to be provoked, and to follow The Prophet's example.

'Prophet Mohammad Endured Personal Insults without Retaliating'

(Web Site of the Grand Mufti, Egypt)

Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa is asking Muslims not

to be provoked, and to follow The Prophet's example.

"The example of The Prophet Muhammad and his Companions - the greatest sources of the Muslim ideal - bears witness to how he endured the worst insults from the non-believers of his time. Not only was his message routinely rejected, but he was often chased out of town, cursed, and physically assaulted. His example was to endure all personal insults and attack without retaliation of any sort. There is no doubt that as in this life, The Prophet is our greatest example, this should also be the reaction of all Muslims. As the Quran instructs us, “Be patient, as were the great prophets."

By Grand Mufti of Egypt Ali Gomaa*

September 21, 2012

Personal Web Site of Ali Gomaa, Grand Mufti of Egypt

With the publication of yet another set of insulting cartoons against the Prophet of Islam, it has become increasingly obvious that we are living through dangerous times, and that the world is growing alarmingly polarized and obstinate. A number of factors have precipitated the current crisis. There is no single cause to which we can point, the eradication of which would magically solve our problems. Rather, this is a complex matter, involving the incapacity of each side to understand the worldview and commitments of the other. The events of the past week are known to all, but the underlying causes are deeper and more intractable, and cannot be simply wished away.

To properly understand these causes at this moment in history, one must take a serious look at the politics that exist between Islam and the West. To point to individual films, cartoons, or writings as the motivating cause of these conflagrations and which explicitly seek to provoke and insult Muslims, would be naive. Rather, one must keep in mind the many points of conflict between Muslims and Westerners that exist around the world. One need only scratch the surface and mention the violations associated with the war on Iraq; regular drone attacks in Yemen and Pakistan; the treatment of often innocent Muslims at Guantanamo; the demonization of Muslims by far-right European parties and the banning of their symbols by European legislatures; and the conflict that has persisted in Palestine for decades. To turn a blind eye to these serious and enduring issues is to remain willfully oblivious to the underlying issues that make coexistence and rapprochement between Islam and the West so difficult.

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In this context, to then insist on igniting such simmering tensions by publishing hurtful and insulting material in a foolhardy attempt at bravado - asserting the superiority of Western freedoms over alleged Muslim closed-mindedness - verges on incitement. Of all Muslim symbols, perhaps none are more sacred than the Prophet Muhammad himself. Muslims can barely utter his name before conscience obliges them to pray for God's blessing and grant him peace. Hundreds of millions of Muslims revere not only the Prophet, but the city of Medina that he made his home, and ardently aspire to journey there at the first opportunity. It is no exaggeration to say that Muslims love the Prophet more dearly than their own lives. To imagine crude representations of a man so dear is unbearable to the vast majority of Muslims.

None of this is to condone violence of any kind. Indeed, the example of The Prophet Muhammad and his Companions - the greatest sources of the Muslim ideal - bears witness to how he endured the worst insults from the non-believers of his time. Not only was his message routinely rejected, but he was often chased out of town, cursed, and physically assaulted. His example was to endure all personal insults and attack without retaliation of any sort. There is no doubt that as in this life, The Prophet is our greatest example, this should also be the reaction of all Muslims. As the Quran instructs us, “Be patient, as were the great prophets.”

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Saudi Grand Mufti: U.S. Embassy Attacks 'Un-Islamic'

RIYADH, Sept 15 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia's Grand Mufti, the highest religious authority in the birthplace of Islam, on Saturday denounced attacks on diplomats and embassies as un-Islamic after deadly protests against a U.S.-made film mocking Islam's founder.

Sheikh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah Al al-Sheikh also called on governments and international bodies to criminalise insults against prophets and excoriated the film that has prompted a wave of fury across the Middle East.

"It is forbidden to punish the innocent for the wicked crimes of the guilty, or to attack those who have been granted protection of their lives and property, or to expose public buildings to fire or destruction," he said in a speech carried by state news agency SPA.

Describing the release of the crudely made short film as "miserable" and "criminal", he added that attacks on the innocent and diplomats "are also a distortion of the Islamic religion and are not accepted by God".

At least nine people were killed after noon prayers on Friday in demonstrations across the Middle East.

Washington sent extra troops to guard its embassies after the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans were killed in an attack on a U.S. mission in Libya on Tuesday. The violence spread to Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Sudan, Yemen and elsewhere.

There have been no reports of anti-American demonstrations in Saudi Arabia, a key Arab ally of the United States and country that holds significant influence over the world's 1.6 billion Muslims via its guardianship of Mecca and Medina.

Al al-Sheikh's statement echoed the official position taken by Saudi Arabia on Thursday, condemning both the film and attacks on U.S. embassies.

Earlier on Saturday, al Qaeda's regional wing based in Yemen called on Muslims to kill American diplomats in Islamic countries and step up protests against the film.

Some of the senior leaders of the group, Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, are of Saudi nationality, but are sworn enemies of the kingdom's ruling family.