In the latest series of cases involving blasphemy laws in Indonesia, a TikToker with more than than 2 million followers is found guilty and jailed for two years for saying an Islamic phrase before eating crispy pork skin.
It’s the commonality of bismillah that’s difficult here. Where I am, Muslims who drink say it to cheers. I don’t know if that’s common in Muslim majority countries though. Here, lots of non Muslims say bismillah, inshallah, wallah, and probably more I’m forgetting, but that could be an anomaly.
Lots of christians consider homosexuality banned by the Bible and “amen” to be inseparable from religion, as it’s derived from an affirmation of belief and is used to certify the truth of religious statements. I gave the analogy intentionally, but my understanding of bismillah could be too local.
I think you’re right on. Bismillah becomes just part of the cultural lexicon
for Muslims and apparently non-Muslims who live amongst Muslims
If someone used it deliberately, invoking it’s actual meaning vs just saying it out of habit, it would be a more impactful gesture. I can’t judge which case this example is
Separately, my belief is that if Muslims truly want to stop people from inciting them, they need to ignore these acts
Of course, the governments and religious leaders are all for making a big deal of all this because it’s a way to control people through their emotions
“bismillah” means “in the name of God”. It’s intended as an observance that a Muslim lives in servitude to God
It becomes habitual to say bismillah before doing anything (similar to “inshallah”, “God willing”) since it is said so frequently
In this case, doing something counter to what is seen as lawfull (eating pork) and invoking God could be seen as an affront
It’s the commonality of bismillah that’s difficult here. Where I am, Muslims who drink say it to cheers. I don’t know if that’s common in Muslim majority countries though. Here, lots of non Muslims say bismillah, inshallah, wallah, and probably more I’m forgetting, but that could be an anomaly.
Lots of christians consider homosexuality banned by the Bible and “amen” to be inseparable from religion, as it’s derived from an affirmation of belief and is used to certify the truth of religious statements. I gave the analogy intentionally, but my understanding of bismillah could be too local.
I think you’re right on. Bismillah becomes just part of the cultural lexicon for Muslims and apparently non-Muslims who live amongst Muslims
If someone used it deliberately, invoking it’s actual meaning vs just saying it out of habit, it would be a more impactful gesture. I can’t judge which case this example is
Separately, my belief is that if Muslims truly want to stop people from inciting them, they need to ignore these acts
Of course, the governments and religious leaders are all for making a big deal of all this because it’s a way to control people through their emotions