U.S. Secretary of State Hopes Islam and West Can Reach Tolerance Agreement

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Friday she’s hopeful that a religious tolerance agreement between the West and Islamic countries will end efforts to criminalize blasphemy that threaten freedom of expression.At an interfaith conference in Turkey, Clinton said an initiative by the U.S., the European Union and the Organization of the Islamic Conference will promote religious freedom without compromising free speech.“Together we have begun to overcome the false divide that pits religious sensitivities against freedom of expression and we are pursuing a new approach,” Clinton said. “These are fundamental freedoms that belong to all people in all places and they are certainly essential to democracy.”Many Muslim nations have laws that punish perceived insults to Islam. As a way to rationalize those laws, those countries have long sought U.N. action condemning the defamation of religion.In addition, they have promoted measures to combat instances of what they believe are intolerance directed at Islam. Examples include the ban in Switzerland on the construction of new minarets, the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed and the burning of the Quran by a small church group in Florida./129