Manama: Bahrain's lower chamber has refused to endorse a bilateral agreement on taxation with Denmark despite clarifications from the finance ministry.
Lawmakers, led by Adel Al Mouawda, from Salafi society Al Asala, argued that they could not support an agreement with a country that allowed insults against Prophet Mohammad (PBUH).
The veteran MP was referring to the controversy sparked by the publication of caricatures of Prophet Mohammad by a Danish daily in 2005.
"We would have rejected the agreement if there had been a negative stance towards our political leaders," Al Mouawda said. "The matter is much more serious when the target is the dearest person in our lives, our Prophet (PBUH), so we must reject the agreement, no matter how economically important it is. God and His Prophet hold the top positions in our hearts," he said at the weekly session on Tuesday.
MPs Abdul Halim Murad, Ali Shamtoot, Abdullah Bin Huwail and Ahmad Qarata also pressed for the non-endorsement of the agreement, insisting that Prophet Mohammad was a red line not to be crossed.
However, a representative from the finance ministry said that the agreement was with a host of European countries and that it was according to international standards set by international organizations of which Bahrain was a member.
Bahrain has good diplomatic relations with Denmark and Gulf Air, its national carrier, has recently launched direct flights to Copenhagen in its first Scandinavian operation. Despite numerous international attempts to put the controversy about the controversial cartoons behind, resentment remains high among several Muslims.
Last month, a Norwegian court jailed three people for their roles in a terror plot against the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten that published 12 caricatures of Prophet Mohammad.