Brussels, 14/02/2006 (Agence Europe) - According to the Figaro, during a meeting with Javier Solana in Jeddah on 13 February (EUROPE 9130), the Secretary General of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, suggested a number of proposals to protect Islam and prevent problems, such as the one arising with the cartoons of Mohamed, arising in the future. In practice the EU should, “vote for laws against Islamaphobia”; the EU and OIC should “support a UN resolution based on existing resolutions to fight religious defamation” (see below); it will be necessary to “adopt a code of conduct for European media that takes into account the feelings of Muslims”; the UN ought to adopt a “code for international communication” that “defines the limits to the freedom of expression in the domain of religious symbols”. Mr Solana continued his tour of Arab countries with a visit to Egypt on Tuesday where he met president Mubarak.
In the meantime, 57 OIC countries have submitted a text to the UN that aims to ban religious intolerance. These countries are seeking to include this text in the draft resolution on the setting up of a Council on Human Rights, which is expected to replace the current UN Human Rights Commission. According to AFP, the proposed text evokes cases of “intolerance, discrimination, incitement to hatred and violence resulting from any act against religions, prophets and beliefs etc”. The draft also explains that “defamation of religion or prophets does not conform with freedom of expression” and affirms that countries, organisations and the media “are responsible for promoting tolerance and respect for religious and cultural values”.
In a backdrop to the European Parliament plenary session in Strasbourg, the Head of the EPP-ED group Hans-Gert Pöttering said that he was “very worried by developments” surrounding the cartoons published in Denmark. The group will defend “all forces for the freedom of expression” but at the same time shares “the feelings of believers, whatever their religion”¸ declared Pöttering to the press on Tuesday. The CDU MEP announced that the EPP-ED would make “three proposals”: set up an “experts committee” to analyse school books; launch a dissertation competition for all school children in the world; make the Euromed Parliamentary Assembly in Brussels available for “regular meetings on this subject. PES Head, Martin Schulz, underlined the fact that freedom of expression is “a non-negotiable right” but that this right “must go together with a sense of responsibility”.