CAIRO: Egypt's ultra-conservative Salafists have called on the United Nations to criminalize “contempt” of Islam after an anti-Islam film defaming and insulting Islam and Prophet Mohamed led to protests across the Islamic world over the past two weeks. The Salafist Party in Egypt, al-Nour, has called on the global governing body to criminalize such actions after French magazine Charlie Hebdo published nude caricatures of Prophet Mohamed last week, which led to a small protest near the French Embassy in Egypt. The head of the party said in an interview that the rise of anti-Islam sentiments seen in the film and cartoons “demonstrates growing racism.” Emad Adel Ghaffour, the head of Egypt's second-largest political party in Parliament said that global leaders must understand that some things are off-limits. “We call for legislation or a resolution to criminalize contempt of Islam as a religion and its Prophet," said Ghaffour, one of four permanent assistants to the president, on Saturday. “The voice of reason in the West will prevail if there is mutual respect, dialogue and efficient lobbying for this critical resolution," he told Reuters in an interview. The Nour Party is a puritanical Islamic group that believes in a “traditional” approach to Islam. While they have been instrumental in the political sphere in recent months, they remain at odds with the larger Muslim Brotherhood, of which Egypt's President Mohamed Morsi came out of. His comments also come as the United Nations is to hold its general debate from September 25 through October 1. Anti-religious sentiments are likely to be discussed during the 193-nation meet. Morsi himself will make his Assembly debut along with the new leaders of Libya, Yemen and Tunisia, countries where Islamist parties have moved to the heart of government. Islamic leaders in Egypt have called on potential protests against the anti-Islam film, “The Innocence of Muslims,” and the Charlie Hebdo cartoons to remain peaceful.
