[30/September/2010]

RIYADH, Sept. 30 (Saba) -- The largest pan-Islamic group condemned the reprint of controversial cartoons on the Prophet Muhammad in a new book, due for release on Thursday in Denmark, according to Xinhua.

Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu "expressed his dismay and disappointment" at the release of the book, the Jeddah-based body said in a statement.

Ihsanoglu said that the Danish government has a "moral responsibility" of intervening against the publication of the book "due to the highly provocative and inciting contents" within, the statement said.

The book titled "The Tyranny of Silence" is authored by Flemming Rose, the editor of Danish Jyllands-Posten newspaper which first published the cartoons five years ago. The paper published the drawings by cartoonist Kurt Westergaard in Sept. 2005, sparking massive protests in several Muslim countries.

"The publication of the book was a deliberate attempt to incite prejudices and animosity which would undermine the ongoing efforts of the international community for promoting understanding and peaceful coexistence among peoples of diverse religious and cultural backgrounds," Ihsanoglu was quoted by the statement as saying.

The chief of the 57-state body also pointed out to the Danish criminal code which stipulates protection of religious feelings against mockery and scorn.

Saba