RIYADH/JEDDAH, 15 February 2006 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal yesterday called for European countries to prevent a repeat of the blasphemous cartoon scandal triggered by a Danish daily newspaper.
Speaking to reporters after meeting with Dutch counterpart Bernard Bot in Riyadh, Prince Saud said that measures were essential to maintain the existing good relations between the European countries and the Arab world.
Bot acknowledged that the sacrilegious cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had harmed the relations between the European Union and the Islamic world.
“I discussed the issue with Javier Solana, the EU foreign policy chief, during his visit to the Kingdom and asked him to contact the Danish government about issuing a statement to solve the problem,” the Saudi Press Agency quoted the Dutch minister as saying.
On Monday, GCC Secretary-General Abdul Rahman Al-Attiyah urged the European Union to counter the campaign aimed at denigration and vilification of Islam. He hoped that the EU Parliament would enact laws to prevent the desecration of Islam and its symbols.
In a joint press conference held after his meeting with Solana, Attiyah said he was looking forward to joint Islamic-European endeavors to introduce a UN resolution that would incriminate the denigration of all prophets and religions along the lines of draft UN resolution 150/60.
The GCC secretary-general urged the European countries to prevent their media from promoting blasphemy against Islam by adopting stricter and more effective code of conduct. He further demanded that a paragraph banning the denigration of prophets and religions should be added to the legislation of the Human Rights Council.
Attiyah and Solana reviewed the repercussions of the publication of the caricatures of the Prophet by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten and the republication by other European dailies.
The GCC chief stressed that the irresponsible conduct of some European newspapers has transgressed the boundaries of freedom of press and expression. “These publications are a flagrant violation of the commonly held human and moral values that are guaranteed by all international documents and resolutions,” he added.
The Danish authorities could correct the worsening situation with an unqualified apology to Muslims worldwide and by taking take stringent measures to prevent such provocative publications in future, Attiyah said.
“We respect the great value attached to freedom in the West. However, we urge them to exercise these freedoms in a responsible manner. Responsibility is an inalienable part of freedom.”
The Riyadh-based World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) has appealed to the members of the Muslim community to continue peaceful boycott of Danish products.
“Peaceful boycott is a legal means of showing their love toward the Prophet Muhammad and their sentiments toward the Danish government and the irresponsible newspaper which published provoking caricatures,” Dr. Saleh Al-Wohaiby, WAMY’s secretary-general, told Arab News.
He also warned Muslims against conspirators who instigate violence during peaceful protests. While strongly condemning the violence that took place during the demonstrations against the cartoons, he requested the Muslims throughout the world to exercise restraint during protest rallies.
