Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
The Collective Voice of The Muslim World
Date: 10/11/2007
Mr. Anders Forsberg, Secretary General of the Swedish Parliament accompanied by Ambassador Ann Dismor, Head of the Department of International Relations of the Swedish Parliament called on the Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu at the latter’s office in Jeddah today. During their meeting, Mr. Forsberg briefed the OIC Secretary General of the policy of the Swedish Government and the Swedish parliament to engage in a dialogue with the parliaments of the Muslim countries for better understanding and cooperation. He said that the Swedish Parliament would appreciate the support of the OIC in this regard. Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu thanked the Swedish delegation for their visit to the OIC General Secretariat and expressed his satisfaction over the existing level of contacts between the OIC and Sweden. He said that the OIC was a pioneer on the concept of dialogue between civilizations and stressed that concrete results could be achieved only when there was real dialogue and not two monologues. He regretted that this had not yet come about. The OIC Secretary General urged the Swedish delegation to continue the dialogue within their own society involving the Swedish civil society and intellectuals so that the values and sentiments of different cultures and civilizations could be better understood and appreciated. In this context the OIC Secretary General stated that the Swedish initiative for dialogue and understanding stood to be defeated by publication caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) such as those by the Swedish artist Lars Viks. He said that these cartoons were deliberate and motivated and designed to provoke and incite the sentiments of more than a billion Muslims the world over. He said that Lars Viks latest move to produce a musical based on his caricatures of Prophet Muhammad was yet another move to incite hatred and intolerance and disturb world peace. He urged Mr. Forsberg to consider the dangerous implications and consequences that may come out from the proposed musical and hoped that the needful would be done to prevent the production of the same. Mr. Forsberg said that the Prime Minister of Sweden had made a public statement against vilification of religions and that the acts of people like Lars Viks had no support of the Swedish people.
