By Muin Abdul Majid, Bernama
Dubai : The United Arab Emirates has condemned the release of a Dutch film, viewed as insulting to Islam and Prophet Muhammad, on the Internet.
UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan also described as deplorable the film director’s insistence to put the film “Fitna” on the Internet.
He lauded the move by the United Nations secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to strongly condemn the offensive work, Emirates News Agency reported.
Sheikh Abdullah called on the people to respect each other’s religions and refrain from insulting other people’s beliefs.
According to him, freedom of expression should not be used to instigate hatred.
In this connection, the foreign minister called on Islamic countries and Muslims to exercise self-restraint and wisdom to counter such instigations.
Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) secretary-general Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has issued a statement condemning the release of the film by Dutch lawmaker Geert Wilders.
The 15-minute film, posted Thursday on a London-based website, has also elicited condemnation from the European Union, the Dutch government and Muslim communities worldwide.