: Can Too Much Praise For The Prophet Land You In Jail?

Among Muslims, praise for the Prophet Muhammad is common, in that he provided an example for Muslims in all facets of their lives. But some Jordanian journalists found out the hard way that not all praise of the Prophet is looked upon kindly, especially when it comes to his family life. The three were jailed (although two were later released) for “insulting Islam” in an article that touched on the sexual life of the Prophet Muhammad. The journalists all claim that they were simply quoting sahih (trustworthy) hadith, or sayings of the Prophet, which can be found in any reputable Islamic bookstore. Afraid of a repeat of the violence in Nigeria fomented by fundamentalists over writings on the Prophet, the authorities said they had to act after Jordan’s main Islamic party said the journalists would “burn in hell” for eternity. The jailed were defended by other journalists (although the Jordanian Journalist’s Union expelled the trio), and the paper’s publisher was defiant. “We have to cure the followers of Islam of rejecting criticism,” says Al-Hilal publisher Ahmed Salama. “The fundamentalists are worshiping the prophet, not his revelation.” All this happened a month after Jordan’s King Abdullah extolled the value of free speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. “Through laws and independent institutions,” said Abdullah, “we are ensuring freedom of expression, speech and thought, including a free media.”

Shahed Amanullah is editor-in-chief of altmuslim.com.