The opposite reaction
| Zan Azlee is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, writer, New Media practitioner and lecturer. He runs Fat Bidin Media www.fatbidin.com |
SEPT 28 — I will always stand up for what I believe in. I’ve even walked away from lucrative projects because I didn’t think they were right.
Most of the times, I believe so much in certain things that I make a lot of noise and ruckus that it gets annoying. Oh yes, I guess you could say I have a holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to certain things!
But there are times when you believe in something so much that you have to remain quiet because that would be the most logical strategy.
That’s why I think that the many Muslims who showed outrage towards the film “Innocence of Muslims” are making a big mistake, and I did not show my outrage.
Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, and even Malaysia, where thousands of Muslims protested against the anti-Islam film, were basically playing right into the hands of the film-makers.
They walked the streets, vandalised as they went along. Damn it, they even killed innocent people because of the bloody film.
And was it all worth it?
Was it to protest a film that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and ridiculed believers of the second largest religion in the world, thus offending over a billion people?
Or was it really to bring international attention to a lousily-made, 15-minute, tasteless, online film that would have just gotten lost in Internet oblivion? A film made by a conman?
Maybe I should put this into better perspective. A perspective that I think most of my readers would actually understand and be able to relate to.
Let’s say a hypothetical country is being run by a hypothetical government that many of the people feel needs to be changed. So they take to the streets to demonstrate and protest.
When these people demonstrate and protest, they are trying to bring attention to something they hope will be changed as an effect.
What happens when that hypothetical government actually helps to bring more attention to the demonstrations by unleashing violence and havoc on the protestors?
I would go out on a limb here and say that this hypothetical government would actually be implementing a strategy detrimental to their hypothetical self.
It would probably have been a good idea if that hypothetical government actually just allowed the people to demonstrate, and probably even go out and say “I hear you.”
Then, the hypothetical government would have actually stolen the thunder away from the demonstrators and the attention would have been drastically reduced.
But hey, now the entire world is looking and paying attention to a lousily-made, 15-minute, tasteless, online film that would have just gotten lost in Internet oblivion.
And what is worst? That violence and chaos happened around the world, and, most tragically, innocent people have been killed. What a way to get attention, and for the wrong reasons.
And so I have to make a stand for what I believe in. I believed that I had to laugh off and ignore the issue of a stupid film called “Innocence of Muslims”.
I also believe strongly that my fellow Muslims around the world should have just voiced out their anger at the film moderately, then just forget about it. Oh well.
* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.
