The Muslim Ummah is being targeted by the West time and again in a bid to portray Muslims as extremist and racist. They are trying to malign Islam by inciting us through provocative tactics to hurt our sentiments. By carrying out this new blasphemous competition on worlds largest social networking website, the Facebook, they have hauled a billion and half Muslims of the world on hot coals. This is a replay of the controversy involving the Danish newspaper, Jyllands Posten that caused such a firestorm in September 2005. The sacrilegious depiction of our revered Holy Prophet (PBUH) again has ignited a spark of anger in Muslims. There is a feeling of hatred against the Westerners because of this impression that they want to show Muslims and Islam in bad light. In our view, they are projecting their own satanic thoughts in the name of a legitimate right of freedom of expression. The champions of human rights in the West seem totally bereft of any concept of honouring the religion of others, thereby, intent upon using their liberty in a negative way. The purpose, quite obviously, is to incite Muslims to act in a violent manner so that Islam itself can, then, be dubbed intolerant in spirit. Islam, however, is a religion of tolerance, mercy and peace. It teaches us to defend our faith through peaceful and democratic means. We have to counter this propaganda offensive in an intellectual way. Blocking access to Facebook or any other network is not the sole solution. It is high time we took strong, strict action on the diplomatic front. Perhaps the ambassadors of the concerned countries have to be summoned now in the Foreign Office for explanation as to how dare their citizens desecrate the fair name of our Holy Prophet (PBUH). We should also demand that the administrators of Facebook, in the light of their own administrative clause that no content on Facebook can be religiously inflammatory; should issue an apology to the whole Muslim community. Moreover, OIC should devise an effective policy immediately to halt such practices by the anti-Islam lobby. -LUBNA KHALIL, Lahore, May 24.