Islamic scholar decries Muslims’ violence over film

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

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Fethullah Gülen, a Turkish Islamic scholar living in self-exile in the United States, has condemned violence by Muslims over an anti-Islam film while also acknowledging believers’ right to be offended by such movies.
 
In an essay titled "Violence is not in the tradition of the Prophet" that was penned for Britain’s Financial Times, Gülen said a Muslim should feel deep unhappiness when any negative comment is made about the Prophet but added that violent actions by individuals in protest at such slights harm the image of Islam and destroy the very tradition they are trying to defend.
 
Gülen said the correct response to the latest attacks on the Prophet was not violence and that a campaign to promote respect for the sacred values of all religions must be pursued with determination.
 
Protests have swept the Muslim world over an anti-Islam film called “The Innocence of Muslims.”