RIYADH, Saudi Arabia: The OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu has denounced the recurrence of the publication of blasphemous caricatures of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH & HP) in the Norwegian newspaper `Magazinet` following their earlier appearance in the Danish daily Jyllands Posten, and separately Saudis and non-Saudis in the Kingdom are urging consumers to boycott Danish products in response to the cartoons.

The appeal was circulated recently in e-mails and mobile messages. Arab News called the phone number that accompanied the message. A man who did not identify himself answered and explained his organization’s stance.

“The main objective of this message is that we encourage people to boycott goods from Denmark, which is the least thing we can do until Denmark offers an official apology for the drawings that have offended the world’s Muslims,” said the man.

“We urge all Muslim countries to protest officially to the Danish government for what the Danish newspaper has done by publishing the cartoons.”

The EU Commission has also condemned the printing of the cartoons.

Ihsanoglu is of the view that this misguided Islamophobic acts, by deeply hurting the feelings of one fifth of the humanity go beyond the freedom of expression or press and they violate international principles, values and ethics enshrined in the various resolutions and declarations of the United Nations.

Unfortunately acts of sacrilege of the holy Islamic symbols harm and contradict various efforts and initiatives aiming at contributing to the entrenchment of an atmosphere of dialogue among civilizations, cultures and religions.