A Feb. 5 article on local Muslims' reaction to the controversy over the publication of cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad included this quotation from someone offended by the cartoons: "Technically, you have the right to walk into a crowded theater and yell, 'Fire!' But is that responsible?" The speaker's remark may have left the impression that there are no limits on free speech, but the Supreme Court has ruled that the First Amendment right to free speech does not apply in all situations. A 1919 ruling stated, "The most stringent protection of free speech would not protect a man in falsely shouting fire in a theatre and causing a panic."
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Area Muslims React With Tempered Anger
"Technically, you have the right to walk into a crowded theater and yell 'Fire.' But is that responsible?" -- Uzma Unus, teacher and ADAMS vice president.
(Nikki Kahn - The Washington Post)
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"Growing up in America, I'm used to political cartoons, but . . . it's clear that this just crossed the line," said Marro, a retired U.S. diplomat. "What would the reaction have been if on Jan. 16, The Washington Post had published a picture of Martin Luther King with gangsta-rap clothing, a crack pipe and a Saturday night special? . . . It would have provoked a storm of outrage."
The cartoons doubly offended Muslims, because in addition to depicting Muhammad in a pejorative manner, they violated Islam's longtime prohibition on any image of the prophet, his family or early companions.
ADAMS's imam, Mohamed Magid, explained that the ban stems from early Islam, when Muhammad preached monotheism in a culture steeped in the worship of idols.
To discourage such idolatry, he ordered Muslims not to draw, and religious leaders have interpreted this to mean that the prophet was banning images of himself and those close to him so they would never become objects of worship for Muslims, Magid said.
"We don't want to attribute divinity to the prophet," he said.
Cautioning his congregation not to overreact, Magid urged them to follow the model set by the prophet, who is said to have always forgiven those who insulted him, including the woman who deposited her trash on him as he passed her home.
Magid also called for "constructive, civilized dialogue so we avoid a clash of civilizations." As part of that effort, he said he and other area Muslim leaders will meet tomorrow with the Danish ambassador to Washington.
At the Falls Church strip mall, where the soccer fans scrunched their shoulders against the damp, cold air, several men voiced appreciation for the U.S. government's criticism of the cartoons. "We salute this position," said a 39-year-old salesman from Tunisia, who declined to give his name.
Majdi Omouri, 30, a limousine driver, was philosophical. "If you look at freedom as something really large, without limits, it doesn't make sense," he said. "Freedom has to be united with responsibility. . . . In the name of freedom, I cannot insult your beliefs."
