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Front row from left: Amjad Taufique, Islamic Center of Marietta; and Imam Furqan Muhammad, Masjid Al-Muminum; Plemon El-Amin, Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam; and Imam Tajuddin Muwakil, Masjid Al-Quran. Back row from left: Bart Cohen, Peace by Piece; Shahidah Sharif, Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta; Jan Swanson, the CommUnity Institute; and Rev. Gerald Durley, Providence Missionary Baptist Church.

Metro-Atlanta Muslim leaders condemn Muhammad cartoons and associated violence

By John Baker Brown Jr.
Faith And The City
Feb. 15, 2006

Leaders of metropolitan Atlanta’s Muslim community strongly condemned “vulgar representations” of the Prophet Muhammad recently published by a number of media outlets worldwide and the ensuing violent protests by angry Muslims in several Islamic nations.

A statement issued at a Feb. 15 press conference by the Majlis Ashura of the Greater Atlanta Area, a body that fosters relationships among mosques in the region, refers to the controversial cartoon depictions of the Prophet that appeared last fall in a Danish daily newspaper. The images have since ignited an international controversy over the rights and responsibilities of the free press in a pluralistic global society.

The statement also noted that “the right to freedom of expression” has limits and reminded Muslims and non-Muslims alike of the Prophet Muhammad’s words: “The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.”

Imam Furqan Muhammad of Masjid Al-Muminum and Imam Plemon El-Amin of the Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam and chairman of the Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta addressed the audience at the press conference, held at the Atlanta Masjid. The event opened with a prayer, which was followed by a reading of a prepared statement (see below) and concluded with additional remarks and a question-and-answer period.

Flanking the speakers were Amjad Taufique of the Islamic Center of Marietta and Imam Tajuddin Muwakil of Masjid Al-Quran. In a show of solidarity, the Muslims leaders were joined by members of the Jewish and Christian communities, including: Bart Cohen, Peace by Piece; Shahidah Sharif, Faith Alliance of Metro Atlanta; Jan Swanson, the CommUnity Institute; and Rev. Gerald Durley, Providence Missionary Baptist Church.

The statement issued at the press conference:

Muslims condemn cartoons that purportedly represent Prophet Muhammad and call for peaceful resolution

(Atlanta, February 14, 2006) While sharing the concerns of the global Muslim community in condemning the vulgar representations that purportedly represent Prophet Muhammad, a prominent Atlanta-based Muslim group is planning a press conference on Wednesday, February 15th, to call for calm and the peaceful resolution to the conflict resulting from the publication of the offensive cartoons.

When: February 15, 2006, Wednesday at 12:30 PM
Where: Atlanta Masjid of Al-Islam 560 Fayetteville Rd., Atlanta, GA 30316

The Majlis Ashura of the Greater Atlanta Area, a body that fosters a dialogue and working relationship amongst the various Mosques in the region, has issued the following statement:

"It was the Prophet himself who specifically forbade the portrayal of his image, flattering or defamatory, primarily to discourage any desire to worship him or any attempt to portray him as a "god" instead of a Prophet and a man. We CONDEMN the way these cartoons represent the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of G-d be upon him and all other Prophets), however, we are conscious of the controversy that has been sparked and is generating a great deal of distress and violence all over the world. We, along with the majority of Muslims, view these drawings by cartoonists in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten as offensive and vulgar.

"Such images add no value to the public domain, but rather detract from it and have ignited a political and religious firestorm. Curiously, the same newspaper rejected cartoons ridiculing Jesus (Peace be upon him) three years ago.

"Under U.S. and International law, the right to freedom of expression is not considered unlimited and is only considered legitimate when in pursuit of an aim recognized as legitimate and should not violate the rights and reputations of others nor violate the preservation of national security or public order, health and morals. Slanderous, libelous, demeaning and demonizing images that provoke public anger and discord cannot be considered legitimate exercises of free speech.

"Exploiting emotional attachments to sacred symbols is a perverse disregard for the dignity of all human beings. Yet, Muslims and other sincere people must not be manipulated by this senseless baiting, which has led to useless confrontations, riots and violent clashes, supposedly in the name of "free speech, religion, political power and liberation.

"Local Muslims feel obligated to remind fellow Muslims all across the globe of the saying of our Prophet: "The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger." -- Indeed a message for all mankind."

Contact: Amjad Taufique 678.596.0724