Have you ever let the fear of controversy stop you from writing?

Many coverts I've know in the US take a Muslim name, but not all.

 

From the Hadiths:

The last sentence means they're trying to copy god by creating.

I wise old friend of mine told me never to talk unless I know what I'm talking about.

 

This thread proves the title!

I pointed out that people of different cultures think differently, and we all know they do, then a denial fest breaks out.

I see the thread as a microcosm of reality.

 

You seem to be assuming, though, that there's a _single_ Muslim culture, and that all Muslims are in complete agreement about the rules. Looking at the near-infinite variations in the way that Christians interpret the Bible, that doesn't strike me as all that likely.

ChickenFreak

 

I'm not sure how many times I've said it, but I'm not talking about Muslims.

I'm talking about the thread title.

There ARE shocking cultural differences between a variety of cultures. If you chose to highlight those as part of your characterization, then you would have a controversy. If you publically defended your conception of the person from culture Z, based on your perception of Z values, you would create even more controversy.

However, you will have no controversy if you create a token character with a controversial name brand because the character will be psychologically empty. The muslim character from Lost is a great example.

 

The perfect excuse...

"So, you're using a Muslim as your main character. Doesn't that imply you're supporting terrorists/racists/warmongers?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know that. Would you kindly point out the sentence which says that my character is a terrorist/racist/warmonger?

 

You seem to be confusing several different issues. You started out by claiming that all Islamic art was based on geometrical figures, then switched to what was practiced in countries with "government based on Islamic laws", and now you're talking about what the Quran says. They're not the same thing.

 

Thanks for your contribution.

 

No.

I have only omitted touching on controversial subjects if I felt there wasn't sufficient space in the story to treat that subject with the attention and detail it deserved. And this is usually because there's already another controversial subject taking up the focus of the story.

What you might want to ask yourself is whether the subject detracts from your story, your main theme, or another controversial subject already within it.

I see nothing wrong with controversy, except when controversy isn't given the respect it deserves. It rarely has a place in lighthearted entertainment -- not because of its controversial nature in itself, but because it would derail the pacing and plot and take a big part of the focus away from the sense of adventure. It's very hard for a reader to "ride the roller coaster" of melodramatic adventure while having to juggle with heavy subject matters that have them pause and reflect on every other sentence.

All that said, I see nothing controversial about having a muslim MC. Muslims are as diverse as any other group of people, and could work pretty much all occupations. There are even muslims who drink alcohol or eat pork and still consider themselves decent muslims.

 

The main question is perhaps why is your character Muslim and what does it add to the story? Would it work if he was an Arabic Christian ?

 

Haha. I'd be pretty screwed if I became Muslim, with me making my living from illustration. But maybe I'd be excused if I were to point out how I do try to breathe life into them all.

 

I love art too and have done a lot of painting. Clearly, illustration is a wonderful thing that brings joy to people, via cartoons, decoration, book covers, and helps business through graphic design. We're surrounded by art in the west and we love it. Thus, it would be hard to understand the perspective of a person who was raised to see it as a sin.

I'm sure that you as a professional would be challenged by such a discussion with a friend from such a culture. I'm sure that would make for some interesting dialogue in a book though. But, as we've seen in this thread, it would through many into a spin.

Right Horus?

 

I wouldn't shy away from such a debate, personally. I'd go into it knowing full well that neither one of us would come out of it changed in our views, but hopefully wiser -- more aware of just how different people can be.

I see differences between characters as a prerequisite to good literature. What else would they have to talk about? Plots and plot holes.

Differences define individuals, and a big part of character differences comes from culture and nurture. It's not controversial, it's merely interesting, colorful.

 

We're of like mind.

 

I wouldn't shy away from a topic based on controversy, but be aware that sometimes there are physical risks involved. Some groups take their cause so seriously that they'll bring violence against their detractors. Think of when the Supreme Leader of Iran issued a futwa against a cartoonist, calling for his death. I believe that cartoonist is still hiding from assassins. Other authors have been targeted by pro-life, pro-choice, racial groups, religious groups, political groups, etc., etc. Just be aware of the probable response of those you cast in an unfavorable light. If you feel comfortable with the risk, carry on.

 

Well, as long as I don't have Omar do things that would put his religion in an unfavorable light or have him prance around voicing his own political beliefs left and right, I'm okay.

I mean, the dude's Muslim and he's going on cool adventures. I shouldn't be worried. I doubt they would care that much right?

This cartoonist, what exactly did he draw?

EDIT: Since this is an action/adventure series, I should probably start collecting Clive Cussler novels to get a feel of how a great action/adventure book should be. Thankfully my dad has a collection of 'em.

 

Be careful. For the non-Muslim it's hard to see what is blasphemous about Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, but there were various things like beliefs regarding dreams involving Mohammed which meant that Muslims interpreted the book in ways that non-Muslims would not.

The cartoonist is Kurt Westergaard. It's easy to find the cartoon.

 

You can't type a word without offending someone, somewhere. While keeping in mind that some groups react more aggressively than others, you're letting them have their way by threats of violence every time you let yourself be affected by their hostile ravings. Looks a bit like a loose-loose situation.

 

Well, in any case, I'll have to learn how to write proper action/adventure stories if I'm gonna have Omar do anything any time soon. XD To Clive Cussler!!

EDIT: I agree. Anyone can be offended by anything. Write a book set in 1773 during a time when America had slaves? Probably offensive to some parties. Write a story where an Irish character keeps a keg of whisky? Bound to offend some Irish folks. Hell, even if you wrote a story about a little Christian girl* running around a fantasy kingdom that worshipped pagan gods; and the girl saved the land is bound to cause offense.

* Oh and she's either British or American cuz dat's da rules.

 

I agree with the Irish statement, but it doesn't have the same weight to it in the end. Plus, an Irish person doesn't have wildly different beliefs from an American or other type of Brit.

With your character, you have to know that he's not creating some kind of sin by doing something you think is mundane. Will he be praying several times a day? If there's action will you know under what circumstance he does not have to follow the protocals of his religion?

The token Irish guy who drinks may cause eye roles, but your MCs checking out girls may cause a bit more.

 

I think I get what you mean.

What I might not think is a sin, Omar would. Having an Irish character saying, "That lass has a big set of bums, don't you think?" will just provoke eye-rolls and chuckles.

However, if Omar did it, it's quite another thing.

I'll have to study Islam in all its aspects, including what they think is incorrect. Omar's beliefs will dictate his actions. Maybe he doesn't like fighting and will seek all possible ways to get out of a direct confrontation? How would he react to someone else checking a lady out?

 

Apologies for the language, but I feel strongly about it.
F*** controversy, write whatever it is you want to. If people don't like it, they don't have to read it.

 

He drew cartoons of Mohammad that weren't flattering, which is a capital crime in states controlled by sharia law. There have been multiple cartoonists and authors that had to go into hiding after publishing, literally to hide from assassins.

Recently there were Muslim riots because some idiot preacher went public with a plan to burn copies of the Quran. If one of your characters is Muslim, you should spend some time reading up on Muslims. Read both the pro-Muslim and Muslim detractors to get a more accurate picture. You can easily offend them to the point of violence without understanding why they're upset. As far as modern religions go, Islam is by far the most violently reactive religion. If you were to gain televised coverage and do something similar to the book-burning idiocy of a few months back, I would guarantee that there would be riots in the streets of Muslim nations, and people would get hurt and killed. I'm not trying to scare you off - write what you feel you should. You should, however, be aware of the likely reactions.

What you think are cool adventures a Muslim might see as extremely disrespectful to their faith. For instance, you would not be able to write of a female Muslim hero very effectively, unless it was a "moderate Muslim" that didn't live anywhere near a place ruled by sharia law. In these places, a woman cannot even testify in her own defense at trial. In fact, for a woman to prove sexual assault, she must have 4 male eye-witnesses of upstanding moral virtue (I swear I'm not making this up - Google it). And, if she accuses a man of assaulting her, but cannot prove it, she's automatically guilty of adultery by her own words. Adultery is another offense punishable by death. You can imagine that very few women come forward to accuse anyone. So, casting a woman as a commanding force is bound to upset many Muslims. A male Muslim that is too sympathetic to the "Great Satan" (their little pet name for the US) will also cause a lot of anger. If you can get past all this and still write your story, I'd love to read it.

 

You might want to google, or buy, a copy of the Hadiths. It's like the Muslim version of the Talmud, which is a book of Jewish ethics. In the Hadiths, Mohamed, basically, is asked questions and he comments on what you're supposed to do. Muslim thinkers also comment explaining them. The Talmud is the same format only messages from the OT are applied by Rabbis to daily living.

Even if you aren't religious, there's interesting ideas to be found and increased understanding of these belief systems.

There's a Rabbi who has a great ethics column on the web called Ask The Jewish Ethicist who takes questions from Jewish people who are confused about how to handle modern problems based on their religious values. I've learned a lot from it and I'm atheist, because a good idea, is a good idea. Anyway, there may be a Muslim version out there. If there is please PM me so I can read it.

Have fun!

 

This attitude is awesome in the west, but not everywhere.

It would be amazing if some great work of fiction breaks the thoughts that divide people, but it would set off many mental volcanos and you might be under one. Worse yet, you may not know you're under one.

The important message is to know what you're getting into. Imagine self-publishing to Kindle and what you just published makes people want to kill you, and you have no idea. For me, there's only one other guy in the country with my name, so the work would be easy(ish).