The Messenger of Allah We do not have to be merciful to our children.
The slapping of a young man by an old man in Suez was not a passing spectacle, but rather a resounding social cry that revealed how, for years, media discourse had become a tool for destroying prestige and vilifying dignity.
That proud, white-bearded sheikh was not slapped because he abused or assaulted, but because his religious appearance alone was enough to provoke aggression.
A slap to his face, but in reality a slap to the conscience of the whole society.
From the screen to the street... when the media creates hate.
Dare not come from a religious old man in a vacuum, but from a media cover that has built up over the years.
In sitcoms, movies, and satirical shows, the bearded man is portrayed in repeated forms:
Either a militant terrorist, a hypocrite covering up religion, or a self-confessed ignorant.
People laughed, and took the picture, until the message infiltrated the collective unconscious: that the religious appearance is dangerous, and that the owner of the beard is suspicious.
Thus, reverence was stripped of its meaning, and the symbol of religiosity was transformed into sarcasm, in the name of art, enlightenment or comedy.
The image that was distorted.
Yes, there can be no denying that there are anomalous elements that have tainted, traded in, or abused religion in the name of beards and robes,
But those cases... — No matter how loud. — It is neither the dominant feature nor the true face of the religious.
The vast majority of people with a religious appearance are pious, balanced people, striving for good, and living in peace with people.
If there is a thorn in the body, the cure is not to cut off the whole body.
However, instead of distinguishing between right and wrong, the media chose to condemn everyone and to try the same dignity as if it were an offence worthy of ridicule.
When the distorted images are repeated enough, infringement is no longer an individual act, but a justified social behavior.
The young man who raised his hand against the sheikh did not do it in a vacuum, but in a culture shaped by incitement and ridicule for decades.
A culture whispered in the ear of the new generation that "the bearded are hardcore," that "the religious are hypocrites," and that "the Sheikh’s body deserves ridicule and disrespect."
Under this cover, prestige fell, and assaulting a man of great-grandfather's age became justifiable. — Even in the subconscious. — Because he has a beard!
The Suez incident is not just a crime of aggression, but a sign of the collapse of the system of respect for symbols.
The values that governed the relationship between generations have eroded: respect for the elder, reverence for the world, and reverence for those who bear a religious trait.
حين يسقط ذلك كله، يصبح المجتمع كمن كسر مرآته، لا يرى في وجهه سوى التشويه الذي صنعه بيديه.
إن إعادة الاحترام للمظهر الديني لا تكون بالشعارات، بل بإصلاح ما أفسده الإعلام والتربية معًا.
على الشاشات أن تكفّ عن تعميم السخرية من أهل الدين، وأن تُبرز الوجه الحقيقي للتدين: الاعتدال، والرحمة، والصدق.
وعلى المدارس والجامعات أن تُعيد غرس قيمة التوقير في نفوس الأجيال الجديدة.
وعلى الخطاب الديني نفسه أن يُقدّم النموذج المتوازن، حتى لا يُستغل انحراف القلة لتشويه الصالحين جميعًا.
إن صفعة السويس لم تكن ضربة يدٍ عابرة، بل ترجمة لسنواتٍ من التحريض الناعم ضد كل ما هو ديني.
لقد جُعلت اللحية تهمة، والحجاب سخرية، والوقار موضع شك، حتى سقطت هيبة المظهر الديني في الوجدان العام.
لكن لا يزال في المجتمع عقلاء يعرفون أن من أساء باسم الدين شاذٌّ لا يُقاس عليه، وأن الدين الحق لا يختبئ خلف المظاهر، بل يتجلى في الخلق والتسامح والرحمة.
ولعل تلك الصفعة توقظ الضمير قبل أن تُوقظ القانون،
فنستعيد ما ضاع من احترام، ونردّ للدين هيبته، وللمجتمع وعيه،
قبل أن نُفيق على صفعةٍ أكبر، تسقط فيها القيم نفسها.
