Islam and the Freedom of Conscience — Page 80
~ 80 ~ magazine to once again print vile caricatures depicting the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Media outlets including BBC National News, BBC Newsnight, Sky News, Sky Arabic, Reuters, the Press Association and various other organisations were in attendance and met with Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad immediately after his address. During his sermon, H a dr at Mirza Masroor Ahmad said it was an inherent fear of Islam that was the main motivation behind the anti ‐ Islam video and other similar attacks on the religion. He said: “It is their inability to defeat Islam that is causing its opponents to resort to such vile acts which they try to justify on the basis of freedom of speech or expression. ” Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad was clear in his condemnation of the violent response witnessed in a number of countries by extremist Muslims. He said that the killings of innocent people including ambassadors and diplomats was completely contrary to the teachings of Islam; he said that damaging property or burning buildings was completely wrong and benefited no party, except those who wished to defame Islam. Addressing the issue of freedom of speech, Hadrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad said that people should never be too