Selon les organisations non gouvernementales locales et internationales, dont Amnesty International et Human Rights Watch, les prisons tunisiennes comptaient avant l’annonce de cette mesure quelque 400 d\u00e9tenus \u00ab\u00a0politiques\u00a0\u00bb, contre environ un millier il y a quelques ann\u00e9es. La plupart sont des dirigeants ou des membres du mouvement islamiste interdit \u00ab\u00a0Ennahdha\u00a0\u00bb. Les autorit\u00e9s, citant les d\u00e9lits pour lesquels ils ont \u00e9t\u00e9 condamn\u00e9s, les consid\u00e8rent comme des prisonniers de droits commun. <\/div>\n

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Abdallah Zouari confirme<\/font><\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
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Le journaliste Abdallah Zouari joint par t\u00e9l\u00e9phone depuis Paris a confirm\u00e9 la lib\u00e9ration de Mer Hamadi Jbeli<\/strong>, de Mer Samir B<\/strong>nnour<\/b> et de\u00a0Mer \u00a0Kemel Hajjem<\/strong>. Presque\u00a0 70 prisonniers islamistes ont \u00e9t\u00e9 lib\u00e9r\u00e9 aujourd’hui. <\/div>\n
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R\u00e9pression sauvage contre la mobilisation pour la libert\u00e9 de r\u00e9union<\/font><\/h2>\n
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Paris, le 25 f\u00e9vrier 2006 Plusieurs centaines de jeunes, de militants politiques, associatifs et syndicalistes se sont d\u00e9plac\u00e9s hier apr\u00e8s-midi pour un rassemblement au si\u00e8ge du FDTL \u00e0 Tunis. Ils r\u00e9pondaient \u00e0 l\u2019appel lanc\u00e9 par le collectif 18 octobre pour les droits et les libert\u00e9s en Tunisie.<\/div>\n
Un \u00e9norme dispositif policier a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9ploy\u00e9 aux alentours de la rue d\u2019Angleterre, o\u00f9 se situe le lieu du rassemblement, emp\u00eachant toute personne d\u2019y acc\u00e9der. Les groupes qui ont pu se constituer dans les rues avoisinantes ont \u00e9t\u00e9 refoul\u00e9s par la police et plusieurs militants ont \u00e9t\u00e9 sauvagement tabass\u00e9s. Ainsi, Mohamed Mzem, syndicaliste \u00e9tudiant, a \u00e9t\u00e9 bless\u00e9 \u00e0 la t\u00eate ce qui a n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 deux points de sutures ; Abdallah Garram, syndicaliste, s\u2019est retrouv\u00e9 avec une blessure \u00e0 la main ; Abdelhamid Sgha\u00efer, \u00e9tudiant, et Ahmed Khaskhousi, universitaire, ont aussi \u00e9t\u00e9 agress\u00e9s ; N\u00e9jib Chebbi, Hamma Hammami et Ayachi Hammami ont \u00e9t\u00e9 brutalement bouscul\u00e9s par la police.<\/div>\n
Nabil Yahyaoui, Samir Ta\u00e2mallah, Mounir Flah, Walid Azzouzi ont \u00e9t\u00e9 battus et arr\u00eat\u00e9s avant d\u2019\u00eatre rel\u00e2ch\u00e9s quelques heures plus tard. Les avocats Khaled Krichi, Fay\u00e7el Jadlaoui et Adel Mbarki, ont \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9tenus pendant plus de deux heures.<\/div>\n
Plusieurs militants venant de diff\u00e9rentes r\u00e9gions du pays ont \u00e9t\u00e9 emp\u00each\u00e9s d\u2019arriver \u00e0 Tunis, c\u2019est le cas de Anouar Kousri qui arrivait de Bizerte, de huit militants qui venaient de Kairouan, de N\u00e9jib Hosni et d\u2019autres militants qui ont \u00e9t\u00e9 bloqu\u00e9s au niveau de Borj El Amri. L\u2019avocat H\u00e9di Mannai a \u00e9t\u00e9 brutalis\u00e9 et bloqu\u00e9 au niveau de Sidjoumi aux environs de la capitale et Abderahmane H\u00e9dhili n\u2019a pas pu quitter la ville de Monastir.<\/div>\n
Le rassemblement d\u2019hier s\u2019inscrivait dans le cadre de la campagne lanc\u00e9e par le collectif 18 octobre pour exiger la libert\u00e9 de r\u00e9union en Tunisie. Depuis quelques mois, l\u2019acharnement de la dictature s\u2019est accentu\u00e9, emp\u00eachant syst\u00e9matiquement toute action ind\u00e9pendante. Les activit\u00e9s du collectif 18 octobre ont toutes \u00e9t\u00e9 interdites par la police politique, et ce depuis sa cr\u00e9ation ; Les manifestations et les r\u00e9unions organis\u00e9es par les associations et les partis ind\u00e9pendants, y compris ceux qui sont l\u00e9galement reconnus, ont \u00e9galement subi le m\u00eame sort. Nous venons d\u2019apprendre ce matin que le proc\u00e8s contre la ligue tunisienne pour la d\u00e9fense des droits de l\u2019homme a \u00e9t\u00e9 renvoy\u00e9 au 6 mai prochain, ce qui signifie la poursuite de l\u2019interdiction des activit\u00e9s de la LTDH et de l\u2019ensemble de ses sections locales.<\/div>\n
Le collectif du 18 octobre \u00e0 Paris qui s\u2019associe \u00e0 cette campagne tient \u00e0 r\u00e9affirmer sa solidarit\u00e9 avec les tunisiennes et les tunisiens qui se battent avec courage et d\u00e9termination pour arracher leurs droits et mettre un terme \u00e0 la dictature. Il appelle les d\u00e9mocrates du monde entier \u00e0 soutenir cette lutte.<\/div>\n
Collectif 18 octobre \u00e0 Paris<\/font><\/strong> Pour les droits et les libert\u00e9s en Tunisie<\/div>\n
Comit\u00e9 de coordination du Collectif 18 octobre \u00e0 Paris Pour les droits et les libert\u00e9s en Tunisie<\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n
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Ligue des droits de l’homme: cinqui\u00e8me report du proc\u00e8s<\/font><\/h2>\n
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AFP, samedi 25 f\u00e9vrier 2006 TUNIS – Le feuilleton du proc\u00e8s de la Ligue tunisienne de d\u00e9fense des droits de l’homme (LTDH) s’est poursuivi samedi avec le cinqui\u00e8me report en moins de cinq mois de cette affaire opposant des adh\u00e9rents proches du pouvoir \u00e0 la direction de l’organisation. Le proc\u00e8s a \u00e9t\u00e9 report\u00e9 au 6 mai \u00e0 la demande des avocats des plaignants \u00ab\u00a0afin d’examiner un rapport pr\u00e9sent\u00e9 par la direction de la Ligue\u00a0\u00bb, a indiqu\u00e9 le tribunal de premi\u00e8re instance de Tunis \u00e0 l’issue d’une br\u00e8ve audience. <\/div>\n
C’est le cinqui\u00e8me report de l’affaire depuis l’ouverture du proc\u00e8s, le 1er octobre 2005. Le tribunal examine depuis, une plainte d\u00e9pos\u00e9e par des adh\u00e9rents de la LTDH contre la direction accus\u00e9e d'\u00a0\u00bbabus de pouvoir et violation du r\u00e8glement int\u00e9rieur\u00a0\u00bb. Les avocats des plaignants, deux adh\u00e9rents de la LTDH proches du parti au pouvoir, le Rassemblement constitutionnel d\u00e9mocratique (RCD), ont indiqu\u00e9 que leurs clients maintenaient leur plainte. Vingt autres plaignants avaient retir\u00e9 leur plainte, le 12 novembre mais ce retrait, seulement partiel, avait emp\u00each\u00e9 une radiation de l’affaire. Ce nouveau report a \u00e9t\u00e9 qualifi\u00e9 de \u00ab\u00a0tout \u00e0 fait normal\u00a0\u00bb par l’un des deux plaignants, Me Chedly Ben Youn\u00e8s. <\/div>\n
\u00ab\u00a0C’est une honte pour la justice\u00a0\u00bb, a estim\u00e9 le pr\u00e9sident de la LTDH, Me Mokhtar Trifi, \u00e0 la sortie du tribunal. Cette d\u00e9cision, a-t-il d\u00e9clar\u00e9 \u00e0 l’AFP, souligne \u00ab\u00a0la volont\u00e9 manifeste de faire tra\u00eener l’affaire\u00a0\u00bb. Il a aussi d\u00e9nonc\u00e9 \u00ab\u00a0l’interdition impos\u00e9e aux autres membres de la LTDH d’acc\u00e9der au tribunal\u00a0\u00bb. Aucun incident n’a \u00e9maill\u00e9 l’audience, qui s’est d\u00e9roul\u00e9e sous haute surveillance polici\u00e8re mais \u00e0 laquelle ont assist\u00e9 des diplomates \u00e9trangers, notamment de l’Union europ\u00e9enne et des Etats-Unis. Des discussions entre les parties, notamment entre le comit\u00e9 directeur et les anciens plaignants et gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 la m\u00e9diation d’anciens dirigeants de la Ligue, pourraient permettre de mettre un terme \u00e0 cet imbroglio politico-judiciaire qui paralyse le fonctionnement de l’organisation, a-t-on appris de sources concordantes. Fond\u00e9e en 1977, la LTDH est la doyenne des organisations de d\u00e9fense des droits de l’homme en Afrique et dans le monde arabe. <\/div>\n
Me Ben Youn\u00e8s a indiqu\u00e9 \u00e0 l’AFP qu’il souhaitait parvenir \u00e0 un \u00ab\u00a0r\u00e8glement \u00e0 l’amiable\u00a0\u00bb d’ici la prochaine audience. \u00ab\u00a0Des pourparlers sont en cours pour essayer de r\u00e9gler le probl\u00e8me en interne, sans d\u00e9cision de jsutice\u00a0\u00bb, a-t-il indiqu\u00e9. La direction de la LTDH, qui dit \u00eatre entrav\u00e9e dans son action notamment pour organiser, depuis septembre, le sixi\u00e8me congr\u00e8s de l’organisation, accuse les autorit\u00e9s d’avoir provoqu\u00e9 la contestation dans ses rangs. Les autorit\u00e9s d\u00e9mentent soulignant que la Ligue est en proie \u00e0 une crise interne. Cette situation \u00ab\u00a0est le r\u00e9sultat d’un conflit interne dans lequel l’autorit\u00e9 publique n’interf\u00e8re nullement\u00a0\u00bb, avait affirm\u00e9 le Premier ministre, Mohamed Ghannouchi. <\/div>\n
Pr\u00e9vu le 5 septembre 2005, le congr\u00e8s n’avait pu se tenir \u00e0 la demande d’un groupe d’adh\u00e9rents proches du RCD reprochant \u00e0 la direction de violer le r\u00e9glement int\u00e9rieur et d’abuser de son pouvoir dans les travaux pr\u00e9paratoires.<\/div>\n
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La guerre contre le terrorisme est aussi m\u00e9diatique<\/font><\/h2>\n
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Par Donald Rumsfeld<\/font><\/strong> 24 f\u00e9vrier 2006 Les terroristes se sont adapt\u00e9s avec subtilit\u00e9 aux guerres de l’\u00e8re m\u00e9diatique dans laquelle nous vivons. Ce qui n’est pas le cas de l’Am\u00e9rique ni des gouvernements des autres d\u00e9mocraties. Les extr\u00e9mistes violents ont leurs propres \u00abcomit\u00e9s de relations avec les m\u00e9dias\u00bb destin\u00e9s \u00e0 manipuler l’opinion des \u00e9lites. Ils pr\u00e9voient et con\u00e7oivent des attaques qui vont faire la une des journaux en utilisant tous les moyens de communication possibles pour intimider et briser la volont\u00e9 collective des peuples libres. \u00a0 Ils savent que la communication transcende les fronti\u00e8res et qu’une simple information, pourvu qu’elle soit habilement utilis\u00e9e, peut causer autant de d\u00e9g\u00e2ts \u00e0 notre cause (et servir la leur) qu’une attaque militaire. Et ils sont capables d’agir rapidement avec des ressources modestes compar\u00e9es \u00e0 celles des vastes et on\u00e9reuses administrations des gouvernements d\u00e9mocratiques. \u00a0 Nous livrons aujourd’hui la premi\u00e8re guerre de l’\u00e8re des e-mails, des blogs, du blackberry, des messageries, des appareils photo num\u00e9riques, des t\u00e9l\u00e9phones portables, des talk radios et des informations en continu. En Tunisie, le principal journal est diffus\u00e9 \u00e0 quelque 50 000 exemplaires dans un pays de dix millions d’habitants. Mais m\u00eame dans les quartiers les plus pauvres, les antennes paraboliques fleurissent sur les toits et les balcons. \u00a0 Il y a quelques ann\u00e9es, sous le r\u00e9gime de Saddam Hussein, lorsqu’un Irakien \u00e9tait pris en possession d’une antenne parabolique ou s’il avait utilis\u00e9 Internet sans l’autorisation du gouvernement, il pouvait avoir la langue tranch\u00e9e. Aujourd’hui, les paraboles sont omnipr\u00e9sentes en Irak aussi. \u00a0 H\u00e9las, nombre de cha\u00eenes d’information regard\u00e9es gr\u00e2ce \u00e0 ces antennes manifestent une hostilit\u00e9 ouverte \u00e0 l’\u00e9gard de l’Occident. Les m\u00e9dias dans certaines r\u00e9gions du monde ne servent qu’\u00e0 enflammer et \u00e0 d\u00e9former, plut\u00f4t qu’\u00e0 expliquer et informer. Alors qu’al-Qaida et les mouvements extr\u00e9mistes utilisent ces tribunes depuis des ann\u00e9es pour empoisonner la vision de l’Occident qu’a le public musulman, nous, les Occidentaux, commen\u00e7ons \u00e0 peine \u00e0 entrer dans la course. \u00a0 Nous avons pu le constater avec les fausses all\u00e9gations de profanation du Coran l’an dernier. D’abord publi\u00e9e dans un hebdomadaire, cette histoire a ensuite \u00e9t\u00e9 diffus\u00e9e sur des sites Internet, envoy\u00e9e par mail et ressass\u00e9e sur les cha\u00eenes satellites et les stations de radio pendant des jours avant que l’on ne d\u00e9couvre la r\u00e9alit\u00e9 des faits. Cette invention a provoqu\u00e9 des \u00e9meutes anti-am\u00e9ricaines mortelles en Afghanistan et au Pakistan. \u00a0 L’arm\u00e9e am\u00e9ricaine a pris le temps de s’assurer qu’elle connaissait les faits avant de r\u00e9pondre qu’il s’agissait de fausses accusations. Mais, dans l’intervalle, des innocents sont morts. \u00a0 Nous commen\u00e7ons n\u00e9anmoins \u00e0 nous adapter. En Irak, par exemple, l’arm\u00e9e am\u00e9ricaine, en \u00e9troite collaboration avec le gouvernement irakien, a recherch\u00e9 des m\u00e9thodes non traditionnelles permettant de fournir des informations exactes au peuple irakien. Mais cette d\u00e9marche a \u00e9t\u00e9 qualifi\u00e9e d’\u00abachat d’informations\u00bb. L’explosion d’articles critiques qui en a r\u00e9sult\u00e9 a bloqu\u00e9 toute initiative. Cela a gel\u00e9 l’activit\u00e9 de ceux qui servent dans les affaires publiques militaires, qui en ont conclu qu’aucune innovation n’est possible. \u00a0 Consid\u00e9rons un instant le nombre de colonnes de journaux et d’heures de t\u00e9l\u00e9vision consacr\u00e9es aux all\u00e9gations d’abus de d\u00e9tenus \u00e0 la prison d’Abou Ghra\u00efb. Comparons-les au volume de couverture et de condamnations associ\u00e9es, par exemple, \u00e0 la d\u00e9couverte des charniers de Saddam Hussein. Les gouvernements libres doivent placer la communication au centre de chaque aspect de la lutte. Plus il faut de temps pour mettre en place un cadre de communications strat\u00e9giques, plus l’ennemi pourra occuper l’espace. \u00a0 Il y a cependant des signes de progr\u00e8s modeste. Peu apr\u00e8s le tremblement de terre d\u00e9vastateur au Pakistan, une \u00e9quipe de relations publiques a \u00e9t\u00e9 d\u00e9ploy\u00e9e avec nos forces dans la zone touch\u00e9e par la catastrophe. Elle a contribu\u00e9 \u00e0 concentrer l’attention des m\u00e9dias sur l’engagement de l’Am\u00e9rique \u00e0 aider le peuple pakistanais. Des sondages d’opinion conduits par des groupes priv\u00e9s avant et apr\u00e8s le s\u00e9isme sugg\u00e8rent que la vision des \u00c9tats-Unis au Pakistan a chang\u00e9. Les relations publiques du gouvernement et les efforts diplomatiques en direction de l’opinion commencent \u00e0 porter leurs fruits et nos personnels et l’Administration prennent mieux en compte la port\u00e9e des m\u00e9dias aujourd’hui. \u00a0 Cependant, le gouvernement doit d\u00e9velopper sa capacit\u00e9 d’anticipation et de r\u00e9action en mati\u00e8re d’information. Cela demande d’instituer des centres d’op\u00e9ration de presse fonctionnant en continu. Cela n\u00e9cessitera de moins s’appuyer sur les m\u00e9dias \u00e9crits traditionnels, et de privil\u00e9gier les m\u00e9dias \u00e9lectroniques pour tenir compte des publics des \u00c9tats-Unis et du monde qui comptent aujourd’hui de moins en moins sur les journaux et sur l’\u00e9crit. \u00a0 Cela signifie aussi qu’il faut trouver de nouveaux moyens de toucher les peuples du monde. Pendant la guerre froide, des m\u00e9dias comme Radio Free Europe se sont av\u00e9r\u00e9s tr\u00e8s efficaces. Nous devons envisager la cr\u00e9ation de nouvelles organisations et de nouveaux programmes susceptibles de jouer un r\u00f4le tout aussi utile dans notre guerre contre la terreur. \u00a0 Nous nous battons pour la survie de notre mode de vie, dans une guerre sans champ de bataille. Il s’agit d’abord d’un choc de volont\u00e9s. La lutte sera remport\u00e9e ou perdue devant le tribunal de l’opinion publique. Certes l’ennemi est habile dans la manipulation des m\u00e9dias et l’utilisation des outils de communication moderne \u00e0 son profit, mais nous avons un avantage : la v\u00e9rit\u00e9 est de notre c\u00f4t\u00e9, et elle finit toujours par triompher.\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 * Secr\u00e9taire d’\u00c9tat \u00e0 la D\u00e9fense am\u00e9ricain. \u00a0 \u00b7\u00a0 Council on Foreign Relations and Project Syndicate, 2006. Traduit de l’anglais par B\u00e9reng\u00e8re Viennot.<\/strong> <\/div>\n
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(Source: Le site du Figaro le 24 fevrier 2006)<\/font><\/strong><\/div>\n
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Worlds apart<\/font><\/strong> <\/div>\n
Salonaz Sami sounds out Radwan A Masmoudi, head of the Centre for the Study of Islam and Democracy, on the Danish cartoons furore that hit the Arab and Muslim worlds <\/div>\n
Radwan A Masmoudi, head of the Centre for the Study of Islam and Democracy, stresses that the main objectives of CSID are to contribute to the promotion of democracy, good governance, freedom, and human rights in the Arab and Muslim worlds. <\/strong> <\/div>\n
\u00ab\u00a0As American Muslims we have been monitoring the situation in the Muslim world, and especially the Arab world (which represents about 20 per cent of the Muslim world) with great frustration and concern,\u00a0\u00bb he explained. \u00ab\u00a0Despite enormous wealth, human capital and natural resources, Arab and Muslim countries rank at the bottom of the development scale. Poverty and corruption are rising, and unemployment is very high (between 20 and 40 per cent depending on the country).\u00a0\u00bb <\/div>\n
Furthermore, elaborated Masmoudi, a majority of the 300 million Arabs are under the age of 21, so these statistics are bound to get much worse in the next five to ten years. \u00ab\u00a0Millions of young Arabs and Muslims are growing with a sense of loss and despair, with no hope for a better future. They are not allowed to criticize their governments, and if they want to become active or involved, they find that all avenues for peaceful activism are shut down.\u00a0\u00bb <\/div>\n
This is an environment that can only encourage violence and extremism, he warned. And unless we can turn things around, will lead necessarily to further worsening of the situation. \u00ab\u00a0This is a serious threat not only to the Arab and Muslim worlds, but also to the entire planet as Muslims represent 1.4 billion people on earth and are the majority in over 65 countries.\u00a0\u00bb In an exclusive interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, Masmoudi addressed various aspects of the issues raised in wake of the Danish cartoon crisis.<\/div>\n
What are the limitations, in your opinion, on the concept of freedom of _expression and should countries include laws prohibiting religious offences of any sort?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
In general, people should be free to do whatever they want as long as they don’t transgress on the freedoms and rights of others. Freedom of _expression is an important principle in a democracy, but there are also other important principles such as freedom of religion, religious harmony, and respecting other people’s beliefs. Freedom of religion does not mean that you can go around insulting other people based on their religion, race, ethnicity, or color. Indeed, there should be laws prohibiting hate speech, racial or religious discrimination, and racism. Nobody would want to live in a country or community where every religious or ethnic group is insulting the other.<\/div>\n
In my opinion, democracy is the only solution to this disastrous situation as it will put people in charge of their own destiny, and give them the means and the tools to improve their conditions and live a dignified life, the way our creator has intended for us all to live. <\/div>\n
Could there be any journalistic justification for publishing such cartoons?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
In my opinion, no. These cartoons mock and insult the prophet of Islam. The only reason to publish these cartoons is either if you want to insult all Muslims or if you want to provoke an even wider gap between the West and the Muslim world. <\/div>\n
Do you think that the Muslim nations took the right response? Or as Muslims, what should we do in reaction to such offences to Islam?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
I think Muslims have the right to express their anger and frustration with these insults, but they must do so peacefully. Violence is not appropriate, and makes the situation worse. We must ask ourselves, as Muslims, how would the prophet have reacted? The prophet was insulted by stupid and ignorant people all the time when he was alive, as indeed were all the prophets, but he never reacted angrily or with violence. He always tried to use those occasions to educate people about who he is and about his true message. We cannot let our enemies define us. We have to define ourselves, and what we believe in. <\/div>\n
Do you think that the economic boycott is an appropriate step to be taken against these offences?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
Absolutely. It is a form of peaceful protest and a way to express one’s anger or disgust with a particular company or country. If you insult me and my religion, the least I can do is stop buying your products. On the other hand, these boycotts cannot be orchestrated by governments, especially those that have signed free trade agreements. They must be organised by popular demand and non- governmental organisations. <\/div>\n
What steps do you think the Muslim nation ought to take in defining the real essence of Islam?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
Muslims and Muslim nations must spend a lot of money, effort, and resources to educate non- Muslim Europeans and Americans about Islam and about Prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him. There is a lot of ignorance in the West about Islam and Muslims, and we really need to do a lot more to explain our religion, our culture, and our civilisation to the majority of the people in the West. If we don’t succeed in doing this, people in the West will continue to be afraid of Islam and Muslims, and the conflict between civilisations will turn into an outright war between the West and the Muslim world. This war will last at least 100 years, will not be pretty, and there will be no winners. All of humanity will lose from this war and it will be very destructive. Education is the key to building mutual understanding on both sides of the divide.<\/div>\n
What were the efforts carried out by your centre in response to these offences?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
Since 1999, we have been doing our best to educate Americans about Islam. The biggest misconceptions people in America have about Islam is that it is incompatible with democracy, human rights (especially of women and minorities), and basic freedoms. We have organised hundreds of lectures, seminars, workshops, and conferences in Washington DC, the United States, and indeed throughout the Muslim world, to educate people (Muslims and non-Muslims alike) about democracy’s compatibility with Islam, and about the true and beautiful nature of our religion, and that the extremists do not speak for Islam or Muslims. Following these offensive cartoons, we have had several meetings with high-level officials in the US administration to explain our views on this and to urge them to denounce these cartoons, and defend the principles of religious freedom, diversity, and mutual respect, which indeed they have done. We have also had a large number of interviews with the media on the same subject.<\/div>\n
Do you think such offenses were driven by a misconception of the Islamic faith or an indifference to religions in general?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
I believe that many people in Europe have little respect for religions in general, and have no understanding of the importance of religion not only in the Muslim world, but to the majority of humanity outside of Europe. In addition to that, there is a lot of ignorance and misinformation about Islam, and there are many racist individuals and organisations who are trying to blame all of Islam and Muslims for the actions of a radical and extremist fringe. <\/div>\n
Do you think that Muslims are still persecuted in the US? If so is it getting worse or is it getting better?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
There is very little persecution of Muslims going on in the US right now. Yes, there are a few isolated cases here and there, but in general, the US of America remains the freest country on earth, where people of all religions can practice their faith and live their lives in freedom, respect, tolerance, and brotherhood. There is no other place on earth where I would rather live today, and that includes, unfortunately, most of the so-called Muslim countries where freedoms are severely limited.<\/div>\n
According to Islam, what should be the action taken regarding the cartoonist? And do you think that the death threats issued by some Islamist fundamentalists against him justifiable?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
Of course not. The people who committed this crime against our prophet do not deserve the death threat, they deserve to be educated. I am glad to say that most of the demonstrations in the Arab and Muslim world have been very peaceful. Those who have resorted to violence or called for violence are extremists who do not understand the nature of the world in which we live. In the 21st century, and in this increasingly small global village, ideas are much more powerful than bullets, and education and the media are much more effective than violence, which tends to be counterproductive, most of the time.<\/div>\n
There is a growing feeling in continental Europe that Britain and America should have taken a principled stand on grounds of free speech, but have failed. What do you think about that?<\/strong> <\/div>\n
I think this is because British and American citizens have far greater respect for religion in general, and also because American and British Muslims are much more engaged in their societies and better organised than Muslims in other countries of Europe. \u00a0<\/div>\n
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Al-Ahram Weekly – 16 – 22 February 2006 <\/strong><\/font> http:\/\/weekly.ahram.org.eg\/2006\/782\/in4.htm<\/strong><\/font><\/a>\u00a0<\/font><\/font><\/strong><\/font><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Home – Accueil – \u0627\u0644\u0631\u0626\u064a\u0633\u064a\u0629 TUNISNEWS 6\u00a0\u00e8me\u00a0ann\u00e9e, N\u00b0\u00a02105 du 25.02.2006 \u00a0archives : www.tunisnews.net AFP: Gr\u00e2ce pr\u00e9sidentielle en Tunisie: lib\u00e9ration de dizaines d’islamistes A P: Tunisie: le pr\u00e9sident Ben Ali gr\u00e2cie 1.657 d\u00e9tenus AFP: Ligue des droits de l’homme, cinqui\u00e8me report du proc\u00e8s Tunisie: R\u00e9pression sauvage contre la mobilisation pour la libert\u00e9 de r\u00e9union Donald Rumsfeld: […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":22040,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[54,37,29],"class_list":["post-19034","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-54","tag-37","tag-fr"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tunisnews.net\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}