Saudi's Grand Mufti calls for criminalisation of 'insults to prophets'

17 September, 2012

Saudi Grand Mufti and country's highest spiritual leader has asked the film protesters to shun violence and called for international criminalization of insults to prophets. While denouncing attacks on embassies as un-Islamic, he called on Muslims to follow the Prophet's footstep while expressing their anger against the offenders.

BEING A close ally of the United States, Saudi Arabia is unmoved despite the whole region being in a grip of anti-American demonstrations. According to the Grand Mufti, if Muslims surrendered to anger by killing innocent people and attack public facilities, they would be, in fact, helping those in achieving their objectives who were behind the production of this offensive movie.

He called attacks on the innocents and diplomats unacceptable to the Islamic religion. Meanwhile, Yemen-based al Qaeda has called on Muslims to kill American diplomats in Islamic countries and step up protests against the anti-Islam film.

Earlier, US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton had telephoned Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal to discuss the ant-American violence in the Middle East due to the controversial film. Prince Saud has also stressed dialogue among different religions and cultures along with appeal to people not to abuse, offend or vilify religions, their prophets and symbols.

So far, at least nine people were killed in the protests across the Middle East besides three Americans, including its envoy, were killed in an attack on a U.S. mission in Libya a few days ago.

The violence spread to Egypt, Lebanon, Tunisia, Sudan, Yemen and angry protests were held in over 20 Muslim-dominated countries over an anti-Islam movie, a trailer of which was uploaded on YouTube.