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Currently, the Islamic community is in an uproar. Shocked at the western media’s flagrant disregard for the sensitivities and traditions of Islam, Muslims are protesting around the world.

While the western world, generally, sees it to be an issue of free speech versus faith-based intolerance, the reality is something different. In order to gain an accurate understanding of the crisis, one needs to immerse oneself into the realm of ancient traditions of the heart and spirit.

For a Muslim, the Prophet represents everything hopeful, liberating, forgiving, honorable, just, and sacred in a profane world. There is gratitude, warmth, love, friendliness, and kindness in the one figure of Mohammed.

In ancient cultures, the relationship between the faithful and the object of faith is not just one of belief, it is a matter of the heart and spirit rather than a part-time activity or a whimsical flavor-of-the-month approach to spirituality. The traditional approach to faith is intensely personal. So when the Prophet Mohammed is ridiculed, it is as if a burning arrow has pierced the heart of every Muslim. Not so much because of any religious based emotional belief system, but because a personality dear to the heart and spirit is being abused. In a world of injustice, pain, and suffering, Mohammed’s message has brought peace and hope to billions. The love and gratitude of the Umma for Mohammed’s message is the basis of their intense displays in defense of Mohammed.

The global Hindu community shares a common heritage with a majority of the world’s Muslims. Traditional concepts such as familial loyalty, communal solidarity and respectful recognition of matters of the heart and spirit are the foundation to harmony, stability, and a productive community. They are not optional, but rather are the bedrock of civilization. Therefore, it is no surprise that Hindus understand the angst and consternation of the Islamic community when the very essence of their spirit is ridiculed. For a Hindu, all spiritual expression is sacred and worthy of respect. This is evident by the vast and diverse Universe that is Hinduism. Thus, the Hindus stand in solidarity with the Muslims and condemn the media’s blatant misrepresentation of Mohammed the Prophet. It can only be hoped that a common cause of respect, honor and courtesy can be developed amongst Muslims and Hindus. Unfortunately, such solidarity is not the normal state of affairs. The world is quite familiar with the calls for justice and respect in regards to Islam. Unfortunately, such a concern is rarely, if ever, displayed by Islamic leaders and personalities in regards to the sensitivities of non-Abrahamic communities. Interfaith efforts by the Islamic community rarely involve anyone other than the “Peoples of the Book” i.e. Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

The historic record is riddled with atrocities and outrages committed against Buddhists, Sikhs, and Hindus. Yet a majority of these incidents are ignored or denied. The blatant destruction of Afghanistan’s ancient Buddha’s of Bamiyan in 2001 was by far one of the most brutal assaults on the heart, spirit and traditions of the ancient world, yet the Islamic community was unmoved.

For American Hindus, Mr. Saleem Syed’s “Young Tarang” radio show incident is still a raw memory. In this Houston, Texas Islamic radio show, Dr. Syed Mohammed Khaliq completely misrepresented the Hindu scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita, and the beloved Lord Krsna. As an outsider to the Hindu tradition, Dr. Khaliq quoted the wrong source and presented a completely skewed view of Krsna. Lord Krsna has been a subject of intense research, devotion, and admiration for thousand of years. His various activities have been the focus of scholarly interpretation and inspiration. Similar to the Muslims who do not accept misrepresentation of Allah and His Prophet Mohammed, Hindus do not accept the concept of an unfulfilled divinity. In the Hindu scriptures, Krsna is never represented with the hankerings and cravings of a mortal being. In other words, when Lord Krsna steals the clothes of the Gopis and performs the Rasa Dance, he is engaging in Divine play or ‘lila’ that is a direct response to the aspirations of the faithful. It is not His own urges He seeks to fulfill, for Krsna is already complete. Thus not only did Krsna steal the clothes of the Gopis, He also lifted a mountain on His little finger. Krsna also claimed to be time itself and exhibited the gigantic Universal Form. Ancient sources reveal a Krsna that is greater than a mere role model, but a focus of worship and devotion for billions of people.

As long as those unfamiliar with a tradition publicly present inaccurate and questionable perspectives, outrage and anguish is sure to follow. So while condemning the questionable and inaccurate portrayal of Mohammed, the Hindu community is disheartened that to this day Dr. Khaliq and Mr. Saleem Sayed’s “Young Tarang” radio show have yet to apologize for its misrepresentation of Lord Krsna. When the heart of a community is in pain, that trauma needs to be addressed. For whether it is an assault on the heart of Muslims or of Hindus, it is still the heart that is being savaged. If the Muslim community begins to value the sensitivities of Hindus and others as much as they value their own, a new era of communal harmony can surely be attained.

Vrndavan Parker

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