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Why Insulting the Prophet Always 'Pays Off Big' (Le Quotidien dOran, Algeria)

"Crass manipulations of the sacred inevitably end up succeeding. All that is needed is an obscure individual to decide that he wants to become famous by planting the seeds of insult and denigration of the Prophet of Islam. From across the Atlantic to the far-reaches of Asia, the terrain is fertile. ... the worst part of this entire affair is our propensity to fall into the coarsest of traps thanks to an incapacity to put reason over emotion - and emotional manipulation."

EDITORIAL

Translated By Katia Mohandi

September 15, 2012

Algeria - Le Quotidien dOran - Original Article (French)

Running man: Having picked up a tear gas canister thrown by police, a man prepares to wield it back in their direction, on a road leading to the U.S. Embassy near Tahrir Square, in Cairo, Sept. 13. BBC NEWS AUDIO: Tony Blair warns Middle East movie protests are 'dangerous and wrong', Sept. 17, 00:01:12

The short video clips available of Innocence of Muslims speak for themselves when it comes to showing how unfathomably stupid the film is. But its writer, an Israeli-American real estate developer who said he wanted to support Israel, knew full well that when it comes to tarnishing the Prophet's image, he could count on the tendency of large numbers of Muslims to become rapidly inflamed. The film, which would have been an absolute washout, is now known around the globe. And just like those who preceded him, from the Scandinavian "cartoons" to the dust-up with the rag Charlie Hebdo, the marketing scheme is simple and dreadfully effective. One need only insult the Prophet and manage to broadcast the slander over the Internet - where some believe they are fighting a jihad, and wait for the chain reaction.

[Editor's Note: It is now known that the writer, producer and distributor of the Innocence of Muslims is Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, a Coptic Christian immigrant from Egypt living in Cerritos, California. At the moment, despite widespread global suspicion, there appears to be no evidence to suggest that Israelis were involved in the funding, production or distribution of the film].

Of course, we all know that in the process of this irrational and violent reaction, people may die - Arabs, Muslims, Christians, Europeans, or Americans. But that only contributes to the power of marketing "Islamic rage" or "Islamic fanaticism." Insulting the Prophet pays off big. In a supposed attempt to criticize Rached Ghannouchi, who won the Tunisian presidential election, a Parisian newspaper chose to depict him as the Prophet. There was no report to go with the cartoon, since evidently, basing criticizism of an Islamist politician on his ideas or plans doesn't sell. It is better to attack the Prophet as if he were a candidate. The same was the case for the Danish cartoons.

If they chose to, the cartoonists could have taken it out on bin Laden, but they knew this wouldn't have resulted in a reaction that brings celebrity. Depicting the Prophet of Islam as a murderous terrorist - thats a good trick. Its foolish but unfortunately, it works! We know, too, that the loudest Islamists, not the most sensitive or clever, will silence anyone who seeks to diffuse the situation and ignore the morons. Unfortunately, from experience, it has become clear that reasonable men and women can do nothing. All they can do is witness the repeated failures of their calls for reason. Crass manipulations of the sacred inevitably end up succeeding. All that is needed is an obscure individual to decide that he wants to become famous by planting the seeds of insult and denigration of the Prophet of Islam. From across the Atlantic to the far-reaches of Asia, the terrain is fertile.

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In the case of the film, the provocation does not appear to have taken hold until a clip was translated into Arabic and posted on the Net. And now, because an anti-Islam Coptic living in the United States decided to promote the film, Islamists in Egypt have seized on it to blacklist the Coptic community.

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And among the Egyptian protesters outside the American Embassy, poisonous words are spreading, reflected in the fires of fitnah (upheaval, chaos, or civil unrest). The deaths of the American ambassador and his staff are an injustice. They were not responsible for the calculated provocation - successfully orchestrated it has to be said - by an Israeli on a mission for Israel. They, too, are victims of the weapons spreading throughout Libya and the Sahel since the NATO intervention. But the worst part of this entire affair is our propensity to fall into the coarsest of traps thanks to an incapacity to put reason over emotion - and emotional manipulation.