The violent repercussions caused by an anti-Islam film have spread from North Africa to West Asia and Pakistan. Sri Lanka has also felt the heat. US President Barack Obama touched upon the issue in his speech at the UN General Assembly. Of course, there has been overreaction. Values of sanity and tolerance have been thrown overboard. Attacks have been made on American diplomatic missions though the US authorities have dissociated themselves from the film. In Pakistan, protestors attacked and burnt a church, a school adjoining it and the house of four clergymen. True, President Zardari has roundly condemned the attack. He said that those who perpetrated the crime played into the hands of those who make such anti-Islam films. He also came down heavily on one of his ministers who announced a booty of $ 1,00,000 for the head of the producer of the film. What is a pity is that the corrupt minister is a descendent of Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Frontier Gandhi who was a symbol of secularism.
While the Pakistani scenario is distressing, the US cannot wash its hands of the business. It is generally admitted that Islamic fundamentalism is hand in glove with terror. To unnecessarily incite it is folly. As a protestor in Colombo said, Obama could have banned the film. It may be recalled that Rajiv Gandhi banned Salman Rushdie’s provocative Satanic Verses. It is regrettable that such unnecessary anti-Islam sentiments are not typical of the US which may have been traumatized by the 2001 attack. A cartoon of the Prophet in France recently enraged Muslims. Caution should be the watchword in restraining freedom of expression.
