Respect is not something that can be forced at the tip of a knife or demanded through riots and intimidation. It is something that is earned—slowly, painfully, through values, behavior, and results.
That is the message missed by those who violently demonstrate whenever they claim Islam or the Quran has been “disrespected.”
Coercion does not create respect. It creates fear, resentment, and distance. When mobs burn flags, threaten lives, or attack embassies in the name of honor, they do not elevate their cause. They confirm the very criticism they claim to be fighting against.
There is a revealing paradox in global politics. The US is one of the most criticized countries on Earth—yet it remains the most desired destination. For more than two centuries, people have crossed oceans, deserts, and borders, often risking their lives, to live there. You do not see similar migrations toward China or Russia. You do not see masses risking everything to live in Iran or Saudi Arabia. Criticism alone does not repel people; lived reality does.