MANAMA — Bahrain’s Supreme Council of Islamic Affairs has condemned, in the strongest terms, the insult to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), stressing its categorical rejection of attempts to involve Muslim symbols and their sanctities in narrow agendas.

The council affirmed that insulting the messengers of Allah and prophets (peace be upon them) does not detract from their virtue or their high standing with Allah the Almighty and their believers, but rather reflects behavior that contains racism and hatred, fuels extremism, ignites violence and conflict, and undermines efforts to achieve coexistence and peace among people.

The council emphasized that provoking people and denigrating their sanctities and beliefs are unacceptable methods that cannot be accepted nor tolerated, especially if they fall within the systematic frameworks of states and leaderships.

In its statement, the council called for a serious, clear and urgent stance by all advocates of peace and good in the world to stop the aggression, encroachment and intellectual duplicity in order to maintain civil peace, preserve community security, respect religion, and protect people from falling into strife and conflicts.

It also stressed the need not to use some pretexts, such as freedom of expression, to justify the offenses, provocations and contempt for religions and their followers.