A parable about the contagion of hatred (updated)

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." (Matthew 5:9)

A common criticism of religion is that is provokes oppression, division, and violence. The truth is humans can always find reasons to hate one another. Religion is just one of many excuses used by people spoiling for a fight.

Case in point is the movie called, "Innocence of Muslims." This sloppy attempt at satire was created to insult and inflame.

Just to add to its explosive potential, the film was supposedly created by an Israeli-American named Sam Bacile, backed by 100 Jewish donors. None of that backstory appears to be true (see here, here and here).

As soon as the trailer for the movie was posted online, an Egyptian-American Coptic Christian publicized the movie and threw more fuel on the fire, aided by Koran-burning preacher and publicity hound, Terry Jones. These two clowns promoted screenings of the movie as a way to call attention to controversial elements in the life of the prophet Muhammad.

It was the perfect fodder for an Islamic fundamentalist in Egypt known for inflammatory rhetoric about the Coptic Christian community.

Egyptian religious al-Nas TV's Sheikh Khalid Abdallah, the controversial presenter of the Masr al-Jadida talk show, dedicated his 8 September programme to "The Copts of the diaspora and humiliating the Prophet"

Before long, politicians and the media in Egypt were condemning the movie and also blaming the Coptic Christian community.

A Cairo newspaper reported that the leader of an Egyptian political party had “denounced the production of the film with the participation of vengeful Copts, accompanied by the extremist priest Terry Jones.”

Of course, violence soon erupted. First in Egypt.

Angered by reports in the Egyptian media that members of the Coptic Christian diaspora in Washington had produced a crude film mocking the Muslim prophet, protesters climbed the walls of the United States Embassy in Cairo on Tuesday and tore down the American flag.

And then in Libya.

The US ambassador to Libya is among four Americans killed in an attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, President Barack Obama has confirmed.

Unidentified armed men stormed the grounds overnight amid uproar among Muslims over a film produced in the US said to insult the Prophet Muhammad.

They shot at buildings and threw handmade bombs into the compound.

And then across other predominantly Muslim countries.

Tunisian police fired tear gas and rubber bullets into the air to disperse a protest by several hundred people near the US embassy in the Tunisian capital, Tunis, as they chanted slogans including "Obama, Obama, we are here for the triumph of Islam", Reuters reports.

Demonstrations were reported outside the US embassy in the Sudanese capital Khartoum and the US consulate in Casablanca, Morocco, as well as outside the UN offices in the Gaza Strip.

The Afghan government ordered a block on Youtube until the offending film was removed but the site was still visible to internet users in Kabul.

It is amazing what trouble a few hateful people can stir up. It was all about provocation and exploitation of outrage. None of it really had anything to do with God or religion. Hateful acts done in the name of religion is nothing more than blasphemy.

Do you have any doubt why Jesus said we are to love our enemies, bless those that curse us, and pray for those that persecute us? The reason seems crystal clear.

Update: The identity of the man behind the film has been revealed. He is a Coptic Christian of Egyptian descent that falsely claimed to be an Israeli and having been backed by Jews. The actors in the film were mislead about the nature of the project and the voices were dubbed in Arabic.

UPDATE: Sept. 13, 11:34 a.m. -- The Associated Press has identified Californian Nakoula Basseley Nakoula as the man behind the anti-Muslim film that's been the target of protests across the Middle East. The AP says its source for the information is an official in U.S. law enforcement who "spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation."

In earlier interviews, Nakoula said he was the manager of the company that made the film but did not say he was the actual filmmaker. He identified himself as a Coptic Christian and said that the film's director supported concerns about the treatment of the Copts by Muslims.

He also denied posing as Sam Bacile, the mysterious man whom initial reports on Tuesday quoted and identified as an Israeli Jewish filmmaker, but AP reports that telephone numbers for Bacile and Nakoula trace to the same address. Questions remain as to why Bacile, who was interviewed by the AP and the Wall Street Journal, said he was an Israeli Jew.

This means that person who created the film and the two men that helped publicize it are all Christians. Not only were they trying to inflame Muslims with the film's content, they tried to blame the film's creation on Jews. I am sure the Lord will be impressed by their efforts to stir the pot of hatred.