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Odah
said the capital proposed for the fund will be 100 million euros.
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By
Wessam Fauad, IOL Correspondent
MANAMA,
March 24, 2006 (IslamOnline.net) - Muslim scholars wrapped up their
two-day meeting in the Bahraini capital Manama Thursday night, March
23, announcing the establishment of an international organization and
a fund for defending prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing be upon him)
against defamatory attacks in the West.
"The
International Organization for Defending the Prophet will be created
to be the umbrella body of future conferences," according to the
conference's communiqué.
Some
300 Muslim scholars huddled together to explore a strategy to prevent
a repeat of acts lampooning the Prophet.
Six
imams from Denmark, where the controversy originated, also took part
in the conference.
The
nascent organization will be grouping four main bureaus to promote its
goals.
"An
economic office will be established to enhance and follow up relevant
activities like boycott; a legal one to take and pursue legal actions
against whoever insults Islam, the Qur'an and the Prophet; a third to
coordinate Muslim efforts and promote dialogue with non-Muslims and a
fourth to conduct studies and researches and organize seminars,"
said the statement.
Fund
The
participants also decided to set up an international fund to finance
activities on projecting the true image of Islam and the Prophet in
the West.
"The
international fund for defending the Prophet will finance projects and
activities of the organization," read the statement.
Saudi
Sheikh Salman Al-Ouda, the conference's secretary general, said the
capital proposed for the fund will be 100 million euros.
Twelve
cartoons, including one showing the Prophet with a bomb-shaped turban,
were first published by Danish daily Jyllands-Posten in
September and reprinted by European newspapers on claims of freedom of
expression.
The
drawings, considered blasphemous under Islam, have triggered massive
and sometimes violent demonstrations across the Muslim world.
The
cartoons have prompted Muslim minorities in many Western countries to
champion local campaigns to raise awareness of the merits and
characteristics of the Prophet.
IslamOnline.net
launched Tuesday, March 21, a multi-lingual website to acquaint
non-Muslims with the prophet.
Positive
Arla
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Muslim
summiteers also praised stance of Danish Arla firm on denouncing
the publication of the Prophet cartoons.
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The
conference also praised stance of the Danish-Swedish dairy firm Arla,
which denounced the Prophet cartoons.
"The
move is a right step to initiate dialogue between the conference and
the firm on taking reciprocal steps towards its initiative," the
scholars said in their statement.
The
Danish firm denounced on Sunday, March 19, the Prophet cartoon in full
page advertisements taken out in papers across the Middle East.
"The
Arla Foods company denounces and rejects the cartoons published by the
Danish newspaper (Jyllands-Posten) and refuses any
justifications for the act," the corporation said.
Muslim
participants, however, underlined the need to abide by the economic
boycott as a civilized way to defend the Prophet against the odious
attacks.
Apology
The
Muslim scholars further reiterated their demand for an official
apology from the Danish government and the newspaper at issue for the
"publication" of the cartoons.
"This
apology should include floating the true image of Islam and the
Prophet and his role," said the statement.
Denmark's
prime minister has said he regretted the hurt caused to Muslims but
refuses to apologize on behalf of the paper. The editor of Jyllands-Posten
has apologized for offending Muslims but defended the paper's right to
publish the cartoons.
The
scholars also called for promoting dialogue between Muslims and the
West based on mutual respect.
"The
relationship between Muslims and the West must be founded on peaceful
co-existence and mutual respect."
The
participants further urged to work out an international resolution
banning the desecration of religious sanctities.
The
Muslim world's two main political bodies -- the Organization of the
Islamic Conference (OIC) and the Arab League -– are seeking a UN
resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions in
response to the furor.
EU
foreign policy chief Javier Solana and European External Relations
Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner have further suggested that the EU
and the OIC could draft a joint UN resolution calling for religious
tolerance.
Danish
Muslims said on March 17 they were now planning to take the
publication of the blasphemous cartoons to the world body.
The
move comes after Denmark's State Prosecutor Henning Fode turned down
charges against the Posten over its publication of the
cartoons.
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