In a letter penned to the President of European Parliament Human Rights Committee Ms. Maria Arena on Tue. evening, Zohre Elahian wrote, “While condemning the blasphemous moves and apologizing to all Muslims in the world, French government should deal with the perpetrators of blasphemy seriously.”
Addressing the President of the European Parliament Human Rights Committee and High Commissioner of the Human Rights, Elahian lashed out at insulting moves of various magazines in Europe including France’s Charlie Hebdo’s Magazine in insulting Islamic sanctities and pure religion of Islam and termed these blasphemous moves as ‘Human Rights Documents’.
An excerpt of this letter is read as follow,
The insulting moves of various magazines in Europe including France’s Charlie Hebdo in insulting Islamic sanctities and pure religion of Islam such as the republication of a cartoon on the Prophet of Kindness, Peace and Justice Hazrat Muhammad (S), have hurt the feelings of more than one billion Muslims throughout the world.
These blasphemous acts and its repetition occur at a time when all European states, including the French government, are duty bound to refrain from any expression of opinion which contradicts with the security and order, health or public ethics and also fundamental freedoms and rights of others according to the binding obligations of human rights.
Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms explicitly states that Freedom of expression is not absolute and requires duties and responsibilities and may be subject to punishment at the condition that it endangers public health or reputation and rights of others.
Finally, all western governments especially France are expected to live up to their commitments and avoid double standards. While condemning these blasphemous and derogatory acts and apologizing to all Muslims around the world, French government is requested to deal with the perpetrators of blasphemy effectively and seriously.
The French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo has republished offensive cartoons of Prophet Muhammad (S) that stirred outrage in the Muslim world when they were first published in 2015. The special issue was released on Wednesday, on the eve of the trial of suspects in a deadly attack on the paper’s office five years ago.
During an illegal gathering on August 28, supporters of right-wing Danish politician Rasmus Paludan, who leads the anti-Islamic Group Tight Direction (Stram Kurs), burned a copy of the Holy Qur’an in the southern Swedish city of Malmo.
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