Daily Alert Archives

Double Standard at the Organization of the Islamic Conference

(National Review) Jacob Mchangama - Pope Benedict XVI's call last week for increased protection of Christians targeted by sectarian violence in the Middle East was met with a furious response by the Egyptian government, which complained that the pope's comments constituted "unacceptable interference" in Egyptian affairs. Yet when in 2005 a Danish newspaper published cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad, the Egyptian government coordinated the campaign of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) to pressure the Danish government into apologizing for the cartoons. The increasing extremist violence is the logical outcome of the institutionalization of a particular religious identity rather than pluralism, equal rights, and individual freedom as the basic framework of society. The efforts of OIC countries to promote Islamic values have legitimized and fanned the fundamentalism that now threatens to tear apart those societies. There is an urgent need to confront the OIC about its double standard. The plight of religious minorities and the denial of human rights in OIC countries must be put firmly on the agenda. The writer is director of legal affairs at the Danish think tank CEPOS.
2011-01-21 08:31:33
Full Article