A long-waited move. Alarabiya reported that 41 prominent Muslim clerics have issued a joint statement condemning violence that marked some of the protests against the Danish cartoons. The statement condemned the cartoons but called Muslims to control their reaction:

We appeal to all Muslims to exercise self-restraint in accordance with the teachings of Islam and we reject countering an act of aggression by acts not sanctioned in Islam, such as breaking treaties and breaching time-honoured agreements by attacking foreign embassies or innocent people and other targets. Such violent reactions can lead to a distortion of the just and balanced nature of our request, or even to our isolation from the global dialogue. The support that we give to our Prophet will not be given by flouting his teachings.

We highly esteem the unprejudiced stance taken by some religious authorities who have condemned this heinous assault. We also emphasize not holding non-Muslims accountable, whether in Muslim countries or elsewhere, for the crime committed by those who have insulted the Prophet. This principle finds its roots in the Quranic verses: "And no soul shall bear the burden of another" and "Is the reward for good anything but good?" *

Signatories from Syria included Grand Mufti Ahmad Badreddine Hassoun and famous clerics Saeed Ramadan Al-Bouti and Wahba Al-Zuhayli. The statement also carried the signatures of the Grand Muftis of Egypt, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Oman, as well as Amr Khaled, the very popular young Egyptian preacher.

* Update (2/18): These are excerpts from the official translation of the statement, provided by Guidance Media.