CAIRO: After protesting relentlessly for months, vociferously declaring a boycott of all Danish products, Muslims are divided over “what to do next.
With some Muslims insisting on continuing the economic boycott and refusing to forget their perceived humiliation, others are calling for cultural exchange and dialogue between Danes and Muslims – in particular, youth. Islamic scholars, who had issued strong fatwas in the wake of the crisis, are not making the division easier. Some stand firm in their stances, while others have ruled it permissible for Muslims to buy Danish goods.
After a dozen Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed in a manner deemed offensive to Islam were published in the now infamous Jyllands-Posten, the Muslim world was furious. Many primarily Muslim countries, with the blessings of their respective Islamic clerics, backed a boycott. In Egypt, chain supermarkets such as Metro withdrew all Danish dairy products from their stores and many Muslims staged loud protests. Around the Middle East, the spirit and the attitude toward Denmark were no different.
Jyllands-Posten refused to apologize; however, as violence surged in some Muslim countries against Danish embassies, the newspaper finally said they had never meant to offend.
A great deal of damage had already been done and Muslims continued to boycott. A senior economist told Xinhua that Muslims have cost the country at least 1.5 billion crowns in dairy exports, which is around 10 percent of Denmark’s estimated sales.
Figures in some Arab countries are not any better. Metro supermarkets, in the wake of the boycott, reported a LE 1 million loss after they withdrew Danish products.
“I did support the boycotting of Danish products and I think it should go on until they actually realize how much harm they caused to Muslims, says Maram Said, a graduate student at the American University in Cairo. “Boycotting is very civilized, peaceful, and [it shows] our felt humiliation.
For Said, the damage caused by the boycott yielded some benefit on a more general level. “It made some of the companies realize the harm and show some respect by apologizing. Once they apologize, I believe that boycotting their products should stop.
Others disagree. “The boycott has achieved the hoped-for goal, says Dina Hamdi, a Muslim affairs writer at IslamOnline.net. “Through the boycott we managed to attract the world s attention and to voice our grievance . The aim was not to harm the Danish people, but rather to make it clear that we Muslims are offended.
The 22-year-old has been chosen to attend an upcoming workshop in Lebanon aimed at promoting tolerance between Danish and Middle Eastern youth entitled: “I see myself through you.
“I feel we have fallen prey to dirty fingers whose aim it is to cause a big gap between Islam and the West, says Yasmine Farouk, a 24-year-old Egyptian.
“We must stop the boycott now; enough is enough, the losses have gone [too] far . As [Egyptian preacher] Amr Khaled puts it, it gave a warning sign but the warning’s effect will fade away if we continue [the boycott] aimlessly. Farouk recently took part in an Abu Dhabi-based conference, where Danes were invited to talk with Muslim youth about the cartoon crisis.
According to Farouk, this is a time when Muslims and Danes should initiate joint humanitarian projects, aimed at creating understanding and cooperation between Muslims and the West. “We should also invite more Danes to our countries; we should learn more about the ideologies and the beliefs of others. Only then will we understand their standpoints and their views.
Some Danish and Muslim youth (especially those who do not believe in the continuation of the boycott) are already carrying out a multitude of talks and joint conferences, which included one initiated by Khaled in Copenhagen more than a month ago. Many young participants concluded that violent reactions and stern stances were not the solution.
“In the context [of these dialogues], instead of looking at who is Western and who is Muslim, we focused on the fact that we are all humans and we all deserve respect, says Sarah Habibti, a Danish Muslim and a youth representative. Young people should “go out and do something . so that the wall of prejudice can be broken.
In the conference, which was led by Khaled and a group of scholars, more focus was put on explaining Islam. The conference included more youth in their early twenties than preachers and official representatives. The 25 participating from the younger generation were given intensive training on how to present the Prophet and his life to the West, and were present mainly to give Danes a chance to be exposed to Arab Muslims “as they are, the scholars were there to answer theological questions on Islam; giving detailed presentation of the “often misinterpreted religion.
For some Muslims and Danes, the dialogue was a much more effective tool than a boycott. “When I was in Denmark, one Dane asked me: Are the Muslims punishing millions of Danes for one racist newspaper who offended them? says Darah Rateb, a participant in the Amr Khaled Conference. “I was moderately aware of the damage caused by a boycott . and I did support it . however, going to Denmark and hearing stories with my own ears was quite a different matter.
Rateb is one Muslim who had initially believed the boycott a “peaceful yet powerful means to express Muslim anger. However, she said she wished the conflict had been resolved sooner. “Western societies know the value of money, and so far 1.3 billion crowns have been supposedly lost . The boycott simply aggravated others who claimed that freedom of speech was a value of much greater importance.
“We need each other economically and politically, and I think a little respect for your partners never hurt anyone, added Rateb.
“The publishing of the cartoons was a mistake, but let us turn this into a success of mutual understanding and respect for our different cultures. After all we have more in common than we have differences, says Christopher Trier Lind, a Danish 26-year-old psychology student and a participant in Khaled’s conference.