Metro Muslims demand Denmark’s apology for Muhammad cartoons

Thousands of angry Muslims burned a mock Danish flag outside a mosque in Quiapo, Manila yesterday, demanding an apology from Denmark’s prime minister over caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad first published in a Danish newspaper.

"Muslims love Prophet Muhammad. Peace be upon him," read a streamer carried by the protesters after noon prayers at the Golden Mosque on Globo de Oro street in Quiapo. "Punish the Jyllands Posten Denmark publisher," it said.

The protesters ripped apart a Danish flag made of cardboard, then set it on fire. They also demanded that President Arroyo condemn the caricatures.

"An immediate apology is highly in order. The Prophet Muhammad is no terrorist but a prophet who espouses the wisdom of Allah, the almighty God," said Anak Mindanao party-list Rep. Mujiv Hataman.

About 300 Muslims also gathered at the Blue Mosque in Maharlika Village in Taguig City.

Kashim Kandido, coordinator of Anak Mindanao, said they would just like to stand up for their faith.

"It is deplorable and condemnable that even in modern days, such kind of blasphemy and wickedness is still happening," Hataman said in a statement released to the media.

He explained that while the Muslims respect the freedom of the press, the Danish daily should not use it as basis for the publications of "derogatory and highly insulting cartoons."

Almarin Tillah, former Tawi-Tawi governor and chairman of the Bangsamoro National Congress, an umbrella of Muslim civil society groups, brought along copies of the caricatures, including one showing the Prophet Muhammad wearing a turban with a protruding stick of dynamite.

"We are in rage as you can see now," he said. "How can the prophet of Islam — and Islam means peace — be a terrorist?"

Tillah said the Danish prime minister must apologize, and justified the angry reactions of Muslims worldwide.

According to Tillah, the Islamic tradition bars any depiction of the prophet, favorable or not.

Basilan Rep. and House Deputy Speaker Gerry Salapuddin attributed the Danish government’s effort to put Muslims in a bad light as a result of Islam’s effective teachings, Islam now being considered as the "fastest growing and spreading religion in Asia, Europe and the US" despite the negative depictions by some foreign media.

Tillah, meanwhile, criticized Mrs. Arroyo for not protesting over the cartoons, calling the government "totally insensitive" to the sentiments of millions of Filipino Muslims.

Call for interfaith dialogue

As this developed, however, the Philippine mission to the United Nations, however, has already pushed for interfaith initiative following the protests staged by Muslims in different countries.

Ambassador Lauro Baja Jr., the Philippines’ permanent representative to the United Nations, said the controversy has given added relevance to Philippine initiatives in the UN that seek to promote interfaith dialogue for peace.

"We must learn from this sad experience the importance of religious tolerance and mutual respect," Baja said.

Instead of debating freedom of expression and religious freedom, Baja said the international community should focus its attention on how to defuse escalating rhetoric and violence that resulted in the publication of the distasteful cartoons.

Tens of thousands of Muslims have also staged protest rallies in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. At least five persons were killed in Afghanistan and Lebanon while the Danish missions in Beirut and Damascus were torched by angry mobs.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called on the international community, civil society and media to promote universal respect for all religious and cultural values and prevent serious instances of intolerance, discrimination, incitement of hatred and violence resulting from defamation of religions, prophets and beliefs, which, it said, threatens human rights and fundamental freedoms.

The Philippines has been at the forefront of the interfaith initiative at the UN, having been instrumental in convening the conference on interfaith cooperation for peace last year.

More protest actions

Yesterday’s show of force in Manila and Taguig was the second protest over the cartoons in a week, after hundreds of religious students on Tuesday burned a Danish flag in Cotabato City.

Hataman said it was only the beginning of planned daily protests against the Danish newspaper. The Muslims are set to stage a protest rally at the Danish Embassy in Makati on Monday.

Jyllands Posten, a Danish newspaper, was the first to publish the cartoons in September. The caricatures were later reprinted by various newspapers in Europe and other parts of the world.

Police said earlier they have tightened security at Denmark’s honorary consulate and the Norwegian embassy in Manila, which handles Denmark’s interests in the country.

Meanwhile, Iranian Ambassador Jalal Kalantari said that while he did not encourage the staging of protests by Muslims in the Philippines, he said it is understandable because the publication was an insult to their religious values.

Asked about reports that Iran and Syria are fueling the protests, Kalantari described it as a "baseless" allegation.

He stressed that Iran and Syria, which the United States referred to as countries that harbor terrorists, did not start the protests. — Nestor Etolle, Rhodina Villanueva, Pia Lee-Brago, Delon Porcalla, AP