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February 01, 2006

Newspapers across Europe reprint Prophet cartoons

Newspapers across Europe have reprinted caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to show support for a Danish paper whose cartoons have sparked Muslim outrage. France Soir, Germany's Die Welt, La Stampa in Italy and El Periodico in Spain all carried some of the drawings.

Their publication in Denmark has led to protests in Arab nations, diplomatic sanctions and death threats. Islamic tradition bans depictions of the Prophet, but media watchdogs defend press freedom to publish the images. Reporters Without Borders said the reaction in the Arab world "betrays a lack of understanding" of press freedom as "an essential accomplishment of democracy."

'Sense of sacred'

In Berlin, the prominent daily Die Welt ran a front-page caricature of the prophet wearing a headdress shaped like a bomb. The paper argued there was a right to blaspheme in the West, and asked whether Islam was capable of coping with satire.

Source: [BBC]

"The protests from Muslims would be taken more seriously if they were less hypocritical," it wrote in an editorial. France Soir said it had reprinted the full set to show that "religious dogma" had no place in a secular society.

Under the headline "Yes, we have the right to caricature God", the daily carried a front-page cartoon of Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim and Christian gods floating on a cloud. It shows the Christian deity saying: "Don't complain, Muhammad, we've all been caricatured here."

Responding to France Soir's move, the French government said it supported press freedom -- but added that beliefs and religions must be respected. French theologian Sohaib Bencheikh spoke out against the pictures.

"One must find the borders between freedom of expression and freedom to protect the sacred," he wrote in a column accompanying the cartoons in France Soir. "Unfortunately, the West has lost its sense of the sacred."

Sanctions

The publication in Denmark of the images last September has provoked diplomatic sanctions and threats from Islamic militants across the Muslim world. Dozens of protesters from a small Islamic party demonstrated in front of the Danish embassy in Ankara on Wednesday, the Associated Press reports.

Ministers from 17 Arab countries on Tuesday urged Denmark's government to punish Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that first published the caricatures, for what they described as an "offence to Islam".

Thousands of Palestinians demonstrated this week in the Gaza Strip. Syria and Saudi Arabia have recalled their ambassadors to Denmark, while Libya said it was closing its embassy in Copenhagen and Iraq summoned the Danish envoy to condemn the cartoons.

The offices of Jyllands-Posten, had to be evacuated on Tuesday because of a bomb threat. The paper had apologised a day earlier for causing offence to Muslims, although it maintained it was legal under Danish law to print them. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the paper's apology, but defended the freedom of the press.

Related stories:

For single page combination of all stories on the Danish cartoon row click here

Posted at 12:11 PM in Cartoon rows, Culture almighty, Media Watch, Religion | Permalink

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Comments

Excellent!

Posted by: Arash | Feb 1, 2006 2:34:08 PM

Where can we actually SEE the damn cartoons?

Posted by: Remy | Feb 1, 2006 7:45:06 PM

the day when we will kill you all soon will come .. ALLAH AKBAR.

Posted by: the day will come | Feb 1, 2006 9:14:46 PM

I defend the Western values of Freedom of Speech and public opinion. After all, we fought for centuries to have church and state and society separated. We should not let countries with medieval mantaluty and thinking tell us how to think! In our society, women are equal; they are not stoned if they are raped; in our society, we don't detonate ourselves along with other innocents because of belief, and call it martirdom; in our society, we don't restrict women from working and receiving higher education; we don't kill and threat people with different ideas; in our society, we don't beat and burn our wifes and call it "domestic issues"; in our society, we don't forbid people what to drink and eat, how to dress and appear; we don't blackmail other countries by lowering oil production; we don't kill journalists and writers for their words; our people don't hijack airplanes and bash them into buildings with thousends of innocent people!!!

If the Islam is not happy with us, Islam should get it's smelly and inferiour feet out of Europe and the rest of the civilized world! We had enough with these small-headed beasts!!!!

Posted by: Ivan | Feb 2, 2006 5:51:20 AM

You can see the cartoons here:

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/698.

The sad thing about the overreaction in the Muslim world about these cartoons, is that they alienate & loose the support of many non-Muslims who have spoken out against injustices against Muslims in Iraq, Palastine, etc.

Posted by: Utchie | Feb 2, 2006 10:07:26 AM

I have a few points to make:

1.Ivan, I think you are judging Islam too harshly. I am not a Muslim, but I have studied Islam and I recognize it as a peaceful and valuable religion. Islam is not the problem; the people who misrepresent Islam and misapply its teachings are the problem, especially when they con uneducated and/or illiterate Muslims into joining their ranks and believing the falsehoods that they preach.

2. Allah, I do not know whether or not you are Muslim or "Western" or both. I do know that "the day when we kill you all will soon come" is not a comment that is likely to improve cross cultural relations by encouraging Westerners to be more sympathetic to Muslims or by encouraging Muslims to be more sympathetic toward Westerners. Such comments only serve to escalate existing tensions. By the way, I would advise you to refrain from murder if you are, in fact, so inclined. Such acts seem more likely to create problems than to solve them.

3. Newspapers should not restrict their right to freedom of press in order to capitulate to any special interest group, no matter how large or influential. Political cartoons are comments on current affairs. Currently, a select group of Muslims are bombing and otherwise murdering people in the name of Islam. The cartoon depicting the prophet as wearing a bomb-shaped turban is ironic because he represents a peaceful religion. Such a cartoon is probably intended as a slap in the face to misguided Muslims who support terror, not to Muslims in general. Just because it is against Islam to depict the prophet does not mean that non-Muslims should be held to the same standard. Freedom of religion can only exist when no one religion is favored by the state. That means that all religions are open to criticism as well as to praise.

Posted by: Palabra | Feb 2, 2006 10:32:23 AM


Palestinian gunmen threaten EU offices in Gazza with violence, in order to protest about some cartoons which portray Islam as a religion of violence.

There's a joke in there somewhere...

Posted by: Utchie | Feb 2, 2006 10:42:17 AM

Ivan, in your society, you discriminate whites and blacks. u invade other countries in the name of war of against terrorism (the biggest crap i've ever heard..) when the truth is, your people want the 'black gold'. your society closed their eyes when the palestinians were constantly oppressed by those israeli soldiers (pean-brained dogs).
FYI, it was the rapist, not the woman who was raped who will be stoned. even if u're stupid, don't show it. i do agree there are some extremists in our religion. but then, every religions have extremists. stop being so paranoid. u and your so-called society are no better.

Posted by: WesternCraps | Feb 2, 2006 12:08:21 PM

I fully agree with Ivan. Here here..... Im half English and half Pakistani. Im proud of what i am but the whole Muslim thing has gone past a fucking "JOKE" They are making me sick with thier "PATHETIC STONE AGE BELIEFS" Get a fucking grip! if you don't like the western world or other countries, go and live in a muslim state. Some of you hard core muslims need to sit down and re-read the Koran and buy a dictionary and learn and read about what "LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR". I could carry on and on but it makes my blood boil.............

Posted by: Javed | Feb 2, 2006 1:55:21 PM

I think it's too bad that the apologies and solutions proposed by some of those involved (denmark-newspaper and norway-government) have been ignored entirely and that a religion of peace is misrepresented by a handful of ignorant, weak minded, extremists. This volume of outrage at a set of cartoons is absurd regardless of content and the very fact that militants would threaten lives over the issue proves the very point of the cartoons as Utchie has said. No depiction of any sort is worth the lives of anyone.
Westerncraps, many westerners and eurpoeans are opposed to the war in Iraq and are morally infuriated by an invasion of any sort. However, terrorism is a true and valid enemy of all peace loving people be them muslim, or not. There should be no need for Western/European Intervention against terrorism, Muslims should be as outraged as everyone else and granted lots are. It is however tollerated by a large part of the muslim world, maybe not supported but tollerated none the less.
In closing, instead of being up in arms about the cartoons, muslims should be up in arms about the morally misguided, weakminded, extremists that cast a poor image on Islam. I hope one day muslims will unite and crush anyone that commits monsterous acts in there name.

Posted by: Timmy | Feb 2, 2006 3:31:35 PM

Well said, Timmy! Thank you for sharing your point-of-view.

Posted by: palabra | Feb 2, 2006 3:39:10 PM

Haven't you heard that they are running out of virgins in your heaven you Muslim Freak. No more virgins for you, wait untill they have a ready supply before you go to war againts the world cause a whole lot of you will surely DIE. Let the "New Crusades" begin. Lets Roll!!!.

____________________________________

the day when we will kill you all soon will come .. ALLAH AKBAR.

Posted by: the day will come | Feb 1, 2006 9:14:46 PM
_______________________________________

Posted by: Budhist Guy | Feb 2, 2006 4:45:41 PM

The moslem world should not let this silly tragic cartoones pass un-noticed. The freedom of expression should not come to touch historical and religous figures as great as prophet Mohammed. By a well informed western scholars Mohammed was called "the greatest character/person in the history of man". What would the west say when somebody or a journalist, would touch the Houlocost????? ie. deny it , or even just cut the number to a leeser the than it is advertized???? Can't the world remember how the west reacted to the bolow up and destruction of Buda in Afganistan????? the cartoons are yet another example of the double standard of the west. over a billion moslem around the would are offended , and humiliated with these cartoons....WE believe that the moslem are already loaded with defamed personalities such as alkaida. These prints will creat the unwanted atmosphere for all the sensible moslems around the globe , VIZ recruiting more terrosist around the would, the thing that no real moslem ,or sensible westerner would like to see.Freedom of expression has limits and those who think that this would give them justification to blast others sacred principles are definetly on the wrong side of the freedom.

Mike

Posted by: Mike eddi | Feb 3, 2006 5:58:12 AM

great insight Mike.....

i understand if the government do not apologise, for the reason, they have no control over the newspapers, and ultimately, they are not the editors....

but they should condemn such acts to show dissaproval.....
not just acts against Islam and Muslims, but against every other religion and faith holders as well.

Posted by: yunir | Feb 3, 2006 7:20:41 AM

Nitely percent of the Muslims are religious fanatics. The remaining ten percent don't have th e guts to speak against the ninety percent. The end of Islam is near. The sooner it is wiped out from the earth, the better it is for the peace-loving people of the world.

Posted by: harry | Feb 3, 2006 9:16:54 AM

Stupid europeans and americans! where is freedom of speech in your country? You arrest a seventh grader who writes an essay agaisnt BUSH! you cant say anything against the queen! you cant report the facts correcly about palestine and iraq and afghanistan! you bomb al-jazeera. u kill innocent people. and then u print sadistic stuff under 'freedom of speech
this is lame and u guyz know it. ^&@#( u all

Posted by: Haseeb Anjum | Feb 3, 2006 9:51:05 AM

Be patient, be calm you christians and muslims. We both believe in GOD, but the One(not three as christians)


Weren't they your ancestors that crusaders run into Holly Land for money and killed many innocent people? Weren't they fanatics? Why didnot they stay in Europe?

It's Islam that brought civilization to the dark middle aged Europe, most of the socilists and scientist will confest this fact. Why?

For that Pakistani man, in this century the christianity is still upon the laws of Benedict written in 570s, this is true, investigate it you'll see it.

Those virgins in heaven are not only for muslims, the true believers of Jewism and Christianity before Islam will also have them :)

I'm a muslim my mother has graduated from university, my wife's graduated from university. My mother was a teacher and she worked until she's retired. Women are equal with men infront of God. But there must be some roles for men and women in the societies, that's a fact. Islam doesn't forbidden women to work and get education. Islam forbids men and women not to have sexual intercause before marriage. Those who have sexual intercause with each other before marriage have to be stoned according to sherria. Is it allowed in Christianity to have sexual intercause before marriage? Be honest, search it!

There are so many things about Islam that Christians do not know or know wrongly, search it, investigate it! Not attack without knowledge!

Posted by: Turk | Feb 3, 2006 12:16:04 PM

To 'Day will come', all I can say is 'bring it on sunshine'. Why not just destroy the whole planet and end our infidel ways so you may have your little orgy in paradise? Maybe one Crusade wasn't enough...?

Posted by: Nero | Feb 3, 2006 12:17:13 PM

To the Dog of Ivan:
I felt obliged to reply your message because i want to clarify something for you which the fact that you couldn't reach what you are calling achievments today without the contributions of the islamic civilization,you can deny this because you are binded by the jealousy to muslims who are living within you and realised unlimitted achievments.but when you say that this is freedom of expression it won't oppose your great lie of the holokosst where you pretend that thousands of jews where cooked in extra large ovens!!?i will not blame the jews who are profiting from this situation but laugh on stupid civilised people like you DOG IVan who still believe in this big lie!!
OUR PROPHET MOHAMMED PEACE BE UPON HIM IS GREAT THE PAST?TODAY AND WILL REMAIN FOREVER!!

Posted by: Samir | Feb 3, 2006 12:21:20 PM

yunir, the danish government has denounced the drawings but thousands of fanatics who haven't even seen them aren't listening.

http://www.stm.dk/Index/dokumenter.asp?o=7&n=0&d=2498&s=2

Every intelligent person on the planet knows that the drawings are wrong but they also know that the view of muslim is tainted by the fanatics, as it is once again. As palabra has said the media cannot favour any one religion. I have seen many shots at jesus and god himself.
Over a billion people don't need to use violence to be heard and the very fact that some would is unfortunate. Peace loving muslims should not tollerate it just as decent newspaper editors should prevent such depictions from occuring.
Mike Eddi, people do change the numbers of the Holocost and even deny it's existance, they're called revisionists, and if something that horrific and large in scale is not protected from such outragous claims then surely a drawing is not a call to arms. There are holocost cartoons as well, I've seen one horrific one here:
http://feralboy.com/medium/42104.pdf
Surely if this cartoon, which insights violence against jewish people, did not call all jewish people to arms then a cartoon depiction of the profit should not end in violence. The fact that you would compare the deaths of millions of Jewish people to a cartoon and imply they are similar in any way I find deeply offensive, as should everyone. I have been to berlin and i have seen the pictures there of the holocost, it is not the same as a drawing no matter how horrible the image.
I propose the people who take to the streets chanting death threats against denmark are not true muslims who's beliefs are founded in peace. The vast majority of protestors on the gaza strip have never even seen the drawings, they are merely looking to justify their violence for another day. Band together o-mighty muslims and strike down those who would taint the view of Islam through violence. Do not let the profit Mohammed's image be tainted by wayward souls.

Posted by: Timmy | Feb 3, 2006 1:44:10 PM

I realized my stance may seem unclear after reviewing my writings, I believe the images should not have been published, but i hope muslims will be confident enough in there beliefs to not let such things rattle them, just as other faiths have been when there prophets are mocked. I also believe the reaction is unnecessary and violence is not a valid solution. (I also errored, calling prophet, profit, though i find it humerous that both bring wealth in one way or another.)

Posted by: Timmy | Feb 3, 2006 2:21:35 PM

2 World Wars, 100 Years War, Crusades are all western wonders. Nuclear Bombs and killings of millions of innocents are all creations of western idealogies and beliefs. And today after all this, they want to teach "Freedom of Expression". Wonder what more nonsense from the West will the world have to put up with.
APologizing if you hurt someone is called "Manners" in the West but somehow aplogizing to Muslims is termed as a "Violation of Freedom of Expression".
Will the Western Hypocrisy ever end so that the common man can actually live in PEACE.

Posted by: Western Hypocrisy | Feb 3, 2006 4:19:11 PM

"These prints will create the unwanted atmosphere for all the sensible Moslems around the globe."

Mike, I would argue with this. I agree that the reaction to the pictures will incite violence. But the pictures themselves are not what produces the "unwanted atmosphere." The fact that a small group of militants is using Islam as an excuse to terrorize the western world -- and employing something as insignificant as a cartoon to recruit more violent extremists -- is what causes an uncomfortable atmosphere. In every paper and on every message board, I see ignorant Muslims protesting a silly cartoon with threats of violence and destruction. I will grant that the media exaggerates, but I think we can all agree that the Muslim reaction to this is strong. The proposed punishment does not fit the alleged "crime," which is really nothing more than a cultural divide. The way to ease this atmosphere is to close that divide, not to threaten violence! I lose respect for people of any faith or culture who commit or threaten to commit such immature, counterproductive, beastly acts.

As you can tell from my earlier posts, I am not an enemy of Islam. The more I read, however, the angrier I become. The fact that Mohammed (sp?) is sacred to Muslims does NOT mean that a secular newspaper must honor that sentiment. Why should a secular paper, located in a western nation, be more sensitive to the values of another culture than they are to their own? It is absurd that the Muslim world expects more respect for their prophet than western Christians expect for their holy man. It is even more absurd that these same people protest "hurt feelings" with threats of violence and insist that their right to protect their sacred (not everyone’s sacred, mind you, just theirs) takes precedence over the rights of foreign people in their own sovereign nations!

I have tried to be open minded, but I am starting to lose that battle. It is difficult to be sympathetic to a world that seems to crave the violent end of the world that I love. I imagine many more have already lost that battle without a fight. I urge all peaceful, reasonable Muslims to curb the rage of their bretheren before the cultural divide grows too wide to cross.

Posted by: palabra | Feb 3, 2006 6:36:42 PM

Go on, I am enjoying it. Irrespective of your religion, I love you all !!!

Posted by: Hope | Feb 3, 2006 8:35:59 PM

Muslims need to have more faith in themselves. Don't let such things take over your soul.

Posted by: A Moslem | Feb 3, 2006 11:56:35 PM

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