Disparaging Prophet Muhammad not "free expression"

The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) continues to follow up the repercussions of the abusive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad, salla allahu alayhi wa-sallam (SAWS) (peace be upon him) and strongly condemns such an unjustified provocation of Muslim feelings under the pretext of freedom of expression.

The OIC's General Secretariat reiterates its assertion that defamation of the Messengers (peace be upon them) is unacceptable under any pretext, noting in this context the ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in October 2018. This ruling, which stipulated that disparagement of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) is not freedom of expression, upheld another domestic judgment issued by an Austrian court against an Austrian woman convicted for insulting Prophet Muhammad (SAWS).

On its part, the General Secretariat renews its rejection of any attempt to render Islam the objective correlative of terrorism. It condemns every terrorist act, regardless of its perpetrator, and calls for intellectual and cultural freedom to be a beacon for respect, tolerance, and peace, and reject all practices and actions that generate hatred, violence, and extremism and disturbs the values of coexistence and mutual respect among the peoples of the world.

It is noteworthy that on October 23, 2020, the OIC's General Secretariat issued a statement expressing its disappointment at the official political rhetoric of some French officials that undermines French-Islamic relations and fuels feelings of hatred for narrow-minded partisan political gains. The statement added that the OIC would continue to condemn the disparagement of all Messengers of Islam, Christianity, and Judaism. Many OIC Member States issued statements in support of that position.

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