“Individuals, citizen and state policy are different things. Every American doesn’t support what that country’s government doctrine maintains. It would be foolish to harm individuals, who have nothing do with the government policy,” Geelani told reporters on sidelines of a press conference at his Hyderpora residence, where he continues to remain under house arrest.
He said they have differences with the irresponsible person (Sam Bacile alias Nakoula Basseley) who produced the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims” but that does not mean that one person’s bad deeds can be blamed on others. “Every tourist, who comes to Kashmir, is our guest and should be welcomed and taken care of”.
The Hurriyat (G) chairman was referring to the statement of Grand Mufti, Mufti Basheer-u-Din, who had asked US citizens to leave Kashmir as anti-Islam film by American filmmaker has deeply hurt the sentiments of Kashmiri people.
“Such statements are too naïve to be heeded,” Geelani said and asked people not to pay any heed to Grand Mufti’s statement.
He termed Mufti Bashir as “stupid” and said nobody should listen to him.
Geelani, who had called for peaceful protests after Friday prayers to show resentment against the anti-Islam film, said, “We oppose the film in the strongest words. However, I will continue to say that action of few mad people does not represent the mentality of a nation”.
The anti-Islam movie has deeply hurt the sentiments of Muslims and created a stir across Muslim world with protests raging from Benghazi to Baghdad, from Kashmir to Cairo, from Tehran to Tunisia. At least five persons have died in protests in Sudan, Tunisia and Egypt while four Americans including US envoy for Libya were killed in mob attack in Libyan city of Benghazi.
(Rising Kashmir)
