[IslamCity] Bahrain Conf. Defends Prophet, Projects True Image

[S A Hannan]

Bahrain Conf. Defends Prophet, Projects True Image The Manama conference will bring together some 300 scholars and representatives of Muslim organizations worldwide. By Ahmed Al-Amoudi, IOL Correspondent RIYADH, March 12, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) – Around 300 scholars and representatives of Muslim associations around the world have been invited to a conference in Bahrain to show support for Prophet Mohammad (peace and blessing be upon him) and project the true image of Islam in view of the cartoons row. "We want to invest what happened and the unity of Muslims to project the true image of Islam," prominent Saudi scholar Sheikh Salman al-Oadah told a press conference in Riyadh late Saturday, March 11. "We want to rationalize the Muslim anger and invest it in the service of the nation," he added. The two-day conference will be held on March 22-23 in the Bahraini capital Manama. A six-member delegation representing the Muslim minority in Denmark and some 300 scholars and representatives of Muslim organizations worldwide will be attending. The conference is sponsored, among others, by al-Oadah's Islam Today organization, the International Union of Muslim Scholars (IUMS) chaired by prominent scholar Sheikh Yusuf Al-Qaradawi. Twelve cartoons, including one showing the Prophet with a bomb-shaped turban, were first published by Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in September and reprinted by European newspapers on claims of freedom of _expression_. The drawings, considered blasphemous under Islam, have triggered massive and sometimes violent demonstrations across the Muslim world. Practical Apology Al-Oadah asked the Danish government to offer a practical apology for the Muslim world over the cartoons. "We are not just interested in a piece of paper," he told reporters. "We need to project the correct image of the Prophet, especially in Danish society," said the prominent Saudi scholar. "Our aim isn't to persuade others to accept Islam but only to present the truth," he added. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has refused to apologize for the publications of the cartoons on claims of freedom of _expression_ and the press. Muslim scholars taking part in a Copenhagen meeting on religious and cultural dialogue demanded the Danish government on Friday, March 10, to apologize for the publication of the cartoons. The meeting was organized by the Danish Institute for International Studies and funded by the Danish foreign ministry to discuss Muslim-West dialogue, freedom of _expression_ and the status of the Muslim minorities in the West. Though welcoming constructive dialogue, Danish Muslim leaders criticized the government for sidelining minority leaders in the Copenhagen conference. No Contradiction Al-Oadah said there was "no contradiction" between the Bahrain conference and the Copenhagen meeting. Some of the participants in the Copenhagen gathering, including Egyptian-born preacher Amr Khaled, have been invited to Manama, he added. The Bahrain conference and similar meetings send a message to the West that there are red lines that should be respected, said Saleh Al-Wehabi, the secretary general of the World Seminar of Muslim Youths (WSMY). "It is only the beginning of a wide-ranging effort to acquaint the world with the life of Prophet Muhammad," said Suliman Al-Bathi, spokesman of the World Committee for Honoring the Prophet (WCHP). The cartoons row has motivated many Muslim minorities in the West to launch local campaigns to introduce Prophet Muhammad to the other. IslamOnline.net will launch in March a special website to familiarize non-Muslims with the life history, merits and characteristics of Prophet Muhammad. Back To News Page Please feel free to contact News editor at: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *************************************************************************** {Invite (mankind, O Muhammad ) to the Way of your Lord (i.e. Islam) with wisdom (i.e. with the Divine Inspiration and the Qur'an) and fair preaching, and argue with them in a way that is better. Truly, your Lord knows best who has gone astray from His Path, and He is the Best Aware of those who are guided.} (Holy Quran-16:125) {And who is better in speech than he who [says: "My Lord is Allah (believes in His Oneness)," and then stands straight (acts upon His Order), and] invites (men) to Allah's (Islamic Monotheism), and does righteous deeds, and says: "I am one of the Muslims."} (Holy Quran-41:33) The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "By Allah, if Allah guides one person by you, it is better for you than the best types of camels." [al-Bukhaaree, Muslim] The prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)  also said, "Whoever calls to guidance will have a reward similar to the reward of the one who follows him, without the reward of either of them being lessened at all." [Muslim, Ahmad, Aboo Daawood, an-Nasaa'ee, at-Tirmidhee, Ibn Maajah] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- All views expressed herein belong to the individuals concerned and do not in any way reflect the official views of IslamCity unless sanctioned or approved otherwise. If your mailbox clogged with mails from IslamCity, you may wish to get a daily digest of emails by logging-on to http://www.yahoogroups.com to change your mail delivery settings or email the moderators at [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the title "change to daily digest". SPONSORED LINKS Holy quran YAHOO! 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