Danish Papers Reprint Muhammad Cartoon

To "Unambiguously Back" Freedom; Images Of Prophet Sparked Mass Outcry 2 Years Ago

(AP)  Denmark's leading newspapers on Wednesday reprinted a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad that sparked deadly rioting in Muslim countries two years ago.

The papers said they wanted to show their firm commitment to freedom of speech after Tuesday's arrest in western Denmark of three people accused of plotting to kill the man who drew the cartoon, which shows Muhammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse.

The drawing by Kurt Westergaard and 11 other cartoons depicting Muhammad enraged Muslims two years ago when they appeared in a range of Western newspapers.

Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favorable, for fear it could lead to idolatry.

The Jyllands-Posten newspaper, which first published the 12 drawings on Sept. 30, 2005, reprinted Westergaard's cartoon in its print edition Wednesday. Several other major dailies, including Politiken and Berlingske Tidende, also reprinted the drawing.

"We are doing this to document what is at stake in this case, and to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper will always defend," said the Copenhagen-based Berlingske Tidende.

Tabloid Ekstra Bladet reprinted all 12 drawings.

At least three European newspapers - in Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain - also reprinted the cartoon as part of their coverage of the Danish arrests.

The decision by the Danish papers came in response to Tuesday's news that intelligence police had arrested two Tunisians and a Danish citizen of Moroccan origin for plotting to kill Westergaard.

The Danish suspect was released Tuesday after questioning, his lawyer, Henning Lyngsbo, said.

"He has no knowledge about the case," Lyngsbo told The Associated Press. "It doesn't seem that the evidence is very strong."

Intelligence service chief Jakob Scharf had indicated the man would be released, but could still face charges of violating a Danish terror law. The two Tunisians are to be expelled from Denmark because they are considered threats to national security, Scharf said.

Danish Muslim leaders condemned the alleged murder plot, but also said reprinting Westergaard's cartoon was the wrong way to protest.

"There could have been other ways to do it without the drawing, which I personally do not like," Abdul Wahid Petersen, a moderate imam, told AP.

Imam Mostafa Chendid, the leader of the Islamic Faith Community, said his group was considering staging a rally in front of Parliament. The Copenhagen-based group spearheaded protests against the cartoons in 2006.

"We are so unhappy about the cartoon being reprinted," Chendid told AP. "No blood was ever shed in Denmark because of this, and no blood will be shed. We are trying to calm down people, but let's see what happens. Let's open a dialogue."

Massive protests swept the Muslim world in early 2006 after the publication of the cartoons. Danes watched in disbelief as angry mobs burned the Danish flag and attacked the country's embassies in Muslim countries including Syria, Iran and Lebanon. Danish products were boycotted in several Muslim countries.

The Danish Foreign Ministry said its diplomatic missions worldwide were monitoring the situation for any signs of unrest related to the cartoon.

"We have no information about events or reactions that leads us to change our security assessment for Danish citizens," said Uffe Wolffhechel of the ministry's consular department.

[correctpath]

every one in this world have freedom of speech according to their own country. But you dont have any right to go for the other religion and draw something about them.
You people it is freedom of speech but not a freedom of drawing.

Inshallah danish will pay for this in the future and these are the symbols of the arrival.

danish you will destroy yourself.

[bobbiekeslin]

God Bless The Danish

[geratric1943]

Finally, someone is standing up for free speech rights that are slowly being taken away from us by politically correct idiots.

[zootallures2]

How about the 9/11 cartoons? Your profit the pancake man who murders his own people....

[zootallures2]

There is an old saying:"While in Rome, do as Romans do" Apparantly the ...
Posted by dumbshun at 05:27 AM : Feb 14, 2008

Apparently you are not living in a tee pee and the president doesn''t have any feathers on his head.

[cbs_oliver]

Freedom of speach is strange sometimes.

On Crystal Nacht, I would imagine that anyone was free to say whatever vile thing they wanted to say about the Jews. But let someone say, "For God''s sake, stop!" and they would have been killed.

[cbs_oliver]

The Danes are primarilly proving that they are bigots.

But we knew that already.

[slim1h2o]

If they don''''t want to obey our Laws, shouldn''''t they be stripped of their citizenship(i.e. if they are citizens) and deported/expelled?

Posted by dumbshun at 05:27 AM : Feb 14, 2008

Yes,, they should be deported! I''m tired of people wanting to come here, and enjoy our freedoms, our economy, just to shove their beliefs down our throats.

And if we resist,, we are somehow racists, biggots, or whatever. The PC crowd would love to hand over our country to these terrorists, illegals, and scums that have little or no interest in continueing this great country .

[fibonacci_]

"cartoon controversy" - oh.

[jerkeedoodle]

I like it.Grab ''em by the tail and rub the intolerant S.O.B.s'' fur the wrong way.Did you I S L A M is actually initials?It stands for Idiotic,Stupid,Lunatic,Asocial,Morons.BTW,I named my new dog Mohammad in honor of the English school teacher these same nuts went balistic over.He''s a Mexican hairless.