OIC seeks action against blasphemous cartoons

UNITED NATIONS—Pakistan, as chairman of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC), has urged UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to call on governments to take a firm stand against the publication of the blasphemous cartoons in the Western media.
“The right to freedom of expression carries with it special duties and responsibilities, and does not provide a license to insult and hurt the sentiments and beliefs of others,” a statement issued by the chairman of OIC Group in New York said Monday.
The OIC Group urged the Secretary-General to “call upon the governments of the states that condone the publication of these blasphemous caricatures and media material, as well as the campaigns for anti-Islamic regulations, to take all possible legal and administrative measures to prevent the repetition or continuation of these deliberate offensive acts, which impinge greatly on the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion of the followers of Islam.”
It requested the UN chief to “publicly express his unequivocal opposition to all acts of Islamophobia, and to declare that no government should be complicit in undermining the ongoing efforts to promote harmony and friendly relations amongst the various cultures, religions and civilizations.”
Among the instances of Islamophobia, the statement pointed out, are the publications of blasphemous caricatures of the Prophet (PBUH) by newspapers in Europe, multiple campaigns for anti-Islamic regulations in several European countries, including the imposition of restrictions on the construction of places of worship, and the impending screening of a documentary by a Dutch lawmaker, which insults the Holy Quran.
Pakistan, as chairman of the OIC, urged the secretary-general to publicly express his unequivocal opposition to all acts of Islamo-phobia, and to declare that no government should be complicit in undermining the ongoing efforts to promote harmony and friendly relations amongst the various cultures, religions and civilizations.
Lack of action to prevent the reprinting the blasphemous caricatures, and indifference in airing the inflammatory documentary against the Holy Quran, will be perceived as manifestation of insincerity towards the principles and objectives of various efforts within the United Nations system aiming at promoting understanding and respect of and among cultures and civilizations, the statement added.
The OIC Group recalled a joint statement of the UN Secretary General with the OIC Secretary General High Representative of Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union in Doha on February 7, 2006, which recognized that “in all societies there is a need to show sensitivity and responsibility in treating issues of special significance for the adherents of any particular faith, even by those who do not share the belief in question”.
The statement criticized Western intellectuals for justifying such terminologies as “Islamo-fascism”, “Islamic terrorism” and “radical Islam” and termed them, a manifestation of and justifications for provocations and systematic insults against Islam.

—APP