Fearing
backlash of the American Coptics' produced anti-Islam movie on the Christians
in Egypt, the Los
Angeles Diocese of the Coptic Orthodox Church has denounced the movie and emphasized
that no religion or group should be blamed for the actions of one.
Copts
in Egypt constitute the largest
Addressing a joint press conference in Los Angeles Monday Bishop
Serapion of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles, Southern California and
Hawaii joined Dr. Maher Hathout Senior Adviser of the Muslim Public Affairs
Council, a leading American Muslim civil advocacy group, to condemn the
violence and desecration of any religion.
"We cannot allow the actions of a few deceived fanatical
individuals to define our communities. Responding with violence only serves to
continue the hate rather than taking the positive steps to start the healing
process," Bishop Serapion said. "We call on members of both religions to lean
on our faiths to counter the hate and the violence with good speech and
positive work. That is why we are here together today. Our communities must
continue to strive and take reasonable and practical steps to allow the healing
to begin."
"We are here to condemn putting prejudice and hate in a production that only serves to insult groups," Dr. Hathout said. "We declare in no ambiguous terms that we are totally against mass labeling of a group of people because of the actions of some who claim to belong to that group. These people are neither Muslims nor Copts. Those are people who are psychologically diseased, with hearts full of hate and minds full of disease."
American Muslims, sometimes accused of failing to speak out against violence carried out in the name of their religion, have forcefully condemned both the amateurish anti-Islam film and protest in the Middle East, Asia and North Africa. Over the weekend, CAIR, a leading American Muslim civil advocacy group, released an Arabic-language video appeal aimed at protesters, beseeching them not to blame ordinary Americans and the U.S. government for the film, which was "designed to provoke religious sensitivities and to distract from the positive efforts being undertaken to improve newly-free societies in the wake of the Arab Spring."
The
Coptic and Muslim leaders' press conference came as anti-American protests triggered by the
anti-Islam movie
continued throughout the Middle East Monday, with burning cars and throwing
rocks at a U.S. military base in Afghanistan, torching a press club and a
government building in northwest Pakistan and clashing with police outside the
U.S. Embassy in Indonesia. Protesters have breached the walls or compounds of
several U.S. diplomatic missions, including the consulate in Benghazi, Libya
where the ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed,
Cairo and Tunis since September 11.
Anti-Islam film script was written in prison
As the week-long anti-American demonstrations continued in the Muslim world, more detail is emerging about the group which financed and produced the move.
The anti-Islam movie known as "Innocence of Muslims" was written, produced and directed by a convicted drug manufacturer and scam artist, who has told authorities he actually wrote the script in federal prison and began production two months after his June 2011 release from custody.
ABC News quoted authorities as saying that Nakoula Basseley Nakoula, 55, of Cerritos, California, admitted his role in the film, after seeking help from law enforcement in dealing with death threats he has received since the release of the film.
Authorities told ABC News that Nakoula told them he and his son, Abanob Basseley, 21, were responsible for producing the movie which, he reportedly said, cost between $50,000 and $60,000 and was shot in a little over 12 days. Authorities say Nakoula claimed the money for the movie came from his wife's family in Egypt.
Using the false name Sam Basile, Nakoula had told reporters earlier this week that he was an "Israeli Jew," that the film had cost about $5,000,000, and that the money had come from wealthy Jewish friends.
Records obtained by ABC News show Nakoula was convicted of intent to manufacture methamphetamine in the 1990s, and also served time in federal prison on bank fraud charges, where he told authorities he wrote the script.
Sentenced to 21 months in prison and five years on probation, Nakoula was moved from the federal correctional complex in Lompoc, California to a halfway house in 2010, according to the website The Smoking Gun. He was released from federal custody in June 2011 and production on the film began just two months later at a soundstage in Southern California.
Coptic-Religious Right Alliance
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).
