Terror in Muhammad's defense dishonors him
Anees Ahmad
Waterloo

 First, it was Ayaan Hirsi Ali's script for "Submission." The Danish caricatures and then Pope Benedict's comments would soon follow. Then came the knighthood of Salman Rushdie. And now there's the publication of "The Jewel of Medina." It makes me sick - the reaction of extremists, that is.

For those who don't know, "The Jewel of Medina" is author Sherry Jones' fictionalized depiction of the life of Ayesha, wife of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Because the book contains comments some Muslims find unforgivable, the publisher's London office was bombed. Three men have recently been charged with the attack.

As a student of comparative religion, as well as a Muslim, I do not find much power behind the pen of Ali, Rushdie or Sherry Jones. Yet a concerted effort to terrorize individuals who supposedly malign Muhammad does nothing other than malign Muhammad himself.