Inter-religious harmony disturbed, Hasyim mentions Denmark's case as a cause

Malang, NU Online
The General Chairman of the Central Board of Nahdlatul Ulama KH Hasyim Muzadi was deeply disturbed over the recently Denmark's national TV2 channel airing excerpts from a video of the prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as a beer-drinking camel and as a drunken terrorist attacking Copenhagen.

“The problem is that this (video) has not only angered Muslims but also disturbed inter-religious harmony throughout the world,” he said.

<>Dealing with the sensitive issue, the leader of Islamic Boarding school of al Hikam, Malang, East Java had been in talks with the Secretary General of World Conference for Religions on Peace (WCRP), Dr William Vandley in New York. He expected the world organization to take part actively in overcoming the stupid issue.

In line with Hasyim's point of view, Chairman of the Indonesian People Consultative Assembly (MPR-RI) Hidayat Nur Wahid as reported by the national news agency Antara, urged the government to invite other member countries of the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to reprimand Denmark for blasphemy of Islam.

"The Indonesian Government must invite collective action of the OIC member countries and other countries respectful of pluralism and human rights to reprimand Denmark," MPR-RI Chairman Hidayat Nur Wahid said here on Thursday in Bogor, some 60 km of Jakarta.

If necessary, the issue could be brought to the international court because it was a very serious blasphemy of Islam, he said.

As a Western country, which is known for democracy, rationalism, respect to human rights, Denmark should have become a model for international community of not making provocation toward a certain religion, he said.

"This is a test for the Western countries. If they truly want to establish peaceful relations, harmony and mutual respects with other faiths, they must stop such a cheap provocation," he said.

Hidayat called on the Indonesian people not to be provoked by the blasphemy. However, he understood if the Muslims throughout the world were upset and wanted to boycott Danish products.

"Don't blame the Muslims if they are furious and want to boycott products from Denmark," he said.

AFP reported recently that the 57-member OIC last Monday (Oct. 9) denounced a video lampooning the prophet Mohammed produced by a far-right Danish party and partly screened by public television.

"The OIC spokesman deplores the act of caricaturing the Prophet Mohammed... by the youth members of the Danish People’s Party and the same being shown regrettably on the state television," a statement from the bloc’s secretariat said.

"The running of the footage affected the sensibilities of civilized people and the religious beliefs of one fifth of humanity.

"The OIC has always favoured upholding freedom of expression. Simultaneously it is the ethical, moral and political responsibility of public opinion leaders, governments, state and civil society institutions in the West to discourage acts of intolerance by condemning them."

Denmark’s TV2 channel last month broadcast excerpts from a video made by members of the extreme-right Danish People’s Party showing the prophet Mohammed as a beer-drinking camel and a drunken terrorist attacking Copenhagen.

The images were shown on TV2 only fleetingly, with a youth playing the part of Mohammed visible only from the back, as well as a drawing.

It showed young adherents of the Danish People’s Party mocking the Muslim prophet during a summer party, with some portraying Mohammed dressed in a turban and wearing a belt with explosives as others look on in laughter.

The video also triggered the anger of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood which called for a boycott of products from countries that "permit these sort of acts", for peaceful protests and for international legislation banning such "attacks".

The publication in September 2005 of 12 caricatures of Mohammed by the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten, sparked outrage and weeks of violent protests across the Muslim world. (so)