Note #9132 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:
06093 Feb. 15, 2006
Christians, Muslims must together douse cartoon 'fire,' says WCC chief
Kobia says crisis is opportunity for religions to show mutual respect
by Jerry L. Van Marter Ecumenical News International
PORTO ALEGRE, Brazil - Christians and Muslims must work together to "put out the fire" created by cartoon caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, the World Council of Churches' top official said yesterday (Feb. 14).
The Rev. Samuel Kobia, general secretary of the WCC, said the council's "may well have something to say"about the continuing furor over the cartoons during its ninth Assembly, which started yesterday and runs through Feb. 23. But ending the crisis, which has included violent demonstrations in several places around the world, will require "a global contract for respect," Kobia said.
"Freedom of speech is a fundamental human right," Kobia told journalists on the opening day of the meeting, "but not a freedom to say anything for any reason. When it is used to devalue human dignity, it devalues the very freedoms on which it is based."
Any further publication of the cartoons could jeopardize dialogue that must take place to bring about better understanding between different groups in society, he said.
The cartoons were first printed in Denmark in September, but later re-publication in several countries ignited the ire of Muslims around the world, provoking violence in many locations. Followers of Islam believe publishing images of Muhammad is blasphemous. The crisis over the cartoons has created a furious debate about religious sensitivity and press freedom.
The moderator of the WCC, Catholicos Aram I of the Armenian Apostolic Church, said people of all faiths "must live as a community, recognizing and respecting our diversities."
"Whether we like it or not, we are neighbors," Aram said. "We are no more strangers. This means we cannot impose our norms on our neighbors."
Kobia said disparagement of other religions by the adherents of any faith "will only breed tension between majorities and minorities going both ways." He warned that violent protests against the cartoons risk justifying the caricatures, one of which portrayed Muhammad with a bomb in his turban.
Societies must learn to respect the importance of religion, as communities everywhere become more multicultural, Kobia said, adding: "This crisis, if we can together put out this fire, offers that opportunity."
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