San Francisco, California

  The recent arrest of American Colleen LaRose (who reportedly called herself Jihad Jane online) and seven individuals for allegedly plotting the murder of Swedish Cartoonist Lar Vilks, could be a teachable moment.

Vilks was allegedly targeted by assassins for drawing the Prophet Muhammad as a stray dog. This event speaks tellingly of how certain inflammatory images, which some non-Muslims may consider satire or benign parody, are intentionally provocative insults to Islam and the Prophet Muhammad.

As a Muslim-American writer, I know firsthand that creating thought-provoking art about Islam and Muslims can be a thankless task. If one’s fictional Muslim characters are not avatars of perfection or they happen to speak critically about certain Islamic customs, then the Muslim artist risks being convicted as a godless instigator by a vocal minority. However, in my experience the overwhelming majority of Muslim audience members embrace these uncomfortable, yet necessary, artistic depictions of religiosity provided the characters and images are complex, honest, and crafted respectfully, instead of being reduced to vile stereotypes purely for the sake of sensationalism.

As respected Muslim scholar Shaikh Faraz Rabbani of SeekersGuidance.org explained it to me, “I think the critical issue is recognizing the power of sacred symbols to committed believers. In Islam, the most central symbols are the Qur’an and the person of the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).”

Out of devotional love and reverence for the Prophet’s sacred and elevated status, for centuries most Muslim artists have depicted his face covered with a veil. Additionally, many Muslim scholars have discouraged artistic representations of people — especially the Prophet — to prevent undue idolization of the human form at the expense of the divine. Instead of paintings or sculptures, Muslims honor the Prophet by emulating his behavior and etiquette. Furthermore, Islamic history celebrates a rich, multicultural tradition of praising the Prophet through poetry and song, most notably in the epic 13th century poem “Qasidah al-Burdah” (Poem of the Prophet’s Mantle), which is still recited worldwide to this day.

In light of this cultural context, a cartoon portraying the most beloved figure in Islam as a dog, a violent extremist, or a suicide bomber will sometimes spur an emotional response amongst many Muslims despite the best intentions of the artist.

Ironically, over the past few years, some misguided Muslims have responded to similar cartoons with cowardly and inexcusable acts of violence only to emerge as the same stereotyped caricatures they are purportedly rebelling against. Tragically, these individuals ultimately bear the greatest responsibility for betraying the image and sanctity of the Prophet, whose own elegant conduct urged calm and civility.

As an artist who relishes creative freedom, I resist calls that advocate artistic censorship or pander to political correctness. However, art – whether it be through words or images – has never existed within an isolated vacuum, and generally draws upon and animates the existing cultural context of the day.

Art can be used as a loaded cultural and political weapon to incite animosity amidst an already hostile climate dominated by foolish controversies — or it can be used wisely and bravely as a common language to bridge the divides.

Salam,

Regarding this character, 'JihadJane', not much is brought up about her mental state. And more should be brought up on this subject.

I sincerely believe she is a kook. There are plenty of women AND men, who are mentally unstable & head forth into many religious communities (Not just Islam) searching for that 'something' to feed their mental state.

Often times the Islamic/Muslim communities in the U.S. are the ones with the least amount of social services. We lack the assistance folks like Jane need. We often steer them towards mental health services in our greater communities (yup, been thar, done that, SEVERAL TIMES over 30+ years).

To really help out in cases like these, our Islamic/Muslim communities need to improve on their own inner circle of social services in conjunction with our greater communities, for one.

For another, when we are clued into the sad fact that this person, like Jane, needs help, we need to notify the proper authorities.

Otherwise, those burros from the set of misguided so-called Muslims will continue to prey upon the sick of mind like Jane.

We have a saying in our small community, all the nuts seem to flow, bend, and sway past the Mississippi, thru the Rocky Mountains and land in our desert floor for us to deal with.

And we've dealt, as challenging as it is, we've dealt, to the best of our abilities. Yup.

The articles are filled with clues to her mental state. It doesn't say ... Dr. Joe diagnosed blah, blah, blah ... but read the comments about her life thjat her family makes. Look at the pictures of her. This is a long standing situation of a deeply troubled and unhappy woman with a string of bad marriages and a revenge complex. And that is one hardened broad. But the hijab face with the cheetah print mu-mu ---- that's straight out of a psyche ward.