 minutes of it.  Its bad, its disturbing (especially if accurate), but its not THAT bad.  At least the production quality and actors are better than a middle school film project or the kind of random smart phone piece you often see on Youtube.

Criticizing the film and condemning the violence has become the safe, predictable response.  It's just too easy.  What interests me more is the evil itself-the violent reaction of some muslims and what really lies behind it.  I want to ask the question, "What causes a person to become so mentally and emotionally allied to a person or concept that they become willing soldiers in the battle to defend its honor/existence?"  I want to know if  this kind of emotional attachment is generally healthy or generally unhealthy.  And I think we should ask if there exists facsimiles of the Muslim/Muhammed condition here in the United States.  Stay tuned...