Muslim Action Committee

Thursday, August 30, 2007

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Muslim Action Committee Calls for the Immediate withdrawal of Insulting Cartoons attacking the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) in Swedish Newspaper: Nerikes Allehanda
The Muslim Action Committee (MAC)- a faith based umbrella organisation of over 700 Mosques, Imams and Religious scholars in the UK, which lead 50,000 Muslims through london in protest to the Danish Cartoons last February- have condemned the latest attack on our beloved Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)'s person and global civility by Swedish Newspaper Nerikes Allehanda who have published a blatantly provocative and insulting picture of a dog with a human head identified with our Prophet (PBUH).

The National Convenor of MAC Shaykh Faiz-ul-Aqtab Siddiqi has called for the immediate withdrawal of these cartoons. We at MAC reiterate our stance that such short sighted sensationalist and insulting attacks on our Prophet (PBUH) do not improve dialogue or debate between communities.

We welcome constructive and civil debate about all aspects of our faith and way of life but we do not accept the right to freedom to insult and abuse under the rethoric of freedom of speech. Having the right to criticise and having freedom of expression and faith in our society is not the same thing as deliberatly provoking and insulting each other. The former leads to community growth and cohesion. The latter leads to hatred and bitterness. We should be aiming at the former and not the latter.