When authority substitutes for thought

Having spent considerable time in Saudi Arabia and other parts of the MIddle East, it was easy to discern the complete lack of understanding regarding freedom of speech. Obviously, most countries in the region do not enjoy the ability to engage in open discourse about their governments or about particular interpretations of Islam. If they question the legitimacy of either, they face dire legal consequences.

The results are easy to see. Islamic traditionalists and hardliners – embodied by the Ulama – have become so used to having their authority accepted without question that they are intellectually lazy. Their ideas are vapid, incoherent, and frequently at odds not just with the societies in which they live, but also with the explicit dictates of the Qur’an, which they allegedly serve to uphold.

One unfortunate result of this mindset is the appalling lack of intellectual development in the Arab World, especially when it comes to Islam. Witness this story from the Arab Times of Kuwait, quoting Dr. Adel Al-Damkhi, a professor of Islamic studies. In it, he calls for Kuwaiti authorities to take legal action against YouTube until it removes all derogatory statements about Islam and Muslims. His rationale is telling:

“…uttering profanities against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) is the worst form of human rights violation in the world. Attacks on the values and tenets of Islam are extremely dangerous and unacceptable.”

Dr. Al-Damkhi’s gift for hyperbole is a sad statement on his morality. Governments in the region torture prisoners, deny citizens the right to speak out against wrongs, punish discussion of whether Islam can be interpreted in more than one way, and yet YouTube is the worst rights violation he can think of? I hate to think what was involved in his earning a PhD.