European Union (EU) foreign ministers condemned on Saturday the release of an anti-Muslim film by a Dutch lawmaker.
"The film equates Islam with violence and this view is sharply rejected. The vast majority of Muslims reject extremism and violence," foreign ministers from the 27 EU countries said in a statement.
The 16-minute film, made by Dutch right-wing lawmaker Geert Wilders and posted on the Internet Thursday, has caused outrage among Muslims worldwide and drawn extensive criticism.
It contains footage of terrorist attacks in New York, Madrid and London, together with verses from the Koran and statements by radical imams. The film also shows the disputed Danish cartoon of the Prophet Mohammad with a bomb in his turban.
At the end of the film, a hand is shown grabbing a page of the Islamic holy book and the sound of paper being torn is heard. A written statement then appears in which Wilders says it is not up to him to tear verses which "incite hatred" out of the Koran, but that Muslims themselves should do that.
"The problem is not religion, but abusing religion as a pretext for sowing hatred and intolerance," the statement said.
One day earlier, the EU Presidency Slovenia also issued a statement criticizing the release of the film.
Meanwhile, EU foreign ministers said the author was free to produce the film as exercising freedom of speech, but the problem was with the act of release.
"Freedom of speech should be exercised with respect for the beliefs or convictions of others," they said after wrapping up a two-day informal meeting here on Saturday.
Source:Xinhua
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