Anti-Islam movie. The EU with Arab and African organizations against extremism

(BRUSSELS2) Faced with the rise of anti-Western violence in certain Muslim countries - and the protests animated, on the one hand, covertly by radical fundamentalist groups, on the other by an extreme right blowing on the embers; the European Union (through its High Representative) with three other regional organizations — the Organization of the Islamic Conference and the Arab League (through their respective Secretaries General) and the African Union (through its commissioner for peace and security) — have just issued (Thursday evening) a joint press release which, in my opinion, is a first (*). Here we have European diplomacy in action. This is not often emphasized. So let's clarify...

The anguish of Muslims, shared by all, the necessary respect for the prophets

The 4 "musketeers" wanted to send a " message of peace and tolerance”. " We share a deep respect for all religions. We are united in our conviction of the fundamental importance of religious freedom and tolerance. We condemn any incitement to religious hatred that constitutes incitement to hostility and violence. While fully acknowledging freedom of expression, we believe in the importance of respecting all prophets, regardless of the religion to which they belong. » « The anguish of Muslims, faced with the production of a film insulting Islam, the publication of an extract on the Internet and other similar acts, is shared by all individuals and communities who refuse that religion be used to fuel provocation, confrontation and extremism. »

A message against extremists

« We condemn any message of hatred and intolerance. We know that the behavior of small groups of people does not represent the larger communities from which they originate. But the damage they can inflict can be extensive. We must ensure that recent events do not undermine the relationships of trust and respect that we have gained over many years between our peoples, communities and States. The international community cannot be held hostage to the actions of extremists on either side. »

A call to end the violence

“We condemn the recent attacks on diplomatic missions which have caused tragic loss of life. Violence can have no place in our societies and offensive speech cannot be satisfied with violent acts. Because that will only create a spiral of brutality from which we all suffer. Reason rather than rage must prevail. Today we call for an end to violence where it exists. We call for peace and restraint. »

"We reiterate our strong commitment to take further steps and work towards international consensus on tolerance and respect for religion, including on the basis of UN Human Rights Committee resolution 16/18. . Furthermore, we call on all leaders, whether political, secular or religious, to promote dialogue and mutual understanding. We will continue our efforts to show that what unites us across regions and religions is much greater than what separates us. The only answer to the darkness of intolerance and ignorance is the light of mutual respect, tolerance and dialogue.”

Text of the Joint Declaration(English)

(*) With one exception, in 2006, J. Solana with Ban Ki Moon (UN) and Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu (OIC) had reacted to an identical event, after the outbreak of violence which had followed the publication of the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad in 2006 by a Danish newspaper (read this statement).