Bulgarian Mufti issues official declaration on cartoon scandal

The chief office of Bulgaria's Mufti said in a declaration on Wednesday Bulgarian Muslim communities are deeply offended and hurt by the publication of controversial caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad both in foreign and Bulgarian media.

The declaration was signed by the country's Chief Mufti Mustafa Haji, president of the Supreme Muslim Committee Basri Pehlivan and other 11 senior muftis in Bulgaria at a special meeting on Wednesday morning.

The publishing of the cartoons aims at creating destabilization and chaos, the declaration stated.

It also said the image of the Prophet Mohammad is never allowed to be defiled and overshadowed.

The identification of the Prophet Mohammad with terror shows the lack of knowledge of Islam and the mission of the Prophet, the declaration also said.

Bulgarian Muslims back the idea for freedom of speech, but it has to be with clear parameters and limits, it read.

The declaration, however, thanked to the tolerant position and support to the Muslim by the Bulgarian Premier Sergei Stanishev, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church and the other institutions and organizations.

Stanishev said on Feb. 6 that he understood the indignation and discontent of the Muslims all over the world, expressing his regret that the freedom of the speech and press is being used as an insult to religious people and urged the Bulgarian media to consider the feelings of the Muslim community in their publications.

Source: Xinhua