Int'l Organization, Fund for Defending Prophet
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
Muslim summiteers also praised stance of Danish Arla firm on denouncing the publication of the Prophet cartoons.
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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