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Screening of Blasphemous Video Clips against Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) by Denmark
COPENHAGEN, Oct. 7--Muslim leaders in Denmark on Saturday condemned video showing members of the anti-immigrant Danish Peoples Party (DPP) drawing cartoons insulting the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Danish state TV on Friday aired amateur video footage showing a number of members of the youth wing of the DPP at a summer camp in August, drinking, singing and engaging in a competition to draw insulting images of the Prophet.
In September last year Danish daily Jyllands-Posten published similar, blasphemous cartoons, sparking worldwide protests in which more than 50 people died in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, Reuters said.
"Against the background of the problems earlier, we have to be careful," said Ahmed Abu-Laban, a Copenhagen imam who helped organize a trip to Egypt and Lebanon last year to rally support among Muslim leaders for protests against those drawings.
"This time it's a different situation. Of course it's deplorable, but we all know the attitude the DPP have toward Muslims and Islam and these pictures were never intended for publication," he told Reuters in a telephone interview.
Muslims regard depiction of the Prophet as offensive. Abu-Laban said he regretted Danish TV's decision to air the footage saying it raised ethical questions.
"We've been working very hard to resolve the problems since the conflict earlier this year."
Protest by the Iranian Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark
Iranian Embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Sunday strongly protested to the Danish government for screening blasphemous video clips against Islam and Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
"It is regrettable that on the anniversary of publishing anti-Islam blasphemous cartoons by Jyllands-Posten daily of Denmark in September last year and subsequent worldwide protests in which several innocent people died in clash with national police forces, certain political parties in Denmark repeated the same stupid practice of sacrilege," the Embassy said in a statement.
"Denmark national TV2 Channel broadcast video clips last Friday showing young members of Danish People's Party mocking the holy prophet during a summer party," said part of the statement.
"It is deplorable that the extremist elements in the Danish society have attempted to sabotage Denmark's relations with the Islamic countries once again," Iranian Embassy said.
"Absence of distinctive action on the part of the Danish government to stop the sacrilege against other religions which is being perpetrated by the Danish media in the name of freedom of expression, has been the cause of repetition of such stupid practices," said the statement.
Iran's Parliament Members Lodge Protest
Four Majlis deputies on Sunday castigated repetition of anti-Islam blasphemy in Danish media (TV) and called for strong measures against the Denmark government.
Denmark's national TV2 channel last Friday broadcast excerpts from a video insulting Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
The Danish press had previously published blasphemous cartoons against the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.), which sparked worldwide protests against the sacrilege.
MPs from Tabriz, Taft and Meibod, Mashhad and Tehran, Eshrat Shayeq, Jalal Yahyazadeh Firouzabad, Ali Asgari and Ali Riyaz, respectively wrote a note to the Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki which was read out by Majlis Speaker Gholam-Ali Haddad-Adel during Majlis formal session on Sunday.
Rallies against Denmark's Anti-Islamic Film in Pakistan
Pakistani people held protest rallies Sunday evening against the recent blasphemous anti-Islamic film shown by the Danish television network on Friday.
The latest blasphemy in Denmark against Islamic sanctities also had wide reflections in many other Muslim countries including Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan.
According to IRIB correspondent from Pakistan, protest rallies were launched in different Pakistani cities after the worshipers prayed the congregational Prayers. The protesters called on the world Islamic states to react firmly against the Danish sacrilegious film insulting the Almighty's last and holiest prophet, Mohammad (S.A.W.), which was screened by a political party in Denmark.
Pakistan's Islamic Associations denounced the screening of such a film willingly or unwillingly and consciously or unconsciously, and held demonstrations objecting the offensive incident.
Danish TV on Friday showed a video film in which a few members of Danish People's Party depicted heinous paintings about the holy prophet of Islam (S.A.W.).
Earlier, Egypt's Ikhwan al-Muslemin condemned the repetition of hostile measures toward Islam in the blessed month of Ramadhan. It also called for boycotting the products of countries that allow such measures.
Denmark again Insults Islamic Sanctities
Denmark has once again spearheaded an insulting campaign to try to distort the dynamic image of the Almighty’s Last Messenger to mankind, Prophet Mohammad (S.A.W.). Following Sunday’s insulting portrayal of the Prophet by the anti-immigration and extremist DPP party, different groups in Islamic countries strongly protest the new wave of anti-Islamism in Europe. Egypt's Ikhwan al-Muslemin condemned the repetition of hostile measures toward Islam in the west, calling on Muslims to defend their religion in the blessed month of Ramdahan. It also called for boycotting the products of countries that allow such measures.
The latest blasphemy in Denmark against Islamic sanctities also had wide reflections in many other Muslim countries including Iran, Turkey, Pakistan and Jordan. Such sickening behaviour toward Islamic sanctities indicates a deliberate and planned move against Islam in European countries. This move has again begun from a small country like Denmark and by a racist party. It is obvious that western governments and even the Church are now behind such sacrilegious moves. Recently, Pope Benedict XVI tried to portray the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) as an advocate of violence while former British foreign secretary Jack Straw attempted to ridicule Hejab.
The DPP party, which has certainly taken a cue from the sacrilegious behaviour of senior European Church and state officials, has crossed all limits by saying it has the freedom to mock anyone including Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), Prophet Jesus or Buddha. These unconvincing remarks are a violation of the principles of liberal democracy and freedom of speech, which the West so brazenly brags about. It is worth recalling that recently France infringed upon Muslim personal freedom by banning the entry in school of Hijab-wearing Muslim girls on the lame excuse that it violates laic laws. However, the systems ruling the west feeling no inhibitions when it comes to Muslim rights. They try to justify insults to the world’s 1.8 billion-plus Muslims on the unconvincing excuse of freedom of expression. At the same time Muslims in Europe are deprived of civil liberties on pretexts of being ‘terrorist suspects’. Their protests to the organized insults of Islamic sanctities are also termed prejudice and extremism. At any rate the spread of anti-Islamic moves in the West indicates an organized and multilateral attack against Islam and Muslims.
All Muslim States should Sever Relations with Denmark
In Jordan on Monday, the Jordanian associations, a powerful umbrella for some 200,000 professionals including engineers, doctors and journalists, said the video "reveals hatred toward the Prophet who came to the world with a message to enlighten the people."
"We call on all Muslim states to sever relations with Denmark or any other country which harms Islam," the associations said in a statement.
They said the video revealed the "nature of the struggle between Muslims and their enemies which are led by America."
Danish Envoy Summoned to Iran's Foreign Ministry
TEHRAN, Oct. 9--Danish Ambassador to Tehran Sqren Haslund was summoned to Iran's Foreign Ministry on Monday in connection with Danish media's repeated insults to Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
Head of the Central and Northern Europe Affairs Department at Foreign Ministry Mohammad Reza Karshenas informed Haslund of Iran's strong protest to repeated publication and broadcast of blasphemous articles and footages in Denmark against the Prophet of Islam, whose followers number one and a half billion all over the world, IRNA reported.
Karshenas also strongly condemned broadcast of defamatory and insulting videos against the Prophet by Danish national television.
The Iranian Foreign Ministry official stressed importance of peaceful co-existence of followers of divine religions on the basis of mutual respect.
He said the world of Islam expects the Danish government to seriously avoid such grave mistakes.
Denmark national TV network recently broadcast a video tape showing the insult to the Messenger of Islam.
This is the second time in a year that the Danish media have assaulted Islamic sanctities.
Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned Finnish ambassador
Iran's Foreign Ministry summoned Finnish ambassador to Tehran on Monday and expressed its deep sorrow and concern over insult against Muslim sanctities in Denmark.
According to Foreign Ministry Media Department, Deputy Foreign Minister Mehdi Mostafavi told the Finnish ambassador Heikki Puurunen, whose country is currently the rotating chairman of the European Union (EU), that the EU and Denmark government must consider the case immediately and should strongly condemn such a dangerous act, which has been planned to create conflict among followers of religions.
Referring to the background of such immoral and inhuman measure which happened in the anniversary of a Danish paper insult against Muslim sanctities, Mostafavi said it is not acceptable that a political party, inside the government, allows itself to insult more than one and half billion Muslims' sanctities and hurt the emotions of the Islamic world.
The Iranian official explained dangers and negative consequences of such actions and added, "Lack of proper reaction to such actions would certainly bring irreversible harms to the peaceful coexistence among different societies and followers of religions."
The Finnish ambassador to Tehran, for his part, expressed deep sorrow over the immoral and insulting action in Denmark and added he would report the case to his country and the headquarters of EU.
Organization of the Islamic Conference Denounces the Blasphemous Act
The 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference on Monday denounced a video insulting Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) produced by a far-right Danish party and screened by public television.
"The OIC spokesman deplores the act of caricaturing Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) ... by the youth members of the Danish People's Party and the same being shown regrettably on the state television," a statement from the bloc's secretariat said.
"The running of the footage affected the sensibilities of civilized people and the religious beliefs of one fifth of humanity.
"The OIC has always favored upholding freedom of expression.
Simultaneously it is the ethical, moral and political responsibility of public opinion leaders, governments, state and civil society institutions in the West to discourage acts of intolerance by condemning them."
Denmark's TV2 channel last month broadcast excerpts from a video made by members of the extreme-right Danish People's Party insulting Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
The episode comes in the aftermath of an outcry across the Muslim world after the original September 2005 printing in Danish newspapers of 12 cartoons portraying Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Four months later, the images were reprinted in a range of Western media, triggering massive protests from Morocco to Indonesia.
The youth wing's leader, Kenneth Kristensen, said two of the people who figured in the video had gone into hiding.
The publication in September 2005 of 12 caricatures of Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, sparked outrage and weeks of violent protests across the Muslim world.
Yesterday, the foreign ministry in Copenhagen cautioned against travel to Gaza, the West Bank, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey.
The video were shown by two Danish television channels, DR TV and TV2.
The DPP, which advocates tighter anti-immigration controls, is allied with Mr Fogh Rasmussen's centre-right coalition but holds no government positions.
Indonesian Muslim groups have said they were insulted by the video and Egypt's largest Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood, denounced what it called "new Danish insults".
In Iran, the president Dr. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad commented: "If someone enjoys an iota of humanity and wisdom then he will not insult and offend the shining holy presence of Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.)," according to Iranian national television.
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