Petition to End Violation of the Sacred

In the Name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Prayers and Salutations upon all His Noble Prophets

Petition to End Violation of the Sacred

To all peoples of conscience:

Greetings of peace.

The human race is unique in that it holds certain realms as sacred. After the Divine, this includes certain people, books and places that fall within the umbrella of “sacred space.” Every community has their own. Violation of such sacred space deeply offends and aggravates the sensibilities of those who hold it near and dear to their hearts – regardless of faith. Freedom of speech and expression must not infringe on this inviolable space. Such encroachment incites hate and resulting violence. Although the committers of the violent crimes are responsible for their actions; and our prayers and condolences are with the bereaved families of the deceased; nevertheless the cause and effect relationship between the violation of sacred space and the violent crime is clear.

In a world where there is already much need for increased inter-cultural understanding and bridge building, such violation takes us many steps back in time. In order to move forward as a peaceful and diverse human race, a strong stand must be taken on the violation of all that is considered sacred by the various communities that surround us. This is a call for all lawmakers to introduce laws that make the violation of sacred space illegal. As adherents of faith we know it is immoral, but we need to make it illegal in every country of the world so that no more blood is shed in the name of sacredness.

No holy book, holy person or holy place shall be violated in any form of media be it print, audio or video. “Holy” is what the majority of adherents of a faith hold as sacred as stated by the representatives of that community. Violation of a holy person is tantamount to defamation.

We the undersigned call for the removal of all such inflammatory media from the public domain and the creation of it as illegal. This will not be a violation of freedom of speech but a qualification that will enrich it.

The Undersigned,