World

UK Muslims condemn move to host Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) exhibit

UK-based anti-Sharia campaign group to host an exhibition featuring cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in September

Web Desk July 04, 2015

Politician Geert Wilders said he wanted to showcase cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) on Dutch television on airtime usually reserved for political parties PHOTO: AFP

Muslim organisations in the United Kingdom condemned on Saturday an anti-Sharia campaign group's decision to host an exhibition featuring cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (pubh) in London in September.

Chairperson of the Muslim Safety Forum in London, Azad Ali, said the proposed exhibit by UK-based Sharia Watch is an attempt to taunt the tolerance levels of British Muslims and a cheap attempt to create disharmony in the UK.

"They keep on pushing the boundary, testing the levels and always upping the ante ... this is what this is about: getting a reaction from Muslims," the chairperson added.

Read: Two dead, one wounded at Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) cartoon contest in US

Further, he said they are looking to find ways for a positive discussion to come out of this. "But no one thinks the planned event is anything but racist," he added.

Dutch politician Geert Wilders, who is known to be vehemently anti-Islam, will feature in the exhibit as a speaker.

Read: Dutch lawmaker wants to show Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) cartoons on TV

Earlier in June, Geert Wilders said he wanted to showcase cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) on Dutch television on airtime usually reserved for political parties.

However, the Dutch parliament decided not to display the cartoons.

This article originally appeared on Al Jazeera.

COMMENTS (18)

AE | 9 years ago | Reply @sharabi: What about non-religious feelings - are you happy for them to be offended? What about the offence the Bible and Koran cause to others? Free speech works both ways.

sharabi | 9 years ago | Reply Do not offend religious feelings. May Allah (SWT) show them proper path.

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Aman | 9 years ago | Reply Agnostic western manipulator know very well Muslim week spot, they press it and keep pressing it until we broke then some lunatic among us goes violent. Though Islam never teach to go violent in any situation they says and suggest keep distance from controversies like that but some chose to ignore.

AE | 9 years ago | Reply @Rex Minor: " It is not very easy to differentiate between the Freedom of Expression and Hate speech? Can you?" Yes, hate speech is typically directed towards another person or group on the grounds of race, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic origin and religion. Criticism or ridicule of a belief system or ideology is not hate speech - it's aimed at the beliefs, not those who chose to believe in those beliefs, albeit they may be offended. Blasphemy laws have been scrapped in much of western Europe, because it is widely accepted that ideas should be open to criticism and challenge.

AE | 9 years ago | Reply @Splice: "Freedom of expression as an idea doesn’t have universal acceptance in terms of its interpretation." You're right in so far as that many countries have no such thing as freedom of expression. Speaking out against the status quo can lead to state sanctioned punishment, which is beyond disgraceful. "Holocaust denial movement should spread all across Europe." In many European countries, Holocaust denial is entirely legal. Either way, I'm not convinced that drawing a cartoon of a man who lived 1400 years ago is comparable to the denial of the mass murder of 6 million innocent people only 70 years ago. "Theatre plays celebrating the killing of Jews should be shown across Europe and U.S." But that would be incitement to hatred and/or violence.

AE | 9 years ago | Reply @XY: "There is a fine line between freedom of expression and insulting one’s belief." With respect, you completely misunderstand freedom of expression. There is no line, fine or otherwise, between freedom of expression and insulting one's beliefs. Sometimes they overlap. The point is this, just because someone is offended, that doesn't give them the right to censor another person's speech. Pretty much anything anyone says will offend someone, somewhere - that's just tough luck - none of us has the right to go through life never feeling offended. Did you even consider that many people are offended by the content of the Bible and Koran? Are you suggesting they should be banned?

Agnostic | 9 years ago | Reply To all: Jews don't kill you if you deny the holocaust. India banned the rape documentary but it did not kill the maker. You can do everything you people cited. Nobody ever gets murdered. Why should the cartoonists die? You cannot scare people.

Rex Minor | 9 years ago | Reply @Agnostic: It is not very easy to differentiate between the Freedom of Expression and Hate speech? Can you? Rex Minor

the eddy | 9 years ago | Reply @excalibur: But then the civil society protested.

jay | 9 years ago | Reply @excalibur: because she took that illegally

Shaheer | 9 years ago | Reply @Agnostic Islam prohibits us making fun of other religions, hence they are actually trying to get a reaction from us and deem us "extremists"

excalibur | 9 years ago | Reply @ agnostic Why did India ban the Daughter of India rape documentary made by a Britisher ????? And that was not religion but a social issue

Parvez | 9 years ago | Reply As the Pope correctly said ' ......freedom of expression must be balanced with responsibility '.

Milind | 9 years ago | Reply "They keep on pushing the boundary, testing the levels and always upping the ante " This is exactly what non-Muslims complain about Muslims in non-Muslim countries. In fact this pushing the boundary, testing levels etc happens within Muslim countries as well, when multiple sects jostle for validity & supremacy...

XY | 9 years ago | Reply There is a fine line between freedom of expression and insulting one's belief.

Splice | 9 years ago | Reply @Agnostic Freedom of expression as an idea doesn't have universal acceptance in terms of its interpretation. Any attempt to impose a single interpretation on all people is itself a mockery of the idea. Using their own interpretation, or the unfettered type you are trying to propagate, exhibits glorifying Hitler should be put up in Germany and France. Holocaust denial movement should spread all across Europe. Theatre plays celebrating the killing of Jews should be shown across Europe and U.S. We know what will happen to the freedom to express any of these ideas.

Rumi | 9 years ago | Reply The best response is to ignore!

Agnostic | 9 years ago | Reply Freedom of expression has to be respected. The day Muslims learn to protest with civility is the day all this will end. You cannot murder people for drawing cartoons. At best you pay them back by drawing cartoons of your own.

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