JEDDAH – Saudi Arabia has urged all countries and governments to respect sanctities of all religions and join hands in the efforts to ensure peaceful coexistence of civilisations, according to the Saudi Press Agency (SPA).
The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) has called for joint efforts with the European Union to adopt United Nations resolution to prohibit blasphemy of all religions. European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana agreed to play a proactive role on the issue.
Solana, who was in Jeddah on a fence-mending visit after the outrage in the Muslim world over inflammatory cartoons that appeared in Denmark and some other European countries, assured that such things would never happen again. "Be sure we are going to do our utmost for this not to happen again...," he said. SPA said that the Council of Ministers, chaired by Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, at Al Yamamah Palace in Riyadh on Monday, also opposed violence while protesting blasphemous cartoons.
Culture and Information Minister Iyad Madani said the Cabinet made the comment while discussing repercussions caused by the publication of the insulting cartoons in Danish and other European dailies that have triggered a wave of protests across the world.
"Saudi Arabia expects that all countries, governments and private organisations stand one in respecting nations’ sanctities, support coexistence of civilisations and understand special attributes of other cultures," the Cabinet statement said.
Riyadh commended all governments who had taken a positive stand on this issue, condemning the provocative cartoons. "The Islamic world is able to protect its sanctities, its identity and special attributes as it did in the past, without causing any harm to others or violating their honours," it added.
Addressing a joint Press conference with OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Solana said that the purpose of his visit to the Kingdom was to rebuild bridges, renew dialogue and reconstruct relationship. "Your values we share, and like to have a real solid relationship with you," he said adding that "we will work to deepen our relationship. The world needs these types of relationships," he added.
Solana agreed with Ihsanoglu’s suggestion that the EU and the OIC should jointly make efforts to adopt a UN resolution on the lines of the existing Resolution No. 60/150, which calls for combating defamation of religions.
Ihsanoglu said that the statute of the new Human Rights Council presently being negotiated should include operative provision prohibiting blasphemy. "There is a need to cater to Islamophobia in legislations," he said.
He said Muslims were starting to feel this was a new September 11 against them. Ihsanoglu asked for adopting a code of conduct for the European media. "The code of conduct should take into account the sensitivities of the Muslims and defamation in any form or manifestation and the core beliefs of the religions including mocking and criticising the Prophets, and it should be considered an ethical offence in the European media code," he said. "We have decided to work together to overcome the consequences of the present crisis," said Solana.
