“Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Matthew 7:1-3)
This simple biblical passage is perhaps at the heart of the unspoken hypocrisy of Islamophobia. Most recently, the terrorist attacks on Paris have refuelled a cultural divide where the actions of a few Islamic extremists have many Westerners wondering: what kind of sick religious sentiment is fuelling all this senseless violence? The answer, many have deduced, is found between the covers of the Qur’an, the sacred book from which Islamic belief is founded. More specifically, in clauses like:
“A woman should learn in quietness and full submission.”
“I do not allow for a woman to teach. You will have to cut off her hand. Do not forgive her.”
“If two men sleep with each other they will both have to be killed.”
“If you reject my commands and abhor my laws you will eat the flesh of your sons and the flesh of your daughters.”
But as Dutch comedians, Alexander Spoor and Sacha Harland reveal these clauses are not from the Qur’an at all. These phrases are, in fact, straight from the Holy Bible.
“Muslims have been accused of following a religion that has no place in our Western culture. This made us wonder: What about Christianity? A religion that has influenced our culture greatly,” their new video asks. According to the reactions of listeners, the answer is the same: these Christian sentiments don’t have any place in Western Culture, either.
“I mean, apparently that’s just the way they are,” said one woman. “If you’ve been raised with this book and these kinds of thoughts it’s going to influence the way you think,” said one man.
Judgment is somewhat of a national pastime in the West. It’s easy to see the flaws of others when you’re looking down from a high horse. To many Americans, the Muslim faith is a breeding ground for violence, intolerance and oppression. It’s a strange point of view for a “Christian nation” that suffers, on average, more than one mass shooting a day, according to the New York Times.
This is far from the only example of Western hypocrisy, a reoccurring theme of North American life. Every month there is a new recipient of North American stink eye. “Dog killers!” cries the West to China, through mouthfuls of half-chewed steak. “Racists!” Canadian’s accuse of America, from the helm of a nation whose indigenous population suffers greater hardship than black Americans by nearly every measurable indicator, as provided by Maclean’s.
This isn’t to say that animal abuse and human rights issues should be overlooked in fear of spreading hypocrisy, just that judgment is relative to the information you consume. It’s difficult to avoid bias when a specific viewpoint is making headlines, but it’s so important to try.
For the victims of Spoor and Harland’s prank, the ramifications of ignorance are simple: looking like a dumb ass. But on an international and even cultural scale, ignorance can have fatal consequences.
Perhaps this holy passage says it best, “Do not follow that of which you have no knowledge. Indeed! The hearing, the sight and the heart—about each of these you will be questioned.” (The Qur’an 17:36)