hotair

First: The Islamic world was angry, because they felt that the rest of the world was not taking them serious! Now . . . They are (apparently) angry because the rest of the world is beginning to take them serious.

Islamophobia? Muslim leaders say West guilty
Summit report urges creation of 'legal instrument' against defamation

(Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was among the leaders of Islamic nations attending the Islamic Conference summit in Dakar, Senegal, on Friday.)

updated 6:56 p.m. CT, Fri., March. 14, 2008
DAKAR, Senegal - The Muslim world has created a battle plan to defend its religion from political cartoonists and bigots.

Concerned about what they see as a rise in the defamation of Islam, leaders of the world's Muslim nations are considering taking legal action against those that slight their religion or its sacred symbols. It was a key issue during a two-day summit that ended Friday in this western Africa capital.

The Muslim leaders are attempting to demand redress from nations like Denmark, which allowed the publication of cartoons portraying the Prophet Muhammad in 2006 and again last month, to the fury of the Muslim world.

Though the legal measures being considered have not been spelled out, the idea pits many Muslims against principles of freedom of speech enshrined in the constitutions of numerous Western governments.

"I don't think freedom of expression should mean freedom from blasphemy," said Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade, the chairman of the 57-member Organization of the Islamic Conference. "There can be no freedom without limits."

Delegates were given a voluminous report by the OIC that recorded anti-Islamic speech and actions from around the world. The report concludes that Islam is under attack and that a defense must be mounted.

"Muslims are being targeted by a campaign of defamation, denigration, stereotyping, intolerance and discrimination," charged Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the secretary general of the group.

The report urges the creation of a "legal instrument" to crack down on defamation of Islam. Some delegates point to laws in Europe criminalizing the denial of the Holocaust and other anti-Semitic rhetoric. They also point to articles within various U.N. charters that condemn discrimination based on religion and argue that these should be ramped up.

'Going through a difficult time'
"In our relation with the western world, we are going through a difficult time," Ihsanoglu told the summit's general assembly. "Islamophobia cannot be dealt with only through cultural activities but (through) a robust political engagement."

The International Humanist and Ethical Union in Geneva released a statement accusing the Islamic states of attempting to limit freedom of expression and of attempting to misuse the U.N.

Human Rights Watch said in a statement that objectionable depictions of the Prophet Muhammad do not "give them the right under international human rights law to insist that others abide by their views."

Hemayet Uddin, the lead author of the OIC report and head of cultural affairs for the group said legal action is needed because "this Islamophobia that we see in the world has gone far beyond a phobia. It is now at the level of hatred, of xenophobia, and we need to act."

A new charter drafted by the OIC commits the Muslim body "to protect and defend the true image of Islam" and "to combat the defamation of Islam."

Offensive acts posted
To protect the faith, Muslim nations have created an "observatory" that meets regularly to monitor Islamophobia. It examines lectures and workshops taking place around the world and prints a monthly record of offensive content.

But some of the summit's delegates said a legal approach would be over the top.

"My general view would be that the confrontational approach is one my country would avoid," said Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Iftekhar Chowdhruy. Bangladesh is 90 percent Muslim.

While the Muslim world worries about the image of Islam in the West, the U.S. envoy to the OIC attended the summit to try to tackle the thorny question of America's image among Muslim states.

Sada Cumber calls his campaign the "soft power" of the U.S. — an effort to find common ground with Muslim nations by championing universal values the U.S. holds dear like religious tolerance and freedom of speech.

"America has a deep respect for the religion of Islam," Cumber told The Associated Press. "The freedom of faith that we exercise, that we enjoy in America, that is also a very important aspect of the American core values. Anyone who wants to practice any faith is never stopped or discouraged."

Also during the summit, Chad and Sudan signed a peace agreement to stop incursions of rebels across each other's borders, and the summit delegates committed themselves to addressing the spiraling violence between Israelis and Palestinians.


Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


Mind numbing! Is it not???

All the while completely ignoring the root causes of “Islamophobia”!

They want to condemn the rest of the world for getting scarred. While ignoring what it is that so many people are becoming so afraid of!!!

Let us first define what this word Islamophobia really means.
Islamophobia: The rational, and very justifiable, fear of Islamic Terrorism.

(Just a few events in recent history.(A very short list)) Munich (1972 Summer Olympic Games); Athens Airport, Athens, Greece; Lockerbie, Scotland (Pan Am Flight 103); New York, N.Y.(09/11/01); London; Madrid; Heathrow Airport; Israel.

In Jerusalem, a Palestinian gunmen kills eight Jewish students at a rabbinical seminary classroom. Causing celebrations throughout the Islamic world.

Islam has declared war against the rest of the world. With many people just now waking up to the fact that these Muslims are serious. Now these people (Muslims) want to start taking legal actions against the people of the world for being (justifiably) scared?

Islam is about to get a very rude lesson in mob mentality, if they choose to continue to ignore the root causes of their unhappiness.

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So long, and thanks for all of the fish!!!

Dawnling

Have you read Sam Harris'
"The End of Faith"?

Kana

Stop being afraid of us, or we'll kill you!

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Groovyville

BleedingPinky

Nope. That ain´t gonna happen. Who can open up a coco bare handed?
Only a man. Who is the smartest being only to make the man climb the tree for the coco? Only a woman.

Malkavian

Lol... with this shit they are just asking for it...

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Looks like i picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue

BleedingPinky

Ale- Húah!

Malkavian

Adorable, eh?

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Looks like i picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue

BleedingPinky

Quite enough, but not like my one eyed cat I still have since I was four. I used to hug it....but nowadays,....well, poor cat...

BillCosby

When did all this islamO shit start???

I know.... back when they were the good guys..............

the mujahideen...... Ronnie encouraged jihad against russia. They were the great godless satan then............

My GawD they created a monster......................

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Preventive war is not war!!!!Counter-terror is not terror