Denmark Boycott, eh?

(Each link opens a different source and must be checked in order to understand the real message in this response)

If some of you need some background on this, here it goes: (others can skip and read the message!)

Apparently, a danish newspaper published 12 cartoons depicting Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), which in turn, literally, scared the daylights out of the Islamic community of Denmark and caused the outbreak of anger against printing those cartoons since it is totally forbidden to draw the Prophet (pbuh) in any way. The Arab governments, eager to appease the outrage, demanded an apology from the Danish government and some sort of punishment exacted against the newspaper over the cartoons. Danish Prime Minister naturally thought that the delegation is just cracking a joke as Denmark is a country with freedom of speech and where there is freedom of speech, a prime minister has no right to backlash the newspaper, as it was requested in this case. Now, this came as a shock to the delegation who were sure earlier that the Danish prime minister is gonna throw the cartoonist in jail like they do in "other countries". Of course, the next easiest option available for the delegation and their supporters was just one: death threat. And since then, calls to avenge the "honor of the prophet" started to pile up all over the world. To cut the long story short, Jordanian Parliament called for the punishment of the cartoonists; The International Union for Muslim Scholars threated to call for a world-wide boycott of danish products, drafting a website and providing a list of danish products.

This is all going so crazy now, especially when the government of Saudi Arabia alongside imams followed suit. Personally, I think it really is a political drama but more so, the way Saudi Arabian government is trying to play a role of the hero of the Islamic Ummah is just beyond my comprehension. Although people have finally started realizing that it's not all that bad, like this, but a lot of them are still confused. Main reason being that there are tons of emails and more importantly, sms circulating throughout the kingdom of Saudi Arabia about banning danish products. Check out this one:

"Breaking news: God is great, God is great, this morning the

cartoonist's body was found burned near the daily's headquarters. The government of Denmark is remaining hush hush about the news,

please forward."
(Translated)

This wasn't the first one but something around 166 millionth by the way and more like these are just annoying the crap outta people. And the way they're portraying it is, "(we are) demanding the Muhammad's Ummah would rise up to defend his honor." Now come on, I am in no way, from no angle, saying that what the newspaper did was justified and we should all follow it, neither am I saying that this should be allowed but what I am trying to convey is the so-called "actions" of Arab governments against it do no justice to the sufferers from any perspective. They (arab governments) are just boycotting the wrong people. The people who published those cartoons work in a danish newspaper. They do NOT own danish factories, make danish cheese or toys, or any of those nifty products that they have on that list. Now, unless they're exporting their newspaper to, say Saudi Arabia or Jordan which they are certainly not, they don't get affected at all but danish business does, saudi business does, saudi people do, and moreover the image of Muslim does. For all those who are supporting this boycott, you want to hurt those people who committed this act? I tell you, SUE THEM. Sue the newspaper. Sue them everywhere, for any reason you like, for that matter. Now that should affect them directly. This boycott won't. Not to mention that I love the Prophet (pbuh) and believe in Islamic teachings just as a Muslim is supposed to but boycotting danish products is really not the way to go.

Furthermore, the newspaper apologized and danish envoys in Riyadh have also issued an apology on behalf of the newspaper. People who are totally unrelated have risked their prestige in a country where individualism is held above everything. Now, I don't see any reason for this political drama being overplayed?

This doesn't even seem to be accomplishing anything, to me at least, but just portray the Muslims negatively. As we can see that "we-are-outraged" movement has gone berserk with their speeches and tantrums, it was inevitable that some crazy hotheads decided to issue death threats against the newspaper and the cartoonists. I've yet to see a single christian group get mad at the Rolling Stones for having Kanye West depicting Jesus on their cover, and you know why? because they understand that there is something called free speech and freedom of expression. That it's not always pleasant. That some people will try to provoke a reaction out of you by offending you with something like this. And you know what? Muslims fall for it every single time and then the crazy ones amongst them go all the way and do something stupid. Like the Van Gogh murder in 2004. Remember how good that made us look in Holland? What? You want to go through that whole thing again, and drag us with you for the ride? Thanks but no thanks dude. Our reputation is already bad as it is, and we don't need anymore help sullying it.

A danish boycott will do nothing, the same way the american products boycott did nothing, and any future boycott will do nothing. Let's grow up together (I include myself). Accept other people's opinion even if they disagree with yours, the same way you want them to accept your opinions. Let us be honest with ourselves now. Since we are given the chance, let's all handle this logically and not make it a game of hearsay. Let's not give them back as the same, or to use the honorable words "take revenge", way they acted. Perhaps we have already outdone them but that's another thing because we must get sane now in order to desire sanity around us.
We, as in Muslims, are not the only ones being insane by the way. (I thought I'll mention the other side's doings also just so I won't be blamed to view it just from one side later on.) Apparently, after the boycott, other european private organizations/firms/newspapers threw their support behind the Danish newspaper to give back a reply to us. Just like how we have our reasons to defend the boycott, they have their reasons too: "no religious dogma can impose itself on a democratic and secular society." But, please please please, also look at the way they are dealing with it. (For those who don't want to try the links: European newspapers across Europe have started reprinting the cartoons, even after the danish newspaper apologized. Hence, a French newspaper editor was fired as of Feb. 1 for letting it print.)

Above all, look at the way they're giving it back to us: France Soir printed a newly created cartoon on its front page showing Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy figures sitting on a cloud, with the caption "Don't worry Muhammad, we've all been caricatures here". (Source)
Now, I request you all to please stop spreading such sms, emails, hearsay rumors, uncertain ideologies, for the sake of humanity, for the sake of Muslims, for the sake of Islam. This is by no means a counter-movement to un-ban or un-boycott the danish products but just to warn that how the emails and such are sending negative vibes across to other countries.

Now, I hereby understand that the publication and moreso, the republication of the cartoons in Continental European newspapers is more than just freedom of expression and they've certainly taken things over the board. Muslim governments, to put it generally, are demanding an apology directly from Danish government to re-establish the diplomatic relations between them. Let's see how far it goes...