President Goodluck Jonathan has condemned the
blasphemous movie produced in the United States of America (USA) that denigrate
Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and Islam.
Addressing the 67th General Assembly of the United Nations
yesterday in New York, Jonathan condemned deliberate denigration of religious
beliefs.
He warned that “freedom of expression should never be construed
as a licence for actions that may lead to violence and disorder.”
The president said freedom of expression and religious tolerance
should be complimentary to each other for the peaceful coexistence of people of
varying faiths and religious beliefs.
He told the assembly that “Events of recent weeks have demonstrated
how interconnected our world is and the extent to which one incident can spark
off general mayhem and conflagration. Freedom of expression should not be a
licence to incitement. The freedom that we all hold dear and true should
be exercised wisely and cautiously. Freedom of expression and religious
tolerance must not be mutually exclusive but should be complimentary to each
other.
“Much as we eschew violence and deplore the needless losses of
lives and destruction of property, we also condemn the deliberate denigration
of religious beliefs and sensitivities which in turn lead to counter
reactions,” President Jonathan said.
Jonathan reiterated his call for the establishment of a Conflict
Mediation Commission under the Office of the UN Secretary-General to further
strengthen the peace building initiatives of the United Nations.
Source: Daily Trust
No comments:
Post a Comment