This whole imbroglio of controversy over the Danish cartoons caricaturing Prophet Mohammad brings out an important lesson that has to be learnt if mankind is to be more civilised and cultured in its affairs - the need to respect sacred spaces. Sacred spaces has to be understood as simply the space (freedom) each individual or collective or thought or ideal requires to be creative, to flower, to self-fulfil. Though Mohammad himself did not seem to understand the sanctity of such sacred spaces when he destroyed idols of other religions to establish his own religion, we must understand that Mohammad was only a messanger of the higher thoughts he was privy to in his mode of meditation when he was in the caves near Mecca. However, he obviously had relapses from his high mode because he subsequently went about establishing his religion through much violence, unlike say Buddha or Jesus, who did not have such relapses after their enlightenment. Whatever good Mohammad produced was due to his being afforded the sacred space of the caves near Mecca to meditate, resulting in the Quran. Quran is undoubtedly among mankind's great heritages of literature, though its spiritual value is debatable because it does not make man seek the divinity within him, but seeks to mould man into a slave at the abject command of Allah. This seems to be a contradiction because God, being absolute, would not require the service a slave can afford Him. Therefore it is apt to suspect that the Quran is intermingled with Mohammad's not so noble visions contributed during his periods of lapses from his spiritual heights.
Just as the understanding, appreciation and inspiration of great literature is aided by literary criticism, the creation of great literature itself requires the sacred space of freedom for it to be produced. Therefore if we are to cherish literature, let us realise literary criticism is equally sacred.
The Danish cartoons are a form of literary criticism of those aspects of the Quran which seem to inspire violence in the name of religion. If we do not offer the cartoonists the sacred space to function, our heritage of religion and literature would only stultify for want of the spirit of freedom.
Just as the understanding, appreciation and inspiration of great literature is aided by literary criticism, the creation of great literature itself requires the sacred space of freedom for it to be produced. Therefore if we are to cherish literature, let us realise literary criticism is equally sacred.
The Danish cartoons are a form of literary criticism of those aspects of the Quran which seem to inspire violence in the name of religion. If we do not offer the cartoonists the sacred space to function, our heritage of religion and literature would only stultify for want of the spirit of freedom.
