Afghanistan [late last month] was taken over by the Taliban and people were panicking. The capital, Kabul, suffered terrorist attacks, which were claimed by the Islamic State group.
As US and NATO forces retreated, terrorist attacks left many people homeless, and after US President Joe Biden ordered counterattacks, the two sides fought, suffering heavy casualties.
On Taiwanese Internet forums, people were ridiculing the international community, mocking the capabilities of Muslims, making fun of Islamic texts and doctrines, and showing great disrespect to Islam, one of the world’s three major religions with 1.9 billion believers.
This hurt the Muslim community in Taiwan and prompted the Islamic Association of Taiwan to issue a statement.
This so-called “parody culture,” satirizing real life, is prevalent in the entertainment industry. In this era of online information and extreme news, it is often used to tarnish the image of political figures. It seems humorous and comical, but is irresponsible and humiliating.
Since the terror attacks in the US on Sept. 11, 2001, the world has been paying increasing attention to Islam, and differences of faith are yet another source of misunderstanding as we try to understand the complexities behind terrorism and the clash of civilizations.
This is particularly true in monotheistic cultures, where there is no god other than the one true God. This makes tolerance and acceptance between religions important issues that we must understand.
The mockery of Islam on Taiwanese Internet forums is not only ill-advised, but it also damages the nation’s international image and affects diplomatic relations.
Charlie Hebdo, a French satirical weekly magazine, in 2015 was attacked by terrorists, leaving 12 people dead, raising the terror alert in Paris to its highest level and forcing schools to close in one of the greatest threats to security in France in the modern era.
The reason was that it had published cartoons ridiculing the Islamic Prophet Mohammed, which led to discontent among Muslims, and threats and attacks from extremists.
This tragic case is a reminder to all of us who live in nations that enjoy freedom of expression that we should respect others in what we say and do.
We should refrain from making frivolous jokes about other people’s religious beliefs, because it hurts others and is of no benefit to ourselves, and it could even endanger the public.
Liu Wei-ting is a postdoctoral fellow at Academia Sinica.
Translated by Perry Svensson
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