Barroso on riots: Europe must fight
STRASBOURG In the face of escalating attacks against foreigners in the Muslim world, the European Union's chief executive on Wednesday laid down a clear marker for violent critics of the Prophet Muhammed cartoons, saying that Europe now had to fight for its core European values, including freedom of speech.
"We have to stick very much to these values," said José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission. "If not, we are accepting fear in this society." Referring to his youth when he grew up under a totalitarian regime in Portugal, Barroso, a former prime minister there, said in an interview that Europe had to defend its right to have in place a system that allowed the publication of the cartoons. "I understand that it offended many people in the Muslim world, but is it better to have a system where some excesses are allowed or be in some countries where they don't even have the right to say this?" he said. "This reminds me of my own country up to 1974. I defend the democratic system." He said that European society was based on principles including equality of rights between men and women, freedom of speech, and a clear distinction between politics and religion. Barroso has faced criticism that he has not done enough to support Denmark, a member of the EU, following threats and attacks over the cartoons, first published in a Danish newspaper. But Barroso attacked the "stigma against Denmark." "What is not right is to put the blame on a single people or say the people of Denmark have to be blamed," he said, expressing "solidarity" with Danish people.
To avoid a clash of civilizations in Europe and help integration, European leaders have to be careful to make a "clear distinction" between nondemocratic Muslims in Europe and those who believe in European values, which "are the vast majority of Muslims," and to reach out to these, he said. "Islam is part of Europe," he said. "We have a very important Islamic heritage."
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