Previous posts have reported on the controversy surrounding the publication in Sweden by a Swedish newspaper of a cartoon showing the the Prophet Mohammed with the head of a dog and the role that a Swedish Muslim Brotherhood organization has played in fomenting the crisis. Those posts have also reported on the stance taken by other global Muslim Brotherhood organizations such as the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) which are positioning themselves as the responsible parties in attempting to defuse the crisis. A new report carried on Islam Online, the Islamic news portal operated by Muslim Brotherhood global leader Youssef Qaradawi, carries remarks by the new FIOE President reiterating previous comments rejecting “violent action” seen in the Danish cartoon controversy. However, in a pattern often seen in the Muslim Brotherhood, he once more interjects the the Jewish community into the debate referring to “the powerful Jewish lobby “:
Swedish Muslims were disappointed Saturday, September 22, at a ruling by Justice Chancellor Goeran Lambertz, who said the anti-Prophet Muhammad cartoon published in a local newspaper did not constitute incitement to racial hatred. “Of course we reject the ruling, but we can’t help but respect it,” Stockholm-based Chaka Benmakhlouf, President of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe, told IslamOnline.net over the phone.Benmakhlouf said the powerful Jewish lobby in Sweden had lost a similar case in the past after suing the Stockholm Mosque for alleged anti-Semitism.”Jewish leaders translated some Islamic books which they said contained anti-Jews materials and forwarded them to Chancellor Lambertz, who overturned the lawsuit on free speech grounds,” added Benmakhlouf, who holds Swedish citizenship.
The FIOE President also indicated that FIOE was organizing a “know-Islam” conference in coordination with the Swedish government to draft a charter calling for respect for all religions.