Anti-Islamic campaign has opposite effect: spokesman

From an extremely Islamophobic web site, advocating boycotting Islam.

5 April 2008

Tehran-Current anti-Islamic campaign pursued by certain Western countries has so far had opposite effects, government spokesman, Gholam-hossein Elham said on Saturday.

He made the remarks at his weekly press conference while commenting on release of the anti-Islamic film, Fitna, by a Dutch parliamentarian as well as performing of an anti-Islamic play in Germany.

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 of terror attacks.

Broadcast of the movie raised strong condemnations both from inside and outside the Netherlands.

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

Pakistan, Indonesia and Bangladesh were among those countries 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 European Union also said the 15-minute film aired by a London-based website inflamed hatred.

"The new wave of the fight against Islam and promoting Islamophobia which was started by the US, has so far opposite effects in the world of Islam as well as other parts of the globe," Elham said.

Noting that such moves aimed to "promote cultural terrorism," the spokesman stressed that those acts would lead to more unity among followers of divine religions.

Elham hoped that officials of the countries where the anti-Islamic moves have been made would soon take due measures to stop those actions.

Elham stressed that insults against the holy prophet of Islam and the divine religion were against the principles of freedom of expression.