Published: Saturday, 11 March, 2006, 10:44 AM Doha Time
News Update - English,
Turkish, Spanish, French
[ March 2006 ]
( English - Türkçe - Español - Français )
OIC calls to fight racial prejudice
Habib Shaikh - Khaleej Times -
Dubai,United Arab Emirates 22 March 2006
JEDDAH — The Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) has urged the international community to strengthen cooperation to fight racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerances on the bases of culture, religion, nationality, race or language.
It called for the effective implementation of all international treaties and instruments, which forbid such policies in order to ensure the prevalence of human rights, greater harmony and tolerance. In a statement issued on the 40th anniversary of the proclamation of the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, which fell on Monday, the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanogul said the Organisation calls upon the international community to intensify their efforts to promote understanding between different civilisations and cultures.
He said there should be joint efforts to counter attempts at cultural and racial domination.
The secretary general lamented that despite 40 years of relentless efforts exerted by the international community to combat the scourge of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerances were gaining ground. He added that contemporary forms and manifestations of racism were trying to gain moral, political or legal recognition through subtle means, under the guise of freedom of expression.
The blasphemous and derogatory cartoons in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten were a case in point.
EU, OIC urged to draft joint resolution on cartoons
March 11, 2006 SALZBURG, Austria (Reuters) - European Union foreign policy
chiefs urged the bloc on Friday to work with Islamic states on a joint U.N.
resolution to help ease tensions caused by a row over cartoons of the Prophet
Mohammad.
The call came as the head of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) criticised the EU for not doing enough to heal wounds with Muslims caused by the affair.
Controversy over the cartoons first published last year in a Danish newspaper and since reprinted in other European media sparked worldwide protests by Muslims who believe it is blasphemous to depict the Prophet. At least 50 people were killed in violent protests.
The 25 EU foreign ministers discussed ways of rebuilding trust with the Islamic world.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner suggested in a joint paper that the EU and the OIC could draft a joint resolution at the United Nations promoting religious tolerance.
The EU and the OIC previously presented two competing resolutions to the U.N. General Assembly, but EU countries voted against the OIC text because it focused too narrowly on discrimination against Islam, an EU official said.
Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller told reporters he was not sure EU and OIC countries could agree on a joint text.
OIC envoys assured of steps against blasphemy
By Qudssia Akhlaque
March 11, 2006
ISLAMABAD, March 10: The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has assured OIC
ambassadors in Geneva that her Office was taking necessary steps to combat
defamation of religions, create a culture of tolerance, explore and elaborate
legal framework for respect of religions as well as freedom of expression to
address the situation created by the publication of blasphemous cartoons.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louis Arbour held out the assurance to a
delegation of 14 Muslim envoys who met her this week to express Islamic world’s
deep concerns on publication of defamatory caricatures in Danish newspaper
Jyllands Posten and their reprinting in several European newspapers, the Foreign
Office said on Friday.
The OIC ambassadors sought UN High Commissioner’s help to address the concerns
of Muslim countries to redress legal deficits in regard to respect for religions
and mobilize human rights machinery to stem recurrence of such outrage, the
Foreign Office said.
Ms Arbour’s view was that when freedom of expression hurt dignity and religious
sensitivities, as in the case of publication of cartoons, the situation could
not be addressed merely by laws. The viable course, she maintained, was to
effectively combat the trend and promote culture of tolerance and sound
political judgment.
The delegation, led by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Masood Khan, the OIC
coordinator on human rights and humanitarian issues in Geneva, proposed that as
the UN High Commissioner she take concrete measures such as sending a
fact-finding mission and asking the Special Rapporteurs to carry out legal
analysis of the questions surrounding the caricatures issue.
The OIC ambassadors also suggested hosting of dialogues to address cross-cutting
legal, political and cultural issues. They advocated inter-cultural and
inter-religious dialogues for promoting peace, harmony and understanding.
The UN High Commissioner told the delegation that substantive efforts were being
made by her office to raise awareness in this regard through publication,
information campaigns, seminars and conferences.
The OIC envoys conveyed to the High Commissioner that the publication of the
caricature and their reprinting in the media could not be justified in the name
of freedom of expression. It was a deliberate act of provocation.
OIC criticises EU response to cartoons
Published: Saturday, 11 March, 2006, 10:44 AM Doha Time
LONDON: The leader of the world’s largest Muslim body yesterday criticised the European Union for its ‘unsatisfactory response’ to the furor over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said that by simply regretting that Muslims found the cartoons offensive, EU foreign ministers had not gone far enough at a meeting in Brussels last week.
"We expected the EU to address the issue of cartoons in a more fair way," Ihsanoglu told a news conference in London.
"I must say that we are not satisfied with the result of last week’s meeting in Brussels. The conclusion published by the European Union fell short of our expectations." – AFP
UN High Commissioner conveyed concern at blasphemous cartoons
GENEVA, March 10 : A delegation of 14 OIC Ambassadors in Geneva met the High Commissioner to express Islamic world’s deep concerns on publication of defamatory caricatures in Danish newspaper Jyllands Posten and their reprinting in several European newspapers, Pakistani mission said.
The delegation was led by Ambassador Masood Khan, who is the OIC Coordinator on Human Rights and Humanitarian issues in Geneva.
The Ambassadors urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to help address the concerns of Muslim countries to redress legal deficits in regard to respect for religions, and mobilize human rights machinery to stem recurrence of such outrage. They said that such deliberate acts are disruptive and counter productive.
The OIC delegation told the High Commissioner that the caricatures had seriously hurt the sensibilities of Islamic nations and peoples all over the world. They emphasized that publication of the caricature and their reprinting in the media could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression. It was a deliberate act of provocation and not an act of negligence.
The delegation advised the High Commissioner, that in view of her leading role in human rights, concrete measures by her office would greatly contribute to promoting respect of religions and their prophets and in avoiding future recurrence of such defamatory acts.
They suggested that such measures may include sending a fact finding mission and asking the Special Rapporteurs to carry out legal analysis of the questions surrounding the caricatures issue.
The OIC Ambassadors also urged the High Commissioner to host a dialogue to bring out complimentarily between freedom of expression and respect of religions and to address cross-cutting legal, political and cultural issues. In this regard, they expressed that intercultural and inter-religious dialogues could make useful contributions in promoting peace, harmony and understanding.
The High Commissioner assured the Ambassadors about her commitment to combating defamation of religions and building a culture of tolerance and understanding. She told the delegation that her office was devoting substantive efforts to raise awareness in this area through publication information campaigns, seminars and conferences.
She expressed the view that when freedom of expression hurt dignity and religious sensitivities, such as in the case of publication of caricatures, the situation could not be addressed by laws alone. The viable course was to effectively combat this trend and promote culture of tolerance and sound political judgment.
She drew the attention of the delegation to the recent statement by the UN Secretary General in Doha in which he said “All of us now join to renew our call for restraint, and for an immediate end to the present atmosphere, which threatens to sow deep discord between communities, societies and countries. We deeply regret the offence given by the caricatures, as well as the loss of life and damage to property in several countries”. www.pakistanlink.com
Muslims strong reaction sensitizes EU
www.kashar.net
ISLAMABAD, March 11 (SANA): Minister for Religious Affairs Ejazul Haq has said
that the strong reaction of Muslims to the issue of blasphemous caricatures
has sensitized the European Union about delicacy of the problem.
He was addressing a news conference in Islamabad on Saturday after his return
from Brussels where he led a parliamentary delegation to apprise the EU
officials about sensitivity of the issue.
The Minister was confident that the Western media too would demonstrate
responsible attitude towards such matters.
He, however, was of the view that the violent protests have damaged our cause.
He cautioned that some elements were engaged in conspiracies against Muslims
and we must not indulge in acts that could amount to advancing their
objectives.
The Minister said the parliamentary delegation demanded of the European Union
to cooperate for the passage of the OIC resolution at the United Nations. He
said the EU, in principle, supports the resolution but also wants introduction
of some amendments to enlarge the scope of the document. The EU wants that
instead of only Islam, other religions and faith should also be included in
the resolution.
He said the delegation also met Brussels-based ambassadors of the Islamic
countries. They were of the view that there was need to activate the OIC. It
was also felt that the OIC should have its office in Brussels. The Muslim
ambassadors appreciated efforts of Pakistan and said it was the only Islamic
country that has sent a parliamentary delegation to Belgium on the issue of
blasphemous caricatures and engaged into a direct dialogue with the European
Union.
Replying to a question the Minister for Religious Affairs said he would soon
visit Jeddah to brief the OIC about the outcome of the delegation's visit to
Brussels.
He told a questioner that more delegations would be sent to other capitals as
well and hoped that the opposition would form part of those delegation.
Ihsanoglu Slams Western "Double Standards"
 |
|
"This is a Western and
European problem which should be addressed properly," said Ihsanoglu.
(Reuters) |
LONDON, March 11, 2006 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The head of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) blasted Friday, March 10, Western governments' "double standards" which he said were exploited by extremists.
"What is going on in Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib and Basra, this is obviously seen as double standards," said OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at a press conference in London, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
He was referring to the notorious US prisons in Cuba and Iraq, where prisoners have been tortured and sexually abused, according to US media reports and leaked photos.
"This is a Western and European problem which should be addressed properly," he stressed, adding that global tensions could be eased if Western nations applied their professed values universally.
"If we are talking about human rights as universal, how can one say there are islands on which human rights are not applied? We have a problem here," Ekmeleddin fumed.
He went on: "Their defense of freedom of expression and human rights were undermined by the US prison camp at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the US-led occupation of Iraq and Israel's occupation of Palestine."
Last year, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that the world must make progress on issues used by terrorists as a reason for violence such as the Middle East conflict, admitting that the Iraq war was used to recruit terrorists.
David Clark, a former British government adviser, wrote in a Guardian piece that the world should take "legitimate" Arab grievances seriously if it wanted to defeat terrorism.
Extremism
The chief of the pan-Muslim body said such double standards are fanning up extremism and help recruit terrorists, stressing that extremists did not represent the true nature of the Muslim faith.
"Why are some people supporting them? Because they tell them: 'There are double standards -- look what is taking place in Palestine, look what is taking place in Iraq'.
"They ask the people: 'Do you like this?' and they say 'No, we don't like it', and then they get the support, financial, spiritual and moral," he added.
Ekmeleddin, a Turk, further described as inexplicable the July 7 bomb attacks in London in which four presumed Muslims set off bombs on London Underground trains and a bus, killing themselves and 52 commuters.
He urged moderate Muslim leaders to speak out against radicals who praise the bombers, adding: "Nothing can justify this (attack) in the name of any religion, any ideology, any belief."
A statement issued by over forty leading mosque imams, muftis and scholars representing all sections of Muslims in Britain condemned the attacks and stressed that the four Muslim bombers can not consider themselves martyrs.
Unfair EU
 |
|
Solana suggested that the EU
and the OIC could draft a joint resolution at the UN promoting religious
tolerance. (Reuters) |
Ekmeleddin also criticized the European Union for what he described as an unsatisfactory response to the furor over the publication of Danish cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him).
"We expected the EU to address the issue of cartoons in a more fair way," Reuters quoted Ihsanoglu as saying.
By simply regretting that Muslims found the cartoons offensive, EU foreign ministers had not gone far enough at their meeting in Brussels, he added.
"I must say that we are not satisfied with the result of last week's meeting in Brussels. The conclusion published by the European Union fell short of our expectations."
EU foreign ministers issued a strong condemnation of attacks on EU citizens and property.
Pundits said the statement was more critical of the Muslim reaction than of the cartoons themselves.
The 12 cartoons, which Ihsanoglu described as "insulting, ugly and uncivilized", were first published by a Danish newspaper and then reprinted by papers across Europe.
The furor exposed a gulf of misunderstanding between the West, which defended the publication by citing the right of free speech, and Muslims who saw it as an attack on their beliefs.
Muslim scholars and preachers demanded the Danish government anew on Friday, March 10, at a Copenhagen conference apologize for the publication of the cartoons and renewed calls for an international law banning blasphemy.
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner in Salzburg, Austria, suggested on Friday in a joint paper that the EU and the OIC could draft a joint resolution at the United Nations promoting religious tolerance.
Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller, however, told reporters he was not sure EU and OIC countries could agree on a joint text.
World Muslim body criticises EU over cartoons
By Gideon Long
LONDON, March 10 2006 (Reuters) - The leader of the world's largest Muslim body criticised the European Union on Friday for what he described as an unsatisfactory response to the furore over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), said that by simply regretting that Muslims found the cartoons offensive, EU foreign ministers had not gone far enough at a meeting in Brussels last week.
"We expected the EU to address the issue of cartoons in a more fair way," Ihsanoglu told a news conference in London.
"I must say that we are not satisfied with the result of last week's meeting in Brussels. The conclusion published by the European Union fell short of our expectations."
The 12 cartoons, which Ihsanoglu described as "insulting, ugly and uncivilised", were first published by a Danish newspaper and then reprinted by papers across Europe.
They sparked indignation and violence in the Muslim world, where images of the prophet are deemed blasphemous. At least 50 people were killed in anti-Western protests and three Danish embassies were attacked.
The furore exposed a gulf of misunderstanding between the West, which defended the publication by citing the right of free speech, and Muslims who saw it as an attack on their beliefs.
In their Feb. 27 statement, EU foreign ministers issued a strong condemnation of attacks on EU citizens and property.
Diplomats noted the statement was more critical of the Muslim reaction than one issued days earlier by the United Nations, the Arab League and the OIC, an umbrella group of 57 predominantly Muslim nations.
BRITISH INTEGRATION
Ihsanoglu, the first OIC secretary general to visit Britain since the body's foundation 37 years ago, praised the level of integration between Britain's Muslims and non-Muslims.
"I think the situation of Muslims here with all honesty is much better than the situation of Muslims elsewhere in Europe," he said. "That shows that the British model is more successful than other models."
Britain's tradition of multiculturalism has been called into question since last year's London suicide bombings, perpetrated by British-born Muslims. Critics of it say the British should be more forceful in persuading its immigrant communities to abandon their ethnic roots and conform to British traditions.
Ihsanoglu, an Egyptian-born Turk, said he had discussed the bombings and their impact on Britain's 1.6 million Muslims with British Foreign Minister Jack Straw and Home Secretary Charles Clarke during his visit.
"(Muslims) feel they are all under suspicion," he said. "The Muslim community in its entirety should not be held responsible (for the bombings)."
Pakistan, OIC, EU to move resolution in UN to stonewall recurrence of
sacrilegious cartoons like incidents
Sunday March 12, 2006
ISLAMABAD: Terming his recently concluded Brussels visit highly
successful, federal minister for religious affairs Ijaz-ul-Haq has held out
assurances that Pakistan, OIC and European Union will jointly table a
resolution in the United Nations in a bid to stonewall recurrence of tragic
incidents like publication of sacrilegious caricatures.
"Freedom of expression has some limitations and we will take action against Denmark’s dailies in line with Copenhagen established rules and regulations," flanked by Asad Murtaza Gillani and Mushtaq victor, Ijaz-ul-Haq expressed these views at a press conference on Saturday.
The European Union in this connection was awaiting our visit anxiously but had the opposition joined us than the visit would have far-reaching positive impact, he regretted.
The publication of blasphemous caricatures is the issue of all Muslims, he said adding however, he would in future extend invitation to the opposition to join them in such visits.
He vowed that under section 140A and 267B of Denmark laws, the issue of cartoons publication would be taken to the Denmark courts with the cooperation of Copenhagen Muslim community.
He however, regretted that torching of some western embassies in Islamic countries in this connection had affected the image of Muslim.
"We should lodge peaceful protest. We should not create law and order," he concluded.
Western Double Standard Fueled Anger Over Controversial Cartoons
Arab News, Associated Press
LONDON, 11 March 2006 —
Western double standards demonstrated by the detentions at the US prison camp in Guantanamo Bay fueled anger that led to violent protests over cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the head of the world’s largest Muslim group said yesterday.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the 57-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference, said that in many areas of policy, Western nations held themselves to one standard and Muslim countries to another.
He cited the detention without charge of hundreds of suspects at Guantanamo, prisoner abuses at the US-run Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq and the printing by some European newspapers of cartoons of the Prophet.
“Behind this (anger) there are so many other factors. Treating issues with different approaches, yardsticks, is the main problem. If we are talking about human rights, no one can say there are islands where human rights do not apply,” he said, referring to the Guantanamo camp.
Ihsanoglu has condemned both the cartoons and the violent protests against them.
Muslims don’t object to freedom of speech, but only want Europeans and Americans to treat Islam with respect, he said.
“They really have no issue with the freedom of opinion or expression,” he said. “Everyone is for freedom of expression, but we know that ... freedom goes hand in hand with responsibility. There is no absolute freedom.”
Scholars Urge Dialogue, Call on Denmark to Apologize
In Copenhagen, Muslim and Christian scholars and clerics agreed at a conference yesterday that the West and Islam must use dialogue to repair ties frayed by the crisis over the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) cartoons.
However, the Muslim panelists accused the Danish government of mishandling the crisis and said it must apologize to the Muslim world if wants an Arab boycott on Danish goods to be lifted.
“We request an official apology from your government to the Muslim nation and to the Muslims in Denmark,” said Tariq Al-Suweidan, an Islamic scholar from Kuwait. He also demanded that the European Union enact a law “that forbids the insult to religious figures.”
Jyllands-Posten has apologized for offending Muslims, but stands by its decision to print the drawings, citing the freedom of speech.
Some Islamic leaders have criticized the Muslim panelists for coming to Denmark, saying there could be no dialogue without an official apology from the Nordic country.
OIC-Delegation OIC ambassadors
call on UN High Commissiner for Human Rights in Geneva
Tariq Bashir 'Pakistan Times' Foreign Correspondent
GENEVA (Switzerland): A delegation of 14
OIC ambassadors Friday held a meeting with United Nations High Commissioner for
Human Rights here to express Islamic world's deep concerns over publication of
defamatory caricatures in Danish newspaper and their reprinting in several
European newspapers.
The delegation was led by Ambassador Masood Khan, who is the OIC Coordinator on
Human Rights and Humanitarian issues in Geneva.
The ambassadors urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to
help Muslim countries to redress legal deficits in regard to respect for
religions, and mobilize human rights machinery to stem recurrence of such
outrage.
They said that such deliberate acts are disruptive and counter productive.
The OIC delegation told the High Commissioner that the caricatures had seriously
hurt the sensibilities of Islamic nations and peoples all over the world.
They emphasized that publication of the caricature and their reprinting in the
media could not be justified in the name of freedom of expression. It was a
deliberate act of provocation and not an act of negligence.
Call for Concrete Measures
The delegation asked the High Commissioner to take concrete measures by her
office to contribute in promoting respect of religions and their prophets and in
avoiding future recurrence of
such defamatory acts.
They suggested that such measures may include sending a fact finding mission and
asking the Special Rapporteurs to carry out legal analysis of the questions
surrounding the caricatures issue.
The OIC ambassadors also urged the High Commissioner to host a dialogue to bring
out complimentarily between freedom of expression and respect of religions and
to address cross-cutting
legal, political and cultural issues.
In this regard, they expressed that intercultural and inter-religious dialogues
could make useful contributions in promoting peace, harmony and understanding.
The High Commissioner assured the ambassadors about her commitment to combating
defamation of religions and building a culture of tolerance and understanding.
She told the delegation that her office was devoting substantive efforts to
raise awareness in this area through publication information campaigns, seminars
and conferences.
She expressed the view that when freedom of expression hurt dignity and
religious sensitivities, such as in the case of publication of caricatures, the
situation could not be addressed by laws alone.
The viable course was to effectively combat this trend and promote culture of
tolerance and sound political judgment.
http://pakistantimes.net
Even in the West, Free Speech is not an Absolute Right
New York
06 March 2006
VOICE OF AMERICA
http://www.voanews.com/english/AmericanLife/2006-03-06-voa48.cfm
 |
Freedom of speech has been a hot topic in the news lately. It is one of the pillars of Western society, but, as newspaper editors in Europe recently learned, free speech is a concept some people in the world believe ought to be limited.
Riots in predominantly Muslim countries over the publication of religiously offensive cartoons have caused some to assert that the debate is one of "The West versus The Rest." But even in Western societies, the right to express oneself is not absolute.
Next month, for example, America's Public Broadcasting system, or "PBS," will air a documentary called "The Armenian Genocide." It will explore the circumstances surrounding the deaths of an estimated 1.2 million Armenians who lived in the Ottoman Empire during and after World War I.
The overwhelming consensus among Western scholars is that these deaths constitute the first genocide of the 20th century. But the Turkish government disputes that conclusion, saying the deaths were not the result of state-sponsored extermination, and cannot, therefore, be called "genocide."
Following the documentary, PBS plans to air a 25-minute panel discussion that includes two scholars who embrace the widely dismissed view of the Turkish government.
"We're certainly concerned about this, and we feel this program really has no place on public television," says Elizabeth Chouldjian of the Armenian National Committee of America, which has called on PBS not to broadcast the panel discussion. "Just as one would not give equal time to Holocaust deniers to get up on PBS and talk about their incorrect views," Chouldjian says, "similarly one shouldn't cloud the issue and misguide viewers by bringing known genocide deniers to this type of equation."
 |
| British historian David Irving holds his book "Hitler's War" when arriving at a court in Vienna, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2006. |
PBS did not respond to VOA's requests for an interview. But Elizabeth Chouldjian's assertion that the network would never give airtime to deniers of the Jewish Holocaust has captured some people's attention, particularly in light of the recent conviction of David Irving, the British historian who was sentenced in Vienna to three years' jail-time for breaking an Austrian law that forbids denial of the Holocaust.
According to Robert Kahn, a professor at Brooklyn Law School who has written extensively about laws governing Holocaust denial, free speech in the West is not an absolute right. It is tempered, Kahn says, by a complex system of legal and self-imposed censorship that's almost always derived from a society's history.
 |
| Brooklyn law professor Robert Kahn specializes on legal restrictions on holocaust denial |
"The countries that tend to have the laws that specifically ban Holocaust denial -- France, Germany, and Austria --- either participated in the Holocaust or had serious problems with collaboration," he says. "Even though the United States and Canada have large Jewish communities, and have survivors and people who experienced the Holocaust, it's not the same type of thing."
It is not illegal in the United States to deny the Holocaust, just exceedingly undiplomatic, given the number of survivors who came to this country after the war, and no one who wants to enjoy mainstream credibility would ever do it. That does not mean, though, that speech in America is without any legal restrictions. Robert Kahn says there are a number of state and federal laws that limit expression.
"There are some types of speech, like cross burning, which, when done to intimidate, are illegal," Kahn says. "In a lot of states, particularly in the U.S. South, you're not allowed to demonstrate while wearing a mask. These rules are basically connected up with the role of the (Ku Klux) Klan in American history, and tend to show that societies are very concerned about speech that talks about prior acts of racism…they have committed."
But it is not just negative, or "ugly" history that causes some western societies to impose official and unofficial limits on free speech. Professor Kahn points to the fact that no major American newspapers chose to publish the cartoons of Mohammed that generated controversy when they were distributed throughout Europe. "The United States is a religious country and understands the idea of respecting or disrespecting someone else's religion," he says. "Whereas you could make an argument that Europe is much more secular, and that therefore the idea that you would run something that profanes the Prophet is not as big a deal."
Meanwhile, PBS has not announced any plans to cancel its broadcast of the panel discussion, which was taped in early February, and is scheduled to air on April 17th.
Support Urged for Dialogue Between Cultures
Arab News
www.arabnews.com
DOHA, 1 March 2006 — The UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations conference ended here yesterday after three days of deliberations on a host of issues to bring about rapprochement and co-existence of different cultures and religions and overcome fanaticism, the Qatari news agency QNA reported.
Participants of the conference stressed that ignorance breeds conflict between civilizations and that extremism was present all over the world and in all cultures.
Addressing a press conference at the end of the meeting, former UNESCO director Federico Mayor Zaragoza called on the UN, the EU and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to support the dialogue between cultures and civilizations by taking actions to deal with political and religious issues such as the recent publication in Western papers of blasphemous cartoons that have caused uproar in the Muslim world.
Zaragoza said just 3 percent of Muslims protested against the cartoons angrily whereas the reactions of over 97 percent were peaceful. He said he regretted that the media had chosen to highlight only violent protests. “There is a need to present balanced visions in media and support the communication between religions, cultures and nations,” said Mayor Zaragoza.
Turkish State Minister Mohammad Eddin urged all religious and political figures worldwide to work with a spirit of tolerance to change the status quo and put an end to inter-fighting and killing. He said the freedom of expression is important but it is more important to protect the religious freedom and maintain respect to religious beliefs.
The Alliance of Civilizations was launched in response to a request from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to overcome misperceptions between cultures, especially the Muslim world and the West.
Spain to support Pakistan for moving resolution in UN on blasphemous sketches issue
ISLAMABAD, March 08 www.paktribune.com
Spain has regretted over publication of blasphemous cartoon and announced to
support Pakistan in moving resolution in UN on this issue.
This was said by foreign minister Khurshid Mehmood Kasuri while addressing a joint press conference with his Spanish counterpart here in foreign office Tuesday.
Every Muslim is saddened over the publication of sacrilegious sketches, Kasuri said adding Pakistan and Spain in this perspective had agreed to work for fostering interfaith harmony and bridging the gulf and divide between Islam and West. An interfaith conference will also take place in Turkey in February, he told. Spain will support Pakistan in moving resolution on this issue in UN, he indicated.
Kasuri held his talks with Spanish foreign minister remained constructive and fruitful and his visit would help strengthen bilateral relations between Pakistan and Spain as it was the first visit of Spanish foreign minister. Both the countries are working together for the cause of peace and stability in the region. Spain extended wholehearted relief aid to Pakistan for rehabilitation of quake affectees. 400 Spanish troops also took part in relief operations, he told.
Spain will make investment in Pakistan, he told. " We have asked Spain to waive anti-dumping duty on bed linen being member of EU and promote trade ties." Cooperation will be bolstered in defence purchases, he added. Direct Air flights will run between Pakistan and Barcelona. Spain will also provide loan amounting to 10 million Euro.
" I have apprised Spanish foreign minister of dialogue process between Pakistan and India and Pakistan stance on Kashmir, Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine and Iran", Kasuri informed.
Both the countries have signed " Protocol on Bilateral Consultations between the ministry of foreign affairs and the Spanish ministry of foreign affairs and international cooperation, he maintained.
Replying to a question Kasuri said that Pakistan had paid heavy price for peace in Afghanistan. Still there are 3 million Afghan refugees in Pakistan. We are shocked when we are accused despite this fact, he added. " We had played part more than US and Afghanistan in war against terrorism. 600 Pakistani troops embraced shahadat in the war and on the other side only 100 US troops were killed. 80000 forces are deployed on Pakistan-Afghan borders. If even then we are alleged, it will not be allowed.
He underlined that some forces were out to undermine bilateral relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan. That is why President Musharraf gave documentary proof to Karzai. This was also given to President Bush.
" We asked Afghan government not to bring such matters in media but our request was ignored. We would have to trust each other and work together in our mutual interest.
To a question Kasuri said that one person who was arrested on the charges of having links with Al-qaeda was under investigation. After extracting information we will inform Spain in this connection.
Replying to a question, he said Pakistan and India are nuclear powers. " We have 600 scientists and 55000 technicians. However we have no objection on US-India nuclear deal. We don’t need such accord now. We will consider when an occasion comes. " We have worked a lot to acquire civilian nuclear technology. We will take help from hydal thermal and nuclear institutions to meet our energy requirements, headed. Country’s nuclear program is fully safe, he reiterated.
He went on to say that China and Australia had not expressed satisfaction over US-India civilian nuclear technology accord. We have to see now what Congress will do now. We will take our decision after Congress proceedings. Pakistan has no aggressive designs against any one , he reiterated.
Spanish foreign minister said a new era of relationship between Pakistan and Spain was going to usher in today. Both the countries would work together to face the bilateral, regional and global challenges.
On blasphemous caricature issue, there is need to go for dialogue, he said adding Spain supports convening conference of alliance of civilizations. Spain regrets over publication of profane caricatures and appreciates the efforts being made by OIC and Arab League for forging harmony. Harmony is imperative among all faiths and cultures. " We support convening conference in Pakistan on interfaith harmony", he remarked.
To a question Spanish foreign minister said EU is working on a resolution with reference to interfaith harmony and mutual respect. Right of freedom of expression be exercised within the parameters of obligations.
Spain will enhance security with Pakistan in war on terror, he added. EU will defeat terrorism.
Issues like Kashmir and Palestine be resolved, he noted. A global strategy has to be evolved to stamp out menace of terrorism.
He held that all the nuclear activities should take place under IAEA framework. Civil technology should be used for civil purposes, he stressed.
Speaking at a meeting of the High Level Group of
the Alliance of Civilizations in Qatar, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi
Annan suggested respected individuals from all walks of life should become
involved in an international dialogue aimed at bridging the seemingly growing
divide between Muslims and the West. "We need to engage in dialogue not only
scholars, or diplomats or politicians but also artists, entertainers, sports
champions -- people who command respect and attention right across society,"
Annan said.
February 27, 2006 UN Wire
Support Urged for Dialogue Between Cultures
Arab News Wednesday, 1,
March, 2006 (30, Muharram, 1427) www.arabnews.com
DOHA, 1 March 2006 — The UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations conference ended here yesterday after three days of deliberations on a host of issues to bring about rapprochement and co-existence of different cultures and religions and overcome fanaticism, the Qatari news agency QNA reported.
Participants of the conference stressed that ignorance breeds conflict between civilizations and that extremism was present all over the world and in all cultures.
Addressing a press conference at the end of the meeting, former UNESCO director Federico Mayor Zaragoza called on the UN, the EU and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to support the dialogue between cultures and civilizations by taking actions to deal with political and religious issues such as the recent publication in Western papers of blasphemous cartoons that have caused uproar in the Muslim world.
Zaragoza said just 3 percent of Muslims protested against the cartoons angrily whereas the reactions of over 97 percent were peaceful. He said he regretted that the media had chosen to highlight only violent protests. “There is a need to present balanced visions in media and support the communication between religions, cultures and nations,” said Mayor Zaragoza.
Turkish State Minister Mohammad Eddin urged all religious and political figures worldwide to work with a spirit of tolerance to change the status quo and put an end to inter-fighting and killing. He said the freedom of expression is important but it is more important to protect the religious freedom and maintain respect to religious beliefs.
The Alliance of Civilizations was launched in response to a request from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero to overcome misperceptions between cultures, especially the Muslim world and the West.
By WILLIAM M. REILLY
UPI U.N. Correspondent
UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 27 (UPI) -- A soft-spoken man who bears the weight of global problems traveled from New York to Doha, Qatar, this past weekend to plea for calm dialogue among civilizations in face of deadly riots in reaction to cartoon caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan saw in a high-level meeting Sunday of the Alliance of Civilizations a venue for that plea in which he said the fringe -- not the mainstream -- reacts the boldest and that is not where calm dialogue can take place.
The recently-established alliance was intended "to bridge divides and overcome prejudice, misconceptions and polarization" well before recent cartoons in a Danish publication sparked protests half way round the world.
Its aim also was to "address emerging threats emanating from hostile perceptions that foment violence" and "the sense of a widening gap and lack of mutual understanding between Islamic and Western societies."
The passions aroused by the cartoons' publication and the reaction to it, showed "only too clearly that such threats are real, and that the need for a committed effort by the international community is acute," he told the meeting, even though the body was not intended to deal with "immediate crises like this."
Annan said the intensity of feeling comes from "a deep reservoir of mistrust and resentment, which was there long before the offensive cartoons were first printed" but the "present crisis can be considered an expression of a much deeper and longer-standing crisis, which is precisely the one that the Alliance was intended to address."
He faulted a trend towards extremism in many societies.
"We should beware of overemphasizing it, because extremism in one group is almost always fed by the perception of extremism in another group," Annan said. "Few people think of themselves as extremists, but many can be pushed towards an extreme point of view, almost without noticing it, when they feel that the behavior or language of others is extreme."
The secretary-general argued those who shout the loudest or act most provocatively "are not necessarily typical of the group on whose behalf they claim to speak."
While centuries ago it was possible to clearly distinguish Islamic and Western, or Christian, civilizations, globalization has changed that.
Now, "There is a great deal of overlap between the two," Annan said, adding, "many individuals today see no contradiction between their Muslim religion and their membership of Western societies."
As to whether the caricatures were intended to provoke Muslim riots, some of the reaction has in turn encouraged extremists groups within European societies who seek to "demonize Muslim immigrants or even expel them," Annan said.
At the same time, republication of the cartoons strengthened those in the Muslim world who see Europe, or the West, "as irredeemably hostile to Islam, and encourage Muslims always to see themselves as victims," further worsening the situation.
"So misperception feeds extremism, and extremism appears to validate misperception. That is the vicious circle we have to break," Annan said. "The problem is not with the faith but with a small group of the faithful -- the extremists who tend to abuse and misinterpret the faith to support their cause, whether they derive it from the Koran, the Torah or the Gospel.
"We must not allow these extreme views to overshadow those of the majority and the mainstream. We must appeal to the majority to speak up and denounce those who disrespect values and principles of solidarity that are present in all great religions.
"If they fail to do so, the essential dialogue between cultures and societies will be reduced to an angry exchange between the fringes, with each side assuming that extremists speak for the other side as a whole and -- in turn -- allowing its own extremists to frame its response," the secretary-general continued.
But, he did not see that alone as a solution to the current troubles.
"Everyone is entitled to freedom of worship and freedom of opinion and expression, as defined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," he said. "These rights carry with them an inherent responsibility, and should not be used to degrade, humiliate or insult any group or individual. On the contrary, we should all exercise great sensitivity when dealing with symbols and traditions that are sacred to other people."
So how could the high-level meeting he was addressing help?
"We need to engage in dialogue (with) not only scholars, or diplomats or politicians, but also artists, entertainers, sports champions -- people who command respect and attention right across society, and especially among young people, because it is very important to reach young people before their ideas and attitudes have fully crystallized."
"Free speech involves listening as well as talking," the secretary-general said. "It must tell people of all faiths that it is too late in our common history to go back to wars of religion, and urge them to ask themselves whether they want their children to grow up in a world of hate."
Concluded Annan, "It must be a divine message - heard not in the earthquake, nor in the fire, nor yet in the rushing mighty wind, but in the still, small voice of calm."
UN, OIC, Arab League meet to end cartoon row
• Tuesday, Feb 28, 2006 www.thetidenews.com
The UN, Arab League and the Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) have jointly called for an immediate end to the tension prevailing in some parts of the world over the offensive caricatures of Prophet Muhammad.
A communique issued in Doha at weekend after a meeting among the secretaries-general of the UN, the Arab League and the OIC and the foreign ministers of Qatar, Spain and Turkey, said the offence caused by the cartoons and the resulting loss of lives and damage to property were deeply regretted.
Qatar's First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim Al-Thani told reporters at a joint news conference that serious discussions were underway to resolve and avoid repetitions of such incident in the future.
"The UN is working out a mechanism in this direction," he said, adding that dragging religions into controversies was detrimental to world peace.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he would seek a joint international decision on the issue at the UN and was expecting the EU to come out with a decision on respecting Muslim sentiments.
I will submit this statement before the UN General Assembly and the UN Security Council. I cannot commit anything since it is the member countries who decide on the issue," he said, replying to questions on whether the UN would issue a resolution against blasphemy in the context of the cartoon controversy.
The EU has so far failed to take a joint decision condemning the cartoons, which first appeared in a Danish newspaper, while some of its senior leaders have defended the cartoons in the name of freedom of expression.
Ihsanoglu said the OIC had already taken up the matter with EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana and was awaiting a response from the EU meeting on Monday.
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel" Angel Moratinos said Spain, as a member of the EU, was against the blasphemous cartoons.
He promised to take the statement to the EU meeting which hold on Simdau and seek a joint decision on the issue.
Arab-Muslim Genuine Political Lobbying, PR & Grassroots Campaigns Are Now called For Versus Astroturf
By Ali Al-Hail
Al-Jazeerah, March 3, 2006
Definitions:
The term of ‘Arabic\Muslim Genuine Political Lobbying, PR & Grassroots’ is strictly, defined for this article as; the call on Arabs-Muslims for engaging in public political debate and embark on a PR, and grassroots campaigns.
The latter term is different from the term of ‘Astroturf’. This term hypothetically, refers to grassroots groups or coalitions which are actually fake, often created by corporations or public relations firms.
Campaigns & Elections magazine however, defines the term of ‘astroturf’ as a "grassroots program that involves the instant manufacturing of public support for a point of view in which either uninformed activists are recruited or means of deception are used to recruit them" ( http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Astroturf )
Meanwhile, the aim of the former term of ‘Arabic\Muslims’ genuine political lobbying, PR and grassroots campaigns’ (which is completely, different from the term ‘Astroturf’) is; for Arabs\Muslims to address their issues to people in the West, from their point of view, whose information on Arabs\Muslims’ causes are overall, limited. These issues range from, Israel’s occupation of Palestine, the cartoons caricaturing the Prophet of Mercy for all humanity, the war on terror, the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan, the war in Chechnya, anti occupation resistance movements such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hizbo allah (Party of God), al-Qaeda and so forth.
The reason is; it’s very difficult for people in the west, with different cultural, educational background, and with decades of relentless grass rooted Jewish\Zionist\Israeli successful political lobbying, PR and grassroots campaigns, of ill-informing, and faking facts (Astroturf), to understand why Muslims are angry and frustrated over for instance, pictures in Western newspapers depicting their Prophet, the Prophet of Mercy for all humanity Mohammad, Peace Be Upon Him (PBUH).
The huge vacuum as regard, and the lack of Arabic\Muslim genuine political lobbying, PR & grassroots in the West, have unfortunately, been leading Arabs and Muslims into fuelling the west’s plans. This has been happening for at least, the past 8 decades under the immense influence of the well articulated, vigilant and organized Jewish\Zionist\Israeli political lobbying. PR and grassroots campaigns of misguiding, and distorting historical events (Astroturf) profoundly, ingrained into the West’s culture since as early, as 1933.
There exist so many mechanisms through which Arabic\Muslim genuine political lobbying, PR and grassroots campaigns can workout had these mechanisms given the chance. Arab\Muslim cultural offices, public relations within Arabic\Muslim embassies in the West and the media amongst other means can be activated in this direction. It’s a very lengthy process and unfortunately there aren’t enough ‘good’ Muslim spokespeople who know the art of persuasion and understand the manipulative nature of the media. This impression is similarly, applicable to new age of satellite media in the Arab\Muslim World.
This saddening situation of Arabic\Muslim genuine political lobbying, PR and grassroots campaigns in the West versus strong and longtime rooted Jewish\Zionist\Israeli political lobbying, PR and grassroots campaigns of persuading the audience, and manipulating them via the media (Astroturf) incredibly, round the clock, alert and ready to act in the West (based on their understanding of the manipulative role of the media), had resulted into people in the West seeing in the media images of uprising Arabs\Muslims without contexts.
The consequence cannot be any fatal. These images encourage them to vote for new so called ‘anti terror’ laws which are nothing more than clamping down on civil liberties. Liberties and rights people died for. Once taken away, it’ll be near impossible to reverse the consequences. The existing deep rooted Jewish\Zionist\Israeli political lobbying, PR and grassroots campaigns (Astroturf) are mainly, the prime factors behind such a law in the West.
The reality is, according to Dina kaldi, “as a politically aware individual with privileged media and PR insight, I see this happening in the west. By example, in Germany, a respectable historian had been given a prison senesce of 3 years, simply for refusing to admit 6 million Jews died in the Holocaust. He believes millions suffered, and died, but not six million. Since when it’s a crime to have an opposing opinion? In London, the London Mayor, has been suspended for one month for comparing a Jewish reporter to a Nazi concentration camp guard. I find both cases ridiculous but the reason they happened in the first place, and have been accepted by the public is because the Jewish community have actively lobbied and engaged in an aggressive PR campaign (Astroturf i.e., by faking the truth about the Israeli Arab dispute). Can you imagine last week a well known British singer was stopped in the airport and questioned for several hours just because he publicly called Bush and Blair as terrorists” (Dina Kaldi, February, 28th, Private).
As a Fulbright Visiting Professor at Simpson College \ Indianola and Drake University \ De Moines in Iowa State last year, I delivered lectures aimed at political lobbying, PR, and grassroots campaigns almost everywhere within Indianola, and De Moines such as, churches, rotary clubs, farms (since Iowa is associated with farms culture), coffee shops at breakfast time as early, as 6:30 Am, in the morning, UN Association at De Moines, Newspapers, particularly, the Register which is the main paper at De Moines, students’ houses and the like.
I have observed from first hand experience, how people at grassroots need to be able of becoming aware of the Middle East, Arabs and Muslims’ issues. I can claim that, these lectures about political lobbying, PR, and grassroots campaigns on Arabs\Muslims issues had managed to change a lot of views, stereotypes and negative images of Arabs and Muslims. Now if a person, one person could do that, a collective effort by Arabs and Muslims of seeking political lobbying, PR and grassroots campaigns in the West can do far much more, had the intentions, and the political will been in place.
Professor, Dr. Ali Al-Hail, Professor of Mass Communication, Twice Fulbright Award Winner, Fulbright Visiting Scholar, and Board Member of AUSACE ASC, IABD, NEBAA, BEA, IMDA and EAJMC American Associations.
Can be Contacted on: pdaah90@hotmail.com
Doha Declaration Urges Respect of Religions
 |
|
The participants urged
everyone to resist provocation, overreaction, violence, and turn to
dialogue. (Courtesy: Al-Jazeera). |
By Dalia Al-Hadidi, IOL Correspondent
DOHA, February 26, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) - The United Nations, Arab states and the world's largest Islamic body on Saturday, February 25, urged respect for all religions, regretting the publication of Danish cartoons that lampooned Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
"We deeply regret the offence given by the caricatures," said a joint declaration issued in the Qatari capital city of Doha by UN Secretary of State Kofi Annan and the heads of the Arab League and the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, who were also at the meeting.
The parties concerned pledged to adopt a common strategy to head off a repeat of the cartoons crisis, stressing the importance of responsible media and free speech as long as it is not used as a pretext to incite hatred, blasphemy or violence.
It called for enhancing dialogue, pinning high hopes on a Sunday meeting of the UN-backed Alliance of Civilizations in Doha.
"We urge everyone to resist provocation, overreaction and violence, and turn to dialogue. Without dialogue we cannot hope to appeal to reason, to heal resentment or overcome mistrust," said the statement, also issued by the foreign ministers of Qatar, Spain and Turkey who attended the meeting.
The cartoons, one of them showing the Prophet with a bomb-shaped turban, were first published last September in a Danish newspaper and since reprinted in other European papers.
Any image of the Prophet -- let alone biting caricatures -- is considered blasphemous under Islam.
Restraint
The statement further urged restraint in the Muslim world, regretting "the loss of life and damage to property in several countries."
"All of us now join to renew our call for restraint and for an immediate end to the present atmosphere, which threatens to sow deep discord between communities, societies and countries," it read.
"We also reaffirm the right to peaceful protest, especially where deep hurt has been caused, and we acknowledge that Muslims do indeed feel deep hurt over the caricatures," it said.
The drawings have triggered a massive boycott of Danish products across the Muslim world, but also sparked worldwide violent protests that led to deaths in some countries like Nigeria and Pakistan.
Demonstrators set fire to the Danish consulate in Beirut earlier in the month and Syrian protesters did the same with the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus.
The violence drew unanimous condemnation from Muslim scholars worldwide and prompted many Muslims to launch individual initiatives to remove stereotypes about Islam and the prophet in the Western media.
Denmark has welcomed an initiative by Muslim preacher Amr Khaled to visit the Scandinavian country with a host of Muslim youths to engage in a dialogue with Danish youths and intellectuals. The country is further planning a series of initiatives to build bridges with the Muslim world after the row.
IslamOnline.net decided earlier in February to launch a multi-lingual Web site to acquaint non-Muslims with the prophet of Islam.
www.islam-online.netAB, Türkiye ve İspanya'nın hayata geçirdiği 'Medeniyetler
İttifakı' projesini destekliyor (İngilizce)
AB Dışişleri Bakanları Brüksel'de yaptıkları toplantıda karikatür krizini ele
aldılar.Toplantı sonunda yayınlanan sonuç bildirisinde, AB üyesi ülkeler İspanya
ve Türkiye'nin önderliğinde gerçekleştirilen 'Medeniyetler İttifakı' projesi
çalışmalarına destek verdi.
COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN UNION
Council conclusions on reactions in the Muslim world
to publications in European media
(2712nd EXTERNAL RELATIONS Council meeting - Brussels, 27 February 2006)
The Council adopted the following conclusions:
"The Council expresses its deep concern at the events that followed the
publication of cartoons in a number of European and other media. The Council
acknowledges and regrets that these cartoons were considered offensive and
distressing by Muslims across the world.
Freedom of expression is a fundamental right and an essential element of a
democratic discourse,with an independent judiciary as a safeguard mechanism.
Free media are indispensable to a free and open society and to accountable
systems of government. Freedoms, however, come with responsibilities. Freedom of
expression should be exercised in a spirit of respect for religious and other
beliefs and convictions. Mutual tolerance and respect are universal values we
should all uphold.
The Council strongly condemns all violent acts and threats against citizens and
property of the European Union, of its Member States as well as of other
countries. These actions cannot be justified under any circumstances. The
Council welcomes the statements by those prominent Muslim scholars and religious
and political leaders who have called for moderation and have spoken out against
the violent actions of a minority.
The Council expresses its full solidarity with all those countries whose
citizens, diplomatic or consular missions have come under attack. It recalls the
special duty of states under the Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic and Consular
Relations to protect diplomatic agents and the premises of diplomatic and
consular missions. The Council calls upon the governments that have not provided
adequate protection to give a positive response to this end and to the demands
for compensation made by the countries affected. The Council underlines that
boycotts against individual Member States are unacceptable.
The Council welcomes the recent visit to countries in the Middle East and the
Gulf by the EU High Representative and the contacts which have taken place in
Vienna between the Presidency, the Foreign Minister of Denmark and Islamic
leaders. These contacts, including the call for renewed dialogue in the Joint
Statement by the Secretary General of the United Nations, the Secretary General
of the OIC and the EU High Representative of February 7, 2006, have demonstrated
how much common ground exists in this direction.
The EU and its Member States will actively promote dialogue, mutual
understanding and respect through all existing mechanisms, including the
Barcelona process and the Anna Lindh Foundation as well as the ASEM process. It
underlines the specific need for initiatives aimed at representatives of the
media as well as young people. The Council also expresses its strong support for
the Alliance of Civilizations initiative launched under the auspices of the
United Nations Secretary-General by the Prime Ministers of Spain and Turkey and
welcomes the call for dialogue and mutual respect made at the meeting chaired by
the UN Secretary-General in Doha on February 25, 2006. The Council welcomes the
holding of a conference of European Imams by the Islamic Community of Austria in
cooperation with the European Commission and the Presidency in Vienna on April
7, 2006.
The EU and its Member States will play an active role in the debate on these
issues within the UN, the OSCE and other multilateral fora. The Council welcomes
the OSCE Human Dimension meeting in Kazakhstan in June 2006 on Inter-cultural,
Inter-religious and Inter-ethnic Understanding. It invites the Presidency,
assisted by the HR/SG, and the Commission to continue to look into ways of
working with partners and other international actors in the Muslim world,
including the OIC and the Arab League, to foster tolerance as well as respect
for religious and other beliefs and convictions. Particular emphasis should be
given to the role that free media and NGOs can play in this regard."
ABHaber 27.02.2006 Brüksel
Reuters Saturday, February 25, 2006; 5:10 PM
DOHA (Reuters) - The United Nations, Arab states and the world's largest Islamic body called on Saturday for restraint and dialogue to ease tensions over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.
The cartoons first published last year in a Danish newspaper and since reprinted in other European papers have sparked worldwide protests by Muslims who believe it is blasphemous to depict the Prophet.
Dozens have died in violence related to the protests.
"All of us now join to renew our call for restraint and for an immediate end to the present atmosphere, which threatens to sow deep discord between communities, societies and countries," said a joint statement, issued after a meeting in Qatar attended by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.
"We deeply regret the offence given by the caricatures, as well as the loss of life and damage to property in several countries," said the statement issued by Annan and the heads of the Arab League and the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference, who were also at the meeting.
The group said it would try to propose measures to help overcome the crisis.
"We urge everyone to resist provocation, overreaction and violence, and turn to dialogue. Without dialogue we cannot hope to appeal to reason, to heal resentment or overcome mistrust," said the statement, also issued by the foreign ministers of Qatar, Spain and Turkey who attended the meeting.
"We also reaffirm the right to peaceful protest, especially where deep hurt has been caused, and we acknowledge that Muslims do indeed feel deep hurt over the caricatures," it said.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to meet Islamic and
European leaders in Doha over cartoon crisis
Published: Wednesday, 22 February, 2006, 12:38 PM Doha Time www.gulf-times.com
NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a last-minute decision to address a meeting in Qatar on Sunday in an effort to calm violence triggered by the publication of cartoons about the Prophet Muhammad, his spokesman said yesterday.
Annan intends to speak at a session in Doha of the UN-backed Alliance of Civilisations and address issues raised by the cartoons and ways to combat extremism, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.
“He hopes on that occasion to meet with a number of leaders from Europe and from the Islamic world and to discuss with them ways of calming the situation and allowing a constructive dialogue between people of different faiths and traditions based on mutual understanding and respect,” Dujarric said.
Annan will participate in a Sunday morning panel on “which population sectors need to be engaged to try to bridge differences and combat extremism, particularly in youth and immigrant populations,” Dujarric said.
A Danish newspaper first published the cartoons last September, but Danish Muslim leaders brought them to the attention of imams in the Middle East in December and January. Many newspapers and magazines in Europe and elsewhere have reprinted the cartoons.
The cartoons have sparked worldwide protests by Muslims who believe it is blasphemous to depict the Prophet.
A group of ambassadors from the 57-member Organisation of Islamic Conference met Annan on Monday to discuss the Doha meeting – and their proposal to include language on religious defamation in a UN General Assembly resolution creating a new human rights council.
The amendment seeks to “prevent instances of intolerance, discrimination, incitement of hatred and violence arising from any actions against religions, prophets and beliefs which threaten the enjoyment of human rights...”
It also notes that “defamation of religions and prophets is inconsistent with the right to freedom of expression.”
The US and several European nations oppose the language, saying it does not belong in that text.
“It is unacceptable,” US Ambassador John Bolton said. “It is not a resolution that takes substantive positions.”
Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said yesterday that the global row over the cartoons first published in his country had now evolved into a clash between the entire European Union and the Muslim world.
“This affair is not just an issue between Denmark and the Muslim world. It has to a much greater degree evolved into an affair between the European Union and the Muslim world,” Rasmussen told reporters in Copenhagen.
“That is why (EU foreign policy chief Javier) Solana has decided to travel around the Middle East, which I appreciate. ... The next step in this crisis will be carried out in co-ordination with the EU and at the European level,” he added. – Reuters
BRUSSELS, Feb. 21 (UPI) -- The European Union has called on Turkey to mediate in the cartoon conflict with the Muslim world, saying intercultural dialogue could mend the differences.
The Austrian presidency of the EU has asked Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul to present his ideas for long-term solutions to the row between European countries and the Muslim world over the publication of Mohammed cartoons, Danish daily Politiken reported Tuesday.
Gul will meet with foreign ministers of the 25 member states at a meeting in March where he is expected to push for the creation of an Alliance of Civilizations. The initiative, which aims at linking Arab and Western civilizations through dialogue about cultural and religious differences, was launched by the Turkish and Spanish premiers in cooperation with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan.
The Austrian Foreign Minister also supported the U.N. initiative, saying it would be one of the best ways to strengthen the dialogue between Europe and the Arab world.
Turkey is the only Muslim country queuing up to join the European Union.
Alliance of Civilizations
meeting goes on without EU representation
There was no representation from the European Union (EU) countries at the
Alliance of Civilizations meeting in the Qatari capital of Doha this weekend.
The meeting focused on the recent caricature crisis stemming from caricatures of
Mohammed published in the Danish Jyllands-Post newspaper.
Coming together at the invitation of UN General Secretary Kofi Annan, high level
foreign ministry officials from many countries were in attendance, though
without attendance by EU High Commissioner Javier Solana, one important side of
the crisis was left without representation. An unnamed official from the Turkish
Foreign Ministry said "The West has not shown that it understands the
sensitivity attached to these caricatures, nor has it made actions to show it is
sorry."
Monday, February 27, 2006
www.hurriyet.com.tr
DOHA - Turkish State Minister Mehmet Aydin said on Sunday that the world needed projects like the Alliance of Civilizations, noting that the West and the Islam world should see the reasons that led to the cartoon crisis.
Addressing the opening session of the second meeting of High Level Group for the Alliance of Civilizations in Doha, Qatar; Aydin said that the initiative turned into an useful international medium to sort out critical issues by a moral and rational point of view.
Referring to the complicated essence of the cartoon crisis, Aydin compared the tension to icebergs. ''What lies beneath the first iceberg is prejudice and growing Islamphobic views (in the West). And there are many other factors under the second iceberg like unfair political and economic structures and past negative colonial experiences which cause alienation, frustration and anger among people (in the Islamic world),'' Aydin commented.
''Not only NGOs, but also leaders and institutions of the Western and the Islamic world should see these icebergs and they should develop and reform themselves to overcome the problems,'' Aydin said.
Aydin said that the High Level Group would form a concrete action plan within seven months and they believed it would contribute to formation of a deeper and broader respect and understanding.
Published: 2/26/2006 www.anatoliantimes.com
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, who is in Spain for an official visit, yesterday held an unscheduled meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero. The main issue covered during their talks was the U.N.-led Alliance of Civilizations initiative that is being co-sponsored by Turkey and Spain.
During the meeting, to which Gül's Spanish counterpart, Miguel Angel Moratinos, also joined, Zapatero expressed the importance that Spain has attributed to Turkey, the Doğan news agency reported, citing sources.
Co-sponsoring the Alliance of Civilizations together with Turkey is a sign reflecting this importance attributed by Spain to Turkey, Zapatero added.
As for his part, Gül said that Turkish and Spanish officials have agreed that the Alliance of Civilizations initiative should be extended.
Gül yesterday held a meeting with Moratinos concerning the two country's bilateral relations when the Turkish Daily News went into print. The two ministers were expected to have a joint press conference later.
On the first day of his visit following his arrival in Madrid on Thursday, Gül was received by King Juan Carlos I at the Palacio de la Zarzuela where he was accompanied by Turkish Ambassador to Spain Volkan Vural. Earlier in the same day, Gül met with Spanish Parliament Speaker Manuel Marin.
Spain has so far been a firm supporter of Turkey's bid to enter the European Union. The two countries' positively developing relations gained a new aspect last year when U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan launched the Alliance of Civilizations initiative in response to a request from Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and his Spanish counterpart, Zapatero, to mobilize national and international action to overcome prejudice, misperceptions and polarization between cultures and civilizations -- especially Islam and the West.
Last month, in a joint Muslim-Christian appeal for calm, Erdoğan and Zapatero said all sides would lose if mounting tension sparked by publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed in European newspapers is not immediately defused.
“With growing concern, we are witnessing the escalation in disturbing tension provoked by the publication, in European newspapers, of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that Muslims consider deeply offensive,” Erdoğan and Zapatero said in an article in the International Herald Tribune.
Annan envisions popular
dialogue
Entertainers, athletes called on to
speak to east-west divide
By Peter Grimsditch
Special to The Daily Star
www.dailystar.com.lb
Monday, February 27, 2006
DOHA: United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan suggested Sunday entertainers and sport people should help heal the divide between Muslims and the West, especially in light of the widespread rioting prompted by the publication in Denmark of cartoons satirizing the Prophet Mohammad.
"We need to engage in dialogue not only scholars, or diplomats or politicians but also artists, entertainers, sports champions - people who command respect and attention right across society, and especially among young people, because it is very important to reach young people before their ideas and attitudes have fully crystallized," said Annan.
He was speaking at a meeting of the High Level Group of the Alliance of Civilizations (AOC) in Doha. The AOC is a UN initiative, co-sponsored by Spain and Turkey, aimed at promoting dialogue and understanding between Western and Islamic societies.
The group met first in Mallorca last November, after the cartoons appeared in the Danish daily Jyllands Posten but before the row broke out. Its 20 members include former Iranian President Mohamed Khatami, South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Turkish Minster of State Mehmet Aydin, Federico Mayor, president of the Foundation for a Culture of Peace and representing Spain, Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser al-Missned, wife of the Emir of Qatar and Chair of the Qatar Foundation, and former French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine.
Annan said the AOC's goal is "to address emerging threats emanating from hostile perceptions that foment violence."
The UN chief added: "The passions aroused by the recent publication of insulting cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, and the reaction to it, show only too clearly that such threats are real.
"The intensity of feeling that we have witnessed in the last few weeks comes from a deep reservoir of mistrust and resentment, which was there a long time before the offensive cartoons were first printed."
Annan argued that friction between the two societies was not the result of long-distance ignorance "but more to do with proximity."
He said "The offensive caricatures were
first published in a European country which has recently acquired a significant
Muslim population and is not yet sure how to adjust to it. And some of the
strongest reactions - perhaps especially the more violent ones - have been seen
in Muslim countries where many people feel themselves the victims of excessive
Western influence or interference."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb
The UN secretary-general also hinted at hidden motives for publishing the cartoons in the first place. "Whether or not those who published the caricatures were deliberately seeking to provoke, there is no doubt some of the violent reactions have encouraged extremist groups within European societies, whose agenda is to demonize Muslim immigrants, or even expel them."
Addressing specifically members of the High Level Group, Annan said he hoped they could come up with suggestions that would "really catch the popular imagination, so that we are not just a nice group of people agreeing with each other, but people with a message that can echo round the world."
Mayor, also a former director-general of UNESCO, suggested that the group should beam messages at events like the World Cup to be held in Germany, which would be watched by a total of three billion viewers.
Aydin said the group had decided to concentrate on five major areas to spread the word - the political context, education, media, youth and immigration. Although Aydin spoke of producing a "solid plan of action" in the coming seven months, the cartoon riots have put pressure on the UN initiative to reveal and put into practice some of its ideas much earlier.
Qatar Prime Minster Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani said: "Regardless of our cultural backgrounds we need much effort to grasp each other's values and culture and agree on red lines that should not be passed, whatever the circumstances and denominations. Before thinking of an Alliance of Civilizations we are in dire need first of reaching a mutual understanding of civilizations."
If the media was seen as an aide to spreading the message of mutual peace, it was also cautioned to take its responsibilities seriously.
A joint statement Saturday by the secretaries-general of UN, Organization of Islamic Conference and the Arab League, as well as Qatar's First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jaber al-Thani, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos and Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul, said: "Neither media, publications, nor places of worship should be used for incitement, or to spread hatred."
Spreading peace is not being made easy for the media either. Reporters were excluded from all discussions of ideas by the High Level Group.
Archbishop Desmond Tutu and other delegates at a United Nations-sponsored conference organized to discuss the global reaction to cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad said the row is symptomatic of larger problems between Islam and the West. Though most attendees agreed more dialogue and education are key to resolving growing problems, differences emerged over the responsibilities inherent in the right to freedom of speech cited by many papers that published the cartoons
DOHA, Qatar - The furor over the Prophet Mohammed drawings is a small part of an expanding divide between Islam and the West, or what international leaders such as Archbishop Desmond Tutu describe as the ``symptom of a more serious disease.''
Attending a U.N.sponsored conference aimed at healing the deepening rift, Tutu and 19 other delegates agreed that key ways to bridge the chasm were reaching out to young people and providing more education. Even then, they agreed it would take years of dialogue and practical steps before the rift can be healed.
''What we face nowadays is not a clash of civilizations but a clash mostly caused by ignorance, arrogance, insensitivity and festering political differences that fuel hostilities,'' Turkish minister of state Mehmet Aydin said.
As the conference wrapped up Tuesday in this Persian Gulf state, more than 5,000 children age 8 to 12 demonstrated in Karachi, Pakistan, at a rally organized by Pakistan's largest Islamic group. They chanted ''Hang those who insulted the prophet!'' and burned a coffin draped in American, Israeli and Danish flags.
Tutu, a retired Anglican archbishop from South Africa, said the drawings published last year by a Danish newspaper were just a sign of a far broader problem.
''What has happened and the aftermath has been seen as a symptom of a more serious disease,'' said Tutu, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. ``Had relationships been different, one, the cartoons might not have happened, or if they had, they probably would have been handled differently.''
Although the 12 drawings were first published last September, they have since been reprinted and have caused widespread demonstrations in the Muslim world. They have also become a rallying cry in the West for freedom of expression.
The European Union on Monday said that although it regretted the cartoons were ''considered offensive'' by Muslims, freedom of expression ``is a fundamental right and an essential element of a democratic discourse.''
Opinions such as that angered former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, who complained, ``We already have enough misunderstandings in our world today.''
''Insulting the beliefs and customs of people and religions is not freedom of speech. This is not only related to Islam. We must respect the beliefs of other nations and religions whether we believe in them or not. If we don't believe or approve of them, we must challenge them through discussion and intellectual undertakings,'' he said.
Tutu noted that freedom of expression also came with some obligations.
''Imagine if the subject had been the Holocaust and it had been treated in a way that the Jews had deemed offensive and the reaction of the Danish government and international community had been as it is now,'' he said.
He lamented the negative stereotyping of Muslims and wondered why North Ireland's Protestants and Catholics, the Oklahoma City bombers or even the Nazis had never been labeled ``Christian terrorists.''
'Look at the Ku Klux Klan, who use a cross as their symbol and propagate hatred against others and encourage lynching. And yet we never hear someone say, `There's an example of how Christianity encourages violence,' '' Tutu said.
'Alliance of Civilizations' Discusses Cartoon Row
By Cihan News Agency, Doha
Published: Monday, February 27, 2006
zaman.com
At the Qatar meeting of the 2nd High-Level Group, part of the Alliance of
Civilizations project, attention was focused on the cartoon crisis.
Both the Western and the Islamic world should have an insight into the real causes of the cartoon crisis, said Turkey’s State Minister Mehmet Aydin in his inaugural speech: “There is a real need for world-wide projects such as the Alliance of Civilizations.”
Kofi Annan, the United Nations Secretary-General, said the cartoon conflict only triggered the tendency towards radicalism: “Anyone who thinks that someone is radical is actually unwittingly choosing another form of radicalism.” The summit of Wise-men Group ended with the proposition that freedom of thought should not be used to expand feelings of hatred.
A joint statement, read by Annan, called for calm and adherence to common sense, as the current crisis over the cartoons only helped create deep gulfs between societies.
Freedom of expression is a universal value, said the secretary. “We beseech everyone to use this right responsibly, and to avoid using it as a tool for swelling hatred or insult in society.”
Kofi Annan
arrives in Doha
posted:
February 25, 2006 http://english.bna.bh
(Angus Reid Global Scan) – Many adults in Spain believe the problems over the recent publication of certain cartoons suggest a direct conflict of faiths, according to a poll by Instituto Opina released by Cadena Ser. 68.1 per cent of respondents think the events reflect a clash of civilizations.
On Sept. 30, 2005, Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten accompanied an article on censorship and freedom of the press with 12 cartoons depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed. The two most contentious drawings show Mohammed with a bomb for a turban, and greeting suicide bombers in heaven. 48.6 per cent of respondents support the publication of the cartoons citing freedom of speech, while 36.4 per cent are opposed because they are offensive to Muslims.
In January and February, several European newspapers and media outlets decided to re-print the cartoons. Public protests have occurred in more than a dozen countries, and the embassies of Denmark and Norway in Syria—as well as the Danish consulate in Lebanon and an Italian consulate in Libya—have been torched by mobs.
Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero first introduced the concept of an Alliance of Civilizations in 2004, saying the group—which includes Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan—seeks to "stop all sources of extremism" and "win the battle of ideas and principles." 52 per cent of respondents in Spain believe the cartoon controversy justifies the alliance.
Polling Data
Do you think what has taken place following the publication of the cartoons depicting Muslim prophet Mohammed reflects a clash of civilizations?
| Yes | 68.1% |
| No | 15.6% |
| Not sure | 14.3% |
The publication of these cartoons in a Danish newspaper made many Muslims angry. What is your opinion on these cartoons?
| In favour of their publication, because freedom of speech takes precedence over religious beliefs |
48.6% |
| Opposed to their publication, because they are an offence to the religious faith of Muslims |
36.4% |
| Not sure | 13.4% |
Do you think conflicts such as this one justify the Alliance of Civilizations?
| Yes | 52.0% |
| No | 23.0% |
| Not sure | 21.9% |
Source: Instituto Opina / Cadena Ser
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Spanish adults, conducted on
Feb. 16, 2006. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
Annan will address the issues raised by the caricatures and emphasize his opposition to the violent outbursts and the need for tolerance at a previously planned meeting of the UN-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.
"He hopes . . . to meet with a number of leaders from Europe and from the Islamic world and to discuss with them ways of calming the situation and allowing a constructive dialogue between people of different faiths and traditions based on mutual understanding and respect," Dujarric said.
Annan met the ambassadors of half a dozen countries in the Organization of Islamic Conference Monday evening to discuss the Feb. 26-28 meeting in Qatar's capital, Doha. They also discussed a proposal by the 57-member group of Muslim countries to include language against "the defamation of religions and prophets" in a draft resolution that would create a new Human Rights Council.
Annan launched the Alliance of Civilizations initiative to overcome prejudice, misperceptions and polarization between cultures and civilizations - especially Islam and the West.
The Doha meeting will be the second of some 20 religious, political and cultural experts have tasked with drawing up a list of concrete proposals for the UN by the end of 2006 on ways to counter extremism and promote respect between civilizations and cultures.
At the group's first meeting in Spain in November, experts warned that people and countries must rethink how they view and treat each other before it was too late and violence erupted.
Group members include South African Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu, former Iranian president Mohammed Khatami, former Indonesian foreign minister Ali Alatas, and New York rabbi Arthur Schneier, founder of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation.
Pakistan's UN Ambassador Munir Akram said the issue isn't just about the 12 cartoons published in September by the Danish paper Jyllands-Posten, which have sparked rioting and protests against the West.
"It's about respect for each other, respect for religions and cultures - and I think this is an issue that's been highlighted by the cartoons," he said. "We have to find some way to calm the situation down, make sure it doesn't reoccur, and we have to find the right way to do it."
Jyllands-Posten has apologized for offending Muslims, but has defended its decision to print the cartoons, citing freedom of speech.
One stumbling block in the resolution to create a Human Rights Council is the language proposed by the OIC that would "prevent instances of intolerance, discrimination, incitement of hatred and violence arising from any action against religions, prophets, and beliefs."
U.S. Ambassador John Bolton said last week the OIC's proposals were "unacceptable."
General Assembly President Jan Eliasson is expected to issue a new draft this week, and Alsaidi said the secretary-general hopes the resolution will be adopted before the end of the month.
The council is to replace the current Human Rights Commission, which has been widely criticized as an irrelevant body that is powerless to stamp out abuses because its members include some of the worst offenders and it has no mandate to punish violators. Members in recent years have included Sudan, Libya, Zimbabwe and Cuba.
The current draft resolution calls for the 53-member Human Rights Commission to wrap up its work at its next session in Geneva beginning in mid-March.
Annan to Address Muhammad Cartoon Crisis
 |
| Kofi Annan |
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan is making an unexpected trip to the Middle East this week in a personal effort to calm Muslims' violent reaction to cartoons that insult the Prophet Muhammad.
A United Nations spokesman in New York says Mr. Annan made a last-minute decision late Monday to travel to the Gulf to take part in the Alliance of Civilizations. The gathering in Doha, Qatar is intended to counter prejudice and overcome misunderstandings between different cultures and religions.
The secretary-general will be in Qatar Sunday for the opening session of the U.N.-sponsored meeting. Mr. Annan intends to address issues raised by the recent publication of caricatures portraying Muhammad as a terrorist, his spokesman says, and he will call for mutual understanding and respect between people of different faiths and traditions.
The U.N. chief hopes to meet with a number of European and Islamic leaders attending the three-day meeting in Qatar. He also met Monday in New York with a group of about six ambassadors from the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference. Officials say they discussed an OIC proposal to condemn "the defamation of religions and prophets" as part of a plan to replace the U.N. Human Rights Commission with a new Human Rights Council.
The Muslim nations contend the right of free expression should not include statements or actions that defame religious groups.
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
From our correspondentQatar PM, Annan to open meeting on civilisations
The AOC was launched by the UN in response to an initiative from the Spanish and Turkish prime ministers, and the first meeting of the high-level group was held in Spain last November with the attendance of Her Highness Shaikha Mouzah bint Nasser Al Misnad, wife of the Amir, Chairperson of the Qatar Foundation for Education Science and Community Development and President of Qatar’s Supreme Council for Family Affairs. She will also be participating in the Doha meeting.
The AOC seeks to mobilise concerted action at the institutional and civil society levels to overcome the prejudices and misconceptions that polarise opinion and challenge world security. Four meetings were originally scheduled. The location of the third has yet to be announced, but the fourth meeting will be in Turkey this December.
Turkish FM to join EU, Muslim leaders to calm cartoon row
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will leave for the Qatari capital of Doha
on Saturday at the invitation of United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to
participate in a meeting aimed at finding ways to calm cartoon crisis.
Annan invited both European Union and Muslim leaders and officials to convene at
a meeting on the cartoon crisis in Doha. This meeting will take place before one
of the High Level Group of the Alliance of Civilizations on Sunday.
The UN's Annan sent invitations to Gul, as well as Austrian Foreign Minister
Ursula Plassnik, whose country holds the rotating EU presidency, Spanish Foreign
Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana,
Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary-General Ekmeleddin
Ihsanoglu, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, and Qatari Foreign Minister
Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir al-Thani.
Sources have said that a joint declaration of the EU and Muslim world is
expected to be released after the meeting on Saturday.
Gul is also expected to participate in the opening session of the Alliance of
Civilizations meeting on Sunday and then return to Turkey.
ABHaber 24.02.2006
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News www.turkishdailynews.com.tr
State Minister Mehmet Aydın said yesterday that the crisis sparked by the publication of the Prophet Mohammed caricatures in the Islamic world was only the “tip of the iceberg” and stressed that the reasons for the crisis were very complicated.
“Civil societies, leaders and institutions of the West and the Islamic world must see the reasons behind the icebergs,” Aydın was quoted as saying during the second gathering of the U.N.-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations in Qatar's capital city Doha.
Aydın said the cartoon incident and reactions to the cartoons could be likened to two icebergs.
He said centuries-old prejudice against Muslims was lying behind the first iceberg and claimed that “Islamophobic circles” fed a political approach based upon personal interests and groundless generalizations against Muslims.
“There are countless reasons behind the second iceberg,” Aydın said and drew attention to the presence of unfair political and economic structures and practices which he said was a remnant of the colonial period.
The minister said the West and the Islamic world should renew themselves in the face of sensitive, complicated and worrying situation in order to overcome the crises.
Aydın also emphasized that the world was in need of projects just like the U.N.-led Alliance of Civilizations initiative.
The Alliance of Civilizations initiative, launched in November 2005 by Spain and Turkey, has created a “high-level group” of some 20 members including Iran's former president Mohammed Khatami, former French Foreign Minister Hubert Vedrine, South Africa's Archbishop Desmond Tutu and the wife of Qatar's emir Sheikha Mozah.
The group, which had its first meeting in Palma de Mallorca in Spain in November and will have two more meetings after Doha, is expected to come up with concrete steps in the autumn to promote dialogue between different cultures.
At Sunday's opening of the conference of Muslim and European leaders, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on influential world figures to fight extremism and bridge the divide between East and West.
“Lofty ideas alone are not enough ... We need to develop sobering, but equally compelling counter-narratives of our own,” Annan was quoted as saying by the Agence France-Presse.
The secretary-general drew attention to the violent demonstrations across the Muslim world over the satiric prophet cartoons.
“At the heart of this crisis is a trend towards extremism in many societies,” Annan told the gathering.
“I very much hope that you can come up with specific, concrete suggestions for ways of carrying dialogue forward so that it can really catch the popular imagination; so that we are not just a nice group of people agreeing with each other, but people with a message that can echo around the world,” he added.
Annan said world figures, especially artists, entertainers and sports champions must promote the ideology of tolerance and understanding between cultures among youth before they are swayed by extremists.
“It is very important to reach young people before their ideas and attitudes have fully crystallized,” he added.
Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik and the European Union's Common Foreign and Security Policy chief, Javier Solana, decided not to come to the meeting, which they had originally agreed to attend.
Gül meets with Qatar's foreign minister in Doha:
Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül, who was in Doha for the U.N. meeting, met yesterday with Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber.
“We would like to establish relations with Turkey at the highest level,” said the Qatari foreign minister.
Gül said Turkey also wanted to cooperate with Qatar in every sphere.
EU 'Regret' over Cartoons
By Foreign News Desk, Istanbul
Published: Tuesday, February 28, 2006
www.zaman.com
The European Union (EU) issuing several statements about the publication of the cartoons insulting Prophet Mohammed and outraging Muslims around the world has for the first time expressed its “regret.”
EU Term President, Austria's Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik speaking to the press after the General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting for EU foreign ministers, said they are deeply concerned with the developments that took place after the drawings were published by several European media organs.
"The Council of Europe acknowledges and regrets that these cartoons were found distressing and offensive by Muslims across the world," Plassnik said, emphasizing that freedom of expression is a basic right, but that religions and faiths must be respected accordingly.
The publication of these caricatures caused pain she admitted, saying that at this point, what needs be done is to look forward and revive the spirit of mutual respect.
Austria supports the initiative of the Alliance of Civilizations launched by Spain and Turkey under the auspice of the UN, she underlined. When asked why the EU did not join the Alliance of Civilizations meeting held in Doha, Austrian foreign minister reminded that "Spain, playing a part in the initiative of the Alliance of Civilizations, is an EU member."
Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos suggested holding an international news conference to prevent a new cartoon crisis.
A news story appearing in the Spanish press reflected that the Spanish foreign minister made this suggestion during his talks with leaders at the Alliance of Civilizations meeting held in Qatar. The minister also suggested that the Erasmus exchange program in Europe be extended to included students from different religions as well.
No apology but support for dialogue from Rasmussen
Turkish PM gets letter from Danish counterpart Rasmussen on cartoon crisis.
Danish PM provides no apology to Erdogan over row, but says his govt condemns
any action meant to demonize groups on the basis of religion. Rasmussen also
expresses support for Turkey's efforts in Alliance of Civilizations.
Danish Foreign Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, in a letter to his Turkish
counterpart late last week, expressed support for Turkey's efforts to defuse the
Muhammed cartoon crow, but stopped short of apologizing for his government's
role in the crisis, sources told the ABHaber.
Rasmussen is one of the first European leaders to reply to Turkish Prime
Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's letter to world leaders early this month.
Erdogan sent letters to countries of the United Nations, NATO and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference, calling on them to act with wisdom and
common sense, and display leadership.
Rasmussen's reply to Erdogan did not voice any apology, a diplomatic source told
ABHaber on Sunday. But the Danish prime minister stressed that his government
condemns any expression, action or indication that attempts to demonize groups
on the basis of their religion or ethnic background.
Rasmussen also expressed support for the Turkish government's efforts to defuse
the cartoon crisis and establish better dialogue between the West and the Muslim
world through the Alliance of Civilizations initiative.
The Turkish ambassador to Copenhagen was one of the 11 ambassadors from members
of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) who demanded to see the
Danish prime minister last October to ask him to intervene in the cartoon row.
Rasmussen refused to meet the ambassadors and said that he could not take an
initiative on this issue, citing freedom of press.
Moller, Gul to meet
Per Stig Moller, the Danish foreign minister, will discuss the cartoon affair
with his Turkish counterpart at an European Union meeting next month. "Turkey
will, as an applicant country, be present at the informal meeting of foreign
ministers on March 11 and 12. In connection with that I have proposed to the
Turkish foreign minister that he raise the matter ther