JEDDAH: The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) yesterday slammed the publication by a Norwegian Christian magazine of controversial caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).

The printing of the same cartoons in a Danish paper has already sparked uproar in the Muslim world.

OIC secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu “has denounced and strongly disapproved the ... publication of blasphemous and insulting caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) in the Norwegian newspaper Magazinet following their earlier appearance in the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten,” said a statement.

Ihsanoglu believes that “these misguided Islamophobic acts, by deeply hurting the feelings of one-fifth of humanity, go beyond the freedom of expression or press.

“They violate international principles, values and ethics enshrined in the various resolutions and declarations of the United Nations,” said the statement by the Jeddah-based 57-member pan-Islamic body.

The OIC chief called on “the high religious authorities from the Christian and Jewish world who have until now been actively participating in the inter-faith dialogue” to be “more forthcoming on this issue by adopting unambiguous stances.” - AFP