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by IANS |
Cairo, June 7 (IANS) The Cairo-based Arab Parliament has strongly condemned and rejected the "irresponsible remarks" made by two former spokespersons of the ruling party in India against Prophet Muhammad.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Arab Parliament said that "such statements completely contradict the principle of tolerance and interfaith dialogue", which "leads to a state of tension and hatred between religions".
The legislative body of the Arab League also expressed surprise that "such statements are issued by political officials who are supposed to be more keen on spreading the values of moderation, tolerance and dialogue between religions and civilizations, and confronting extremist ideas that feed sedition and religious hatred".
The Arab Parliament also called for the "necessity of realizing the great difference between freedom of expression and respect for the beliefs of others, stressing that it is not possible in any way to accept insulting religions and their sacred symbols under the pretext of freedom of opinion and expression", the statement added.
Nupur Sharma, who was a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson, has been suspended by the party's leadership, and the party's Delhi unit media head Naveen Jindal has been expelled.
The BJP has said that party's view is to respect all religions.
The controversial statements have set off an international furore.
Several Muslim nations, including Afghanistan, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Indonesia and Iran, as well as the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation have officially protested their statements and demanded an apology.
