As the Obama White House continues to insist that the unrest in the Middle East is the direct result of an anti-Muslim YouTube video, Reuters reports that an influential Islamic organization on Wednesday implied it will begin fighting to make insults against religions an international criminal offense.
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has been pushing for an international blasphemy law for the better part of a decade, unsympathetic to countries like the United States that value the importance of free speech and thought.
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, secretary-general of the OIC, called upon the international community to “come out of hiding from behind the excuse of freedom of expression.”
He insinuated that the anti-Muslim YouTube video and cartoons published by an Italian magazine portraying the prophet Muhammad represent a “deliberate, motivated and systematic abuse of this freedom,” and warned such freedom of expression may threaten global security.