Respect religious symbols, beliefs: FM
Web posted at: 2/19/2006 4:16:15
Source ::: The Peninsula

Doha: First Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister H E Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani has decried what he says is the use of double standard as regards the publication of caricatures of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH).

The Foreign Minister also called for an objective understanding and solution to the crises faced by the Islamic world, particularly those in Iran, Iraq and Lebanon. Causes that lead to frustration and creation of an environment that could breed terrorism must be studied and curative measures should be adopted to combat the threat.

Addressing a US-Islamic World Forum which he opened here yesterday, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem said: “We must exert our best efforts to prevent provocation and respect beliefs and sacred religious symbols of people without discrimination”. Double standard “as we have recently witnessed regarding the publication of caricatures insulting the Prophet (PBUH)” should not be used.

Talking of extreme views and fundamentalism that led to clash of civilisations, he said they did not exist on one side and were rather present on both ends of the spectrum.

This is the fourth consecutive year since 9/11 that Doha is hosting the US-Islamic world forum that represents a dialogue between the Muslim world and the West. More than 150 delegates from many countries across the world are attending the conference, including former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto.

Martin Indyk, director of Saban Centre for Middle East Policy at US-based Brookings Institution, Karen Hughes, US undersecretary of state for public affairs, Syed Hamid Albar, Malaysia’s foreign minister, Sheikh Khalid bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Bahrain’s foreign minister, and E Ihsanoglu, secretary general of OIC, were the other speakers. The three-day forum concludes at the Ritz-Carlton tomorrow.

Talking of the five years since 9/11, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem said many developments had taken place in the region ever since and the deficiencies and failures remained. The settlement of the Palestinian question which was hanging fire for a long time, was key to bettering understanding and relations between the two worlds: Muslims and the West. The Palestinian issue must be settled in the framework of legal international resolutions, the First Deputy Premier said.

He said free and fair elections were held in the Palestinian territories so the world community must respect the mandate of its people. Qatar, said Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem, had on its part urged Hamas to continue with peace and reform process to ensure peace and prosperity. Therefore, imposing preconditions and threatening with penal actions are in conflict with logic, he said, obliquely hinting at USA’s current stance vis-à-vis Hamas.