Anti-islamic moves in some Western Countries intolerable

9 April 2008

Tehran-Head of Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission Alaeddin Boroujerdi said on Wednesday that the anti religious and anti-Islamic moves in certain western countries are intolerable and regarded as deviation from right path.

Boroujerdi made the remark in a meeting with new Vatican Ambassador to Tehran Jean Paul Gobel.

Recent sacrilegious moves have hurt feelings of Muslims, he said, adding that it is incumbent upon the European countries and Vatican to seriously deal with the issue.

Anti-Islamic and religious moves in western societies should be stopped, he said.

Respecting divine religions and prophets is vital and their followers would show reaction to such insults, he said.

Referring to commonalties among divine religions mainly between Islam and Christianity, he said these commonalties can lead to broad-based cooperation between their followers.

There are ample areas of cooperation between Iran and Vatican which should be used, he said.

Religious minorities enjoy freedom in Iran and their followers including the Christians have representatives to Majlis.

Th Vatican ambassador, for his part, strongly condemned defamation of divine religions mainly Islam in certain western countries and said freedom should not be misused to insult religious sanctities or bothering others.

"We should stand shoulder to shoulder in defending sacred values," he underlined.

He also called formation of Iran-Vatican Joint Commission as a significant development.