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"We don't think like this at all. It is criminal to call to kill somebody," said Benouda. |
CAIRO — European Muslim leaders have scoffed at a bounty offered by Al-Qaeda in Iraq on the heads of a Swedish cartoonist and a reporter for publishing a cartoon lampooning Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
"We don't think like this at all. It is criminal to call to kill somebody," Helena Benouda, chairwoman of the umbrella Muslim Council of Sweden, said in statements.
"It is really unnecessary and it's ugly, especially in the moment of Ramadan," she added, referring to the Muslim holy fasting month.
Benouda said Muslim organizations in Sweden were capable of handling the cartoon issue themselves.
The self-styled Islamic State in Iraq, an Al-Qaeda front organization, has placed a bounty of at least 100,000 dollars on the head of cartoonist Lars Vilks and 50,000 dollars on Ulf Johansson, editor in chief of the local Nerikes Allehanda newspaper which published the caricature last month.
The statement, whose authenticity could not be verified, also threatened attacks on Swedish firms unless an apology is issued from the "crusaders."
On August 18, Nerikes Allehanda published a cartoon, depicting the head of a man the paper called Prophet Muhammad on the body of a dog, inflaming Muslims worldwide.
Swedish Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Jan Thesleff met last week with the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at the pan-Muslim body's headquarters in Jeddah.
He offered his "deepest apologies for the controversy created by the publishing of the hurtful depiction," the 57-nation bloc said in a statement.
Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt held talks with Swedish Muslims leaders and the ambassadors of 22 Muslim nations earlier in the month in a bid to defuse the row.
Swedish Muslims have reiterated a firm resolve to handle the crisis peacefully and domestically.
Unhelpful
The president of the Brussels-based the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), Chakib Benmakhlouf, also strongly condemned the threats.
"Islam has taught us to respect covenants and agreements, and made the lives of others and their honor a red line," he said in a statement e-mailed to IslamOnline.net.
"Al-Qaeda statements, to the contrary, came to add fuel to the flames," he insisted.
"Such statements run counter to religion and reason and help blemish the shining image that European Muslims have endeavored to paint over the past decades."
Chakib said the remarks fuel anti-Muslim campaigns and malicious plots to impose more restrictions on Muslims in the continent.
He paid tribute to both the Swedish government and Muslims for their astute handling of the crisis.
"Swedish authorities and Muslims joined forces to defuse the crisis," read the statement.
"The crisis has not been escalated and should not be exploited to harm social harmony enjoyed by European societies."
Chakib also urged Muslims in the West and Europe in particular to respect law and act in line with representative organizations in their societies.
"We should steer clear of any act that tarnishes the image of Islam and does more harm than good to Muslims."
Backfire
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| "I tell Al-Qaed to go and spend their money on development projects in Africa or Asia like Christian proselytizers do," said Helbawi. |
Kamal el-Helbawi, a London-based Muslim community leader, said Al-Qaeda should instead offered its thousands of dollars to promote understating of Islam.
"Know-Islam campaigns are the sharpest weapon against such cartoons," he told IOL over the phone.
El-Helbawi questioned the wisdom behind killing the Swedish cartoonist or editor in chief.
"Will they be the last people to insult the prophet?" he wondered.
"I tell Al-Qaed to go and spend their money on development projects in Africa or Asia like Christian proselytizers."
Helbawi further warned of grave repercussions on Muslim minorities in Europe if the two Swedes were harmed.
"Issuing such death fatwas plays well into the hands of those people behind the controversy," he said, citing Iran's death fatwa against Salman Rushdie for his controversial Satanic Verses book.
Helbawi said the too much fuss made about Rushdie has actually turned him into a renowned figure.
Similarly, the killing of Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh in 2004 for his anti-Islam documentary has sparked off an anti-Muslim backlash with dozens of mosques and Muslim schools set on fire in apparent retaliation.
The murder has seriously undermined tolerance towards Muslims in the European country.
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