New York: UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has criticised the media for continuing to publish cartoons depicting the Prophet.
He has also urged the Palestinian outfit Hamas to change itself into a political party.
"I do not understand why any newspaper is publishing the cartoons today. It is insensitive, it is offensive, it is provocative and you can see it in the reactions all over the world," he said.
"I urge Hamas to listen to the appeals not just from the Quartet, but from other governments in the region asking it to transform itself into a political party. We must also understand that this is not the first time that an armed movement has transformed itself into a political party," he added.
Annan was voicing his concern after a Danish daily published caricatures of Prophet Mohammad evoking violent reactions from Muslims all over the world.
An Iranian newspaper 'Hamshahri', in reaction to the Prophet Mohammad cartoons, is holding a contest for cartoons about the Holocaust.
'Hamshahri' employees say this is their way of giving it back to newspapers in Europe.
The newspaper says the contest is designed to test the boundaries of free speech - the reason given by many European newspapers for publishing the cartoons of the Prophet.
It is offering gold coins to the best 12 artists - the same number of cartoons that were commissioned by the Danish newspaper.
"Hamshahri, far from any conflict-seeking attitude or illogical behaviour, has called on the artists of the world to use free speech to send cartoons on these issues to take part in the contest," the newspaper said.
The competition has drawn sharp criticism from the US and several European countries.
According to them the Iranian regime had plummeted to new depths as it regards the deaths of six million Jews as a matter for humour.
Last week, protests in Iran over cartoons portraying had intensified with hundreds of angry demonstrators stoning the Danish embassy in Tehran and attempting to storm it.
Muslim leaders in US had earlier stated that while defamation of any religion is wrong, the violence in Middle East and Asia is not right either.
The leaders, who gathered at the National Press Building in Washington, stood by the freedom of press. But they added that freedom came with a sense of responsibility.
(With Agency inputs)
Comments
0 comment