Arab leaders condemn anti-Islam film

30 March 2008

Damascus-Leaders of the Arab states on Sunday strongly condemned Dutch film blaspheming Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Holy Quran, calling for boycott of Dutch products.

The leaders the Arab League, holding a Summit in Damascus, called for adopting an international law which prohibits insult to divine religions.

Addressing the Summit, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir urged Muslims to boycott the Dutch products as a measure against blasphemy.

He underscored the need for respecting all religious beliefs by world people.

Muslim countries have condemned the film made by the far-right MP Geert Wilder, which was posted online on Thursday.

The film sets verses from the holy Quran against a background of violent images from terror attacks.

Called "Fitna," the film also features one of the Danish cartoons whose publication sparked violent protests in several countries two years ago.

There was strong condemnation both inside and outside the Netherlands.

Iran called the film heinous, blasphemous and anti-Islamic and appealed to European governments to block further distribution.

Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh were among those to protest the release of the anti-Islam film.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference also added its voice to the growing criticism of the anti-Islam film.

The OIC said in a statement that the film defamed and denigrated "the Holy Quran, causing insult to the sentiments of more than 1.3 billion Muslims in the world".

"The film was a deliberate act of discrimination against Muslims" that aimed to "provoke unrest and intolerance," the organization said.

The OIC has 57 member states over four continents and is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations.

In its statement, it urged the international community to condemn the showing of the film and asked the Dutch government to prosecute the filmmaker under Dutch law.

The European Union also said the 15-minute film posted Thursday on a London-based Website inflames hatred.

"Mutual tolerance and respect are universal values we should uphold. We believe that acts, such as the film, serve no other purpose than inflaming hatred," the EU said in a statement.

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also condemned the film, calling it "offensively anti-Islamic" while urging calm.

"There is no justification for hate speech or incitement to violence," he said in a statement.

Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende said Thursday that the film equates Islam with violence.

"We reject this interpretation," Balkenende said in a statement.

"The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence. In fact, the victims are often also Muslims."

Australian foreign minister on Sunday added his voice to the chorus of condemnation of an anti-Islam film, calling it "highly offensive".

Stephen Smith said the film equated Islam with acts of terror and other violence.