Nine envoys summoned over cartoon issue
ISLAMABAD, Feb 4: Pakistan Foreign Office on Saturday summoned envoys of
nine European countries to make a strident demarche against the publication and
reprinting of blasphemous caricatures first published in a Danish newspaper last
September.
Envoys of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Holland,
Hungary, Norway and Czech Republic were also handed the resolution adopted by
the National Assembly of Pakistan on the issue.
The Foreign Office had
earlier summoned the ambassador of Denmark in Islamabad to lodge a strong
protest and demand immediate action by the Danish Government against the
newspaper and prevent the recurrence of such reprehensible acts.
In a
strongly worded statement Pakistan Foreign Office said on
Saturday:
"Recent printing of these objectionable sketches in other
European countries has again agitated the Muslims around the world. We strongly
condemn this recent provocation."
Declaring that Pakistan was keeping "a
close watch" on the situation it added: "We believe freedom of _expression_ is not
a license to offend the sentiments and disparage the values and beliefs of other
people. We ask the European governments to ensure against recurrence of such
despicable acts."
In a sharp warning to the European countries Pakistan
said: "Such irresponsible acts would seriously jeopardize our common endeavours
for enhancing understanding and cooperation between cultures and encourage
sinister agendas for clash of civilizations."
Urging the democracies of
Europe and the European Union to take appropriate measures to ensure that
prejudice and bigotry does not flourish under the guise of free _expression_, it
said: "Such evil motivation should not be allowed to target other peoples and
spawn hatred in the world."
On specific steps taken by the government the
Foreign Office said it was in touch with Pakistan's Permanent Representative in
Geneva who had already convened a meeting of the OIC Group and addressed another
letter on behalf of the Group, forcefully taking up the matter with the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights.
"In the discussion on the proposed Human
Rights Council in the UN General Assembly, our Permanent Representative in New
York raised the subject condemning the provocation," it added.
Foreign
Office recounted that the publication of offensive drawings in the Danish
newspaper 'Jyllands Posten' on Sept 30, 2005, was strongly condemned by
Pakistan. It said Pakistan's Permanent Representative in Geneva, in his capacity
as the Chairman of the OIC Group in Geneva, addressed a letter to the UN High
Commissioner for Human Rights seeking his intervention with Denmark to help stem
this outrage against Islam.
Moreover, at Pakistan's initiative, the UN
General Assembly adopted a resolution calling on the international community to
combat defamation of all religions and curb the tendency of Islamophobia. The
Extraordinary Summit at Makkah also emphasized the need to counter defamation of
Islam.
In one of the most piercing demarche ever made to the European
envoys Pakistan noted that the publication of the derogatory and blasphemous
sketches featuring the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in the Danish newspaper in September
and the recent reprinting in other European countries including France, Germany,
Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Holland, Norway, Czech Republic and Hungary had
caused grievous and profound hurt to the sentiments of Muslims all over the
world.
Following are the contents of the demarche: "We condemn the
publication and republication of these blasphemous sketches in European papers.
The Parliament of Pakistan - representing the will of the people of Pakistan -
has also unanimously condemned these despicable provocative acts.
"We
reject the false pretext of freedom of press for publishing these caricatures
since freedom of _expression_ does not mean absence of any values, ethics or laws,
but rather - amongst other things – protection and respect of the rights of
individuals as well as their religious and social values. In any event, freedom
of _expression_ is not a license to hurt other peoples sentiments or disparage
their values.
"All civilized societies are founded on certain moral,
religious and social values, which must not be degraded or deprecated in the
interest of international amity and harmony.
"To portray the Prophet of
Islam (PBUH) in derogatory terms is a violence committed against deeply held
beliefs ... and not a manifestation of freedom of _expression_. We lodge a strong
protest to condemn these provocative acts and call upon the concerned
governments to ensure against their recurrence."
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{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]
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