Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
"Image of Muhammad" Search Watch:
"So, here we are: part of the Muslim community is in the thrall of a totalitarian ideology which turns young Muslims sitemap into human bombs. ... And what do the ever-silent and passive-defensive Muslim countries, Organization of Islamic Conference and the Arab
League vociferously condemn? They are condemning the "Rather than easing the Middle publication of cartoons featuring Muhammad in a Danish East's madness, the West has paper. The absurdity of this action is only matched by its caught the disease itself." hypocrisy." (Judith Apter Klinghoffer)
Barry Rubin
Articles of the week
"Muhammed" (Arne Sörensen, Jyllands-Posten, 2005/10/30)
Themes: "Image of Galleries with the 12 cartoons: Muhammad" - News and "Mohammed Image Archive: Depictions of Mohammed commentary on the Danish Throughout History" (zombietime) cartoon affair. "Danish Imams Propose to End Cartoon Dispute" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, › More Themes 2006/01/22)
"If you get rid of the Danes, Recommended blogs covering the affair: The Brussels Journal you'll have to keep paying HNN - Judith Apter Klinghoffer the Danegeld" (Charles Moore, The Daily Telegraph, 2006/02/04)
"Democracy in a News and commentary on the Danish cartoon affair. Cartoon" (Ibn Warraq, Der Spiegel, 2006/02/03) February 2006 "Angry demonstrators set ablaze the Danish embassy..." (Louai "The first fatality of the Beshara, AFP, 2006/02/04) Mohammed pictures" (Nuri "Cartoon row: Danish embassy ablaze" (CNN.com, 2006/02/04) Kino, Expressen, 2006/01/31) "Drawn into a religious conflict" (Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times,
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2006/02/04) "Europe Aflame, II" (Brad "If you get rid of the Danes, you'll have to keep paying the Miner, CompassPoints, Danegeld" (Charles Moore, The Daily Telegraph, 2006/02/04) 2006/01/31) "So they have thin skins. That shouldn’t stop us poking fun at them" (Matthew Parris, The Times, 2006/02/04) "Europe Aflame, Part "Portraying prophet from Persian art to South Park" (Anthony Browne I" (Brad Miner, and Ruth Gledhill, The Times, 2006/02/04) CompassPoints, 2006/01/30) "Child's tale led to clash of cultures" (Luke Harding, The Guardian, 2006/02/04) "Hamas wins upset victory "Danish cartoonists fear for their lives" (Anthony Browne, The Times, in Palestinian 2006/02/04) election" (Nidal al-Mughrabi, "BEHEAD THOSE WHO INSULT ISLAM" (Stephen Hird, Reuters, Reuters/ABC News, 2006/02/03) 2006/01/26) "Text of Danish Imams' case against Denmark" (Judith Apter Klinghoffer, HNN, 2006/02/03) "Democracy in a Cartoon" (Ibn Warraq, Der Spiegel, 2006/02/03) › AOTW Archive "Protecting Mohammed" (William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, 2006/02/03) "Three Pillars of Wisdom" (Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, From the archives 2006/02/03) "The lies we tell ourselves" (Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post, "Muslims are a threat to our 2006/02/03) way of life" (Will Cummins, "Turkey Condemns Danish Cartoons of Islamic Prophet" (Amberin The Sunday Telegraph, Zaman, VOA News, 2006/02/03) 2004/07/25) "US sides with Muslims in cartoon dispute" (Reuters, 2006/02/03) "Protests Over Muhammad Drawings Intensify" (Ibrahim Barzak, AP/ "The Tories must confront Yahoo! News, 2006/02/03) Islam instead of kowtowing "Anger sweeps Middle East over cartoons of Mohammad" (Nidal Al- to it" (Will Cummins, The Mughrabi, Reuters/SignOnSignDiego.com, 2006/02/03) Sunday Telegraph, "Anger over Mohammad cartoons spreads" (Kerstin Gehmlich, Reuters/ 2004/07/18) Yahoo! News, 2006/02/03) "Muslims attack Danish embassy building in Jakarta" (Reuters/Yahoo! "We must be allowed to News, 2006/02/03) criticise Islam" (Will "'The War is On'" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, Cummins, The Sunday 2006/02/03) Telegraph, 2004/07/11) "European press review" (BBC News, 2006/02/03) "Day of anger threatened over cartoons of Prophet" (David Rennie and Tim Butcher, The Daily Telegraph, 2006/02/03) "Cartoon wars and the clash of civilisations" (Daniel McGrory and Dan Weekly archive Sabbagh, The Times, 2006/02/03) "Foreigners flee as gunmen hunt 'targets'" (Anthony Browne and 2006/01/23 - 2006/01/29 Stephen Farrell, The Times, 2006/02/03) 2006/01/16 - 2006/01/22 "Imams accused of doublespeak" (The Copenhagen Post, 2006/02/02) 2006/01/09 - 2006/01/15 "British Jihadists: 'Kill all those who insult Muhammad'" (Judith Apter 2006/01/02 - 2006/01/08 Klinghoffer, History News Network, 2006/02/02) 2005/12/26 - 2006/01/01 "Cartoon jihad" (Melanie Phillips, melaniephillips.com, 2006/02/02) 2005/12/19 - 2005/12/25 "Iraqi churches bombed: Link with Danish cartoons?" (Barnabas Fund, 2006/02/02) › From 2001/09/11 - "Islam: les caricatures de la discorde" (Plantu, Le Monde, 2006/02/02) "France's Le Monde publishes front-page cartoon of
Mohammed" (AFP/TTC, 2006/02/02) Monthly index "Global reaction" (Fiona Symon and Alan Rappeport, Financial Times, 2006/02/02) "More European papers defy Muslim protests" (Gwladys Fouché, The January 2006 Guardian, 2006/02/02) December 2005 "Anger Over Drawings Spreads Among Muslims" (Ibrahim Barzak, AP/ November 2005 Yahoo! News, 2006/02/02) October 2005 "Cartoon Rage vs. Freedom of Speech" (Robert Spencer, September 2005 FrontPageMagazine, 2006/02/02) August 2005 "Mohammed Cartoon Conflict Gets Even Hotter" (Deutsche Welle, 2006/02/02) › From September 2001 - "Muhammad cartoon editor is sacked" (BBC News, 2006/02/02)
"Yes, we have the right to caricature God" (France Soir/The Brussels Journal, 2006/02/01) Author index "'Integration might be impossible'" (Erik Ohlsson, Dagens Nyheter, 2006/02/01) "Norwegian Muslims want blasphemy law" (Aftenposten, 2006/02/01) › Ajami, Fouad - Johnson, http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (2 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
"Denmark battles to contain fallout over Mohammed cartoons" (AFP/ Paul Yahoo! News, 2006/02/01) › Kagan, Robert - Ye'or, Bat "Denmark's Cartoon Jihad" (Anjana Shrivastava, Der Spiegel, 2006/02/01) "Muhammad cartoon row intensifies" (BBC News, 2006/02/01) Support Watch "French paper reprints Danish Mohammad cartoons" (Jon Boyle, Reuters/Yahoo! News, 2006/02/01) Please feel free to donate if you enjoy the daily content January 2006 and links Watch provides: "This poster depicting Mohammed..." (zombietime) "The first fatality of the Mohammed pictures" (Nuri Kino, Expressen, 2006/01/31) "Businessman with balls" (Henrik, Viking Observer, 2006/01/31) "Palestinian supporters of the Islamic Jihad..." (Mahmud Hams, AFP, 2006/01/31) Contact Watch "Gazans burn Danish flags, demand cartoon apology" (Nidal al- Mughrabi, Reuters/Yahoo! News, 2006/01/31) Email: "Newspaper evacuated after threat" (The Advertiser, 2006/01/31) watch-at-windsofchange.net "Militant group: Apology not accepted" (svt.se, 2006/01/31)
"Nordic firm hit by Arab boycott" (BBC News, 2006/01/31)
"Members of the Palestinian militant group Popular Resistance Commitee..." (Emilio Morenatti, AP, 2006/01/30) "Honourable Fellow Citizens of the Muslim World" (Carsten Juste, Jyllands-Posten, 2006/01/30) "Iraqi group urges Danish attacks over cartoons" (Reuters, 2006/01/30) "Protests Over Muhammad Cartoon Grow" (Donna Abu-Nasr, AP/ Yahoo! News, 2006/01/30) "Clinton warns of rising anti-Islamic feeling" (Robert Spencer, Dhimmi Watch, 2006/01/30) "Palestinian militants bar Danes, Norwegians from Gaza" (AFP/ Khaleej Times, 2006/01/30) "Denmark subject of cyber-attacks" (Henrik, Viking Observer, 2006/01/30) "Palestinians storm EU office in Gaza" (AP/The Jerusalem Post, 2006/01/30) "Palestinian militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades..." (Abed Omar Qusini, 2006/01/29) "Palestinians want Danes out" (Ali Waked, Ynetnews, 2006/01/29) "Libya Closes Denmark Embassy Over Drawings" (Khaled Al-Deeb, AP/ Yahoo! News, 2006/01/29) "Muslims seek UN resolution over Danish prophet cartoons" (AFP/ Yahoo! News, 2006/01/29) "Muslim World League calls for UN interventions against disdaining religions" (KUNA, 2006/01/28) "Denmark should not apologise for Mohammed cartoons" (AFP/ Yahoo! News, 2006/01/28) "Denmark is next" (The Jawa Report, 2006/01/27) "Warnings of Impending Suicide Attack in Denmark" (Rusty Shackleford, The Jawa Report, 2006/01/27) "Norway Apologizes over Muhammad Cartoons" (Filip van Laenen, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/27) "Where is the anger?" (Verity, Albion's Seed, 2006/01/27) "Saudis Recall Ambassador to Denmark" (Abdullah Al-Shihri, AP/My Way, 2006/01/26) "Muhammed" (Arne Sörensen, Jyllands-Posten, 2005/10/30) "Danish Imams Propose to End Cartoon Dispute" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/22) "Scholars Threaten Boycott Over Anti-prophet Cartoons" (Adel Abdel Halim, Islam Online, 2006/01/21) "Denmark: Moderate Muslims Oppose Imams" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/19) "Scandinavian Update: Israeli Boycott, Muslim Cartoons" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/14) "Danish Prime Minister Shocked at Lies" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/11)
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"Denmark Is Unlikely Front in Islam-West Culture War" (Dan Bilefsky, The New York Times, 2006/01/08)
December 2005 "Muslim organisation calls for boycott of Denmark" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/12/28) "EU commissioner lashes out at Mohammed drawings" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/12/23) "Demonstrations in Pakistan have escalated into death threats against Danish illustrators who drew pictures of the prophet Mohammed" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/12/02)
November 2005 "Muslims march over cartoons of the Prophet" (Kate Connolly, The Daily Telegraph, 2005/11/04) "Prophet cartoons prompt Egypt to cut off Danish dialogue" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/11/03)
October 2005 "War in France, War in Denmark" (Henrik, Viking Observer, 2005/10/31) "Selective Muslim Silence" (Judith Apter Klinghoffer, HNN, 2005/10/31) "Denmark arrests 4 terror suspects" (AP/CNN.com, 2005/10/27) "death will visit Denmark" (infovlad.net, 2005/10/15) "Holy war against newspaper" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/10/20) "Muslim anger at Danish cartoons" (BBC News, 2005/10/20) "Youth reported held in Denmark for death threats over Mohammed cartoons" (Middle East Times, 2005/10/17) "Imam demands apology for Mohammed cartoons" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/10/06) "Image of Muhammad" (Kurt Westergaard, Fjordman, 2005/10/05)
September 2005 "Fear Pervades Danish Art Community" (Patrick, Dhimmi Watch, 2005/09/18)
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"Angry demonstrators set ablaze the Danish embassy..." (Louai Beshara, AFP, 2006/02/04) "Angry demonstrators set ablaze the Danish embassy in Damascus 04 February 2006."
"Cartoon row: Danish embassy ablaze" (CNN.com, 2006/02/04) The Danish cartoon affair VII: "DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Hundreds of Syrian demonstrators stormed the Danish Embassy in Damascus Saturday and set fire to the building, witnesses said. The demonstrators were protesting offensive caricatures of Islam's Prophet Mohammed that were first published in a Danish newspaper several months ago. Witnesses said the demonstrators set fire to the entire building, which also houses the embassies of Chile and Sweden. ... A leader of the Islamic militant Hamas group, which recently swept Palestinian parliamentary elections, told an Italian newspaper on Saturday that the cartoons were an "unforgivable insult" that should be punished by death. "We should have killed all those who offend the Prophet and instead here we are, protesting peacefully," Mahmoud Zahar, a top leader of the militant Islamic group that won the January 25 Palestinian elections, told Italian daily Il Giornale. "We should have killed them, we should have required just punishment for those who respect neither religion nor its holiest symbols," Zahar was quoted as saying." (See also: "Embassies burn in cartoon protest" (BBC News, 2006/02/04): "Syrians have set fire to the Norwegian and Danish embassies in Damascus to protest at the publication of newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. Protesters stormed the Danish site amid chants of "God is great", before moving on to attack the Norwegian mission. Police fired tear gas to try to disperse crowds at the second site, but protesters broke in and set it ablaze.")
"Drawn into a religious conflict" (Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times, 2006/02/04) The Danish cartoon affair VI: "The West's current struggle with http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (5 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
a murderous global Sunni Muslim insurgency and the threat of a nuclear-armed theocracy in Iran makes it clear that it's no longer possible to overlook the culture of intolerance, hatred and xenophobia that permeates the Islamic world. The hard work of rooting those things out will have to be done by honest Muslim leaders and intellectuals willing to retrace their tradition's steps and do the intellectual heavy lifting that participation in the modern world requires. They won't be helped, however, if Western governments continue to pander to Islamic sensitivity while looking away from violent Islamic intolerance. They won't be helped by European diplomats and officials who continue to ignore the officially sanctioned hate regularly directed at Jews by the Mideast's government- controlled media, while commiserating with Muslims offended by a few cartoons in the West's free news media."
"If you get rid of the Danes, you'll have to keep paying the Danegeld" (Charles Moore, The Daily Telegraph, 2006/02/04) The Danish cartoon affair V: "Which leads me to question the extreme tenderness with which so many governments and media outlets in the West treat these outbursts of outrage. It is assumed that Muslims have a common, almost always bristling, view about their faith, which must be respected. Of course it is right that people's deeply held beliefs should be treated courteously, but it is a great mistake - made out of ignorance - to assume that those who shout the loudest are the most representative. ... If we take fright whenever extreme Muslims complain, we put more power in their hands. If the Religious Hatred Bill had passed unamended this week, it would have been an open invitation to any Muslim who likes getting angry to try to back his anger with the force of law. Even in its emasculated state, the Bill will still encourage him, thus stirring the ill-feeling its authors say they want to suppress. ... There is a great deal of talk about responsible journalism, gratuitous offence, multicultural sensitivities and so on. Jack Straw gibbers about the irresponsibility of the cartoons, but says nothing against the Muslims threatening death in response to them. I wish someone would mention the word that dominates Western culture in the face of militant Islam - fear. And then I wish someone would face it down."
"So they have thin skins. That shouldn’t stop us poking fun at them" (Matthew Parris, The Times, 2006/02/04) The Danish cartoon affair IV: "But offence implicitly offered, and offence actually taken, are two different matters. On the whole Christians, for example, take offence less readily than Muslims. The case for treating them, in consequence, differently is obvious, but we should be wary of it. It means groups are allowed to be as thin-skinned as they wish: to dictate for themselves how delicately we must tread with them — to create, as it were, their own definition of respect and require us to observe it. ... Many faiths and ideologies achieve and maintain their predominance partly through fear. They, of course, would call it “respect”. But whatever you call it, it intimidates. The reverence, the awe — even the dread — that their gods, their KGB or their priesthoods demand and inspire among the laity are vital to the authority they wield. Against reverence and awe the best argument is sometimes not logic, but mockery. Structures of oppression that may not
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be susceptible to rational debate may in the end yield to derision. When people see that a priest, rabbi, imam or uniformed official may be giggled at without lightning striking the impertinent, arguments may be won on a deeper level than logic. We should never, therefore, relinquish, nor lightly value, our right not to argue in the face of other people’s gods — but to fart."
"Portraying prophet from Persian art to South Park" (Anthony Browne and Ruth Gledhill, The Times, 2006/02/04) The Danish cartoon affair III: "Despite the outcry, the Danish cartoons of Muhammad are just the latest in a long line of depictions of the Muslim prophet, both in the West and in Islamic countries. From Ottoman religious icons to market stalls in Iran, from the US Supreme Court building to the South Park cartoon, Muhammad has been frequently portrayed in flattering and unflattering lights. ... Muhammad is recorded in the hadith, one of the four arms of Sharia, or Islamic law, as having said: “And who is more unjust than those who try to create the likeness of My creation?” He also said: “Angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or a picture.” Taken with the Koran’s injunctions on respect for the Prophet, these sayings mean, in strict Islamic interpretation, that any representation of any living thing is forbidden. Essential illustrations in academic textbooks might, for example, show a cow but with the head missing. ... In the past 20 years, many books on Islam in France have shown pictures of Muhammad, even on their cover, in a more sympathetic light. In 2001, the satirical television cartoon South Park included an episode called Super Best Friends in which Muhammad and the founders of the other world religions acted as superheroes. Although not deliberately blasphemous, there can be few portrayals of Muhammad less respectful than this all-singing, all-dancing version." (See also: "Mohammed Image Archive: Depictions of Mohammed Throughout History" (zombietime))
"Child's tale led to clash of cultures" (Luke Harding, The Guardian, 2006/02/04) The Danish cartoon affair II: "It began innocuously enough. Last year the Danish writer Kare Bluitgen had been searching for someone who could illustrate his children's book about the life of the prophet Muhammad. It soon became clear, however, that nobody wanted the job, through fear of antagonising Muslim feelings about images of Muhammad. One artist turned down the commission on the grounds that he didn't want to suffer the same grisly fate as Theo van Gogh, the Dutch film-maker stabbed to death by an Islamist fanatic. Two others also declined. "They were worried," Mr Bluitgen said, adding: "Eventually someone agreed to do it anonymously." Mr Bluitgen's trouble prompted several Danish newspapers, including the best-selling Jyllands-Posten (Jutland Post), to begin a debate. How far should Denmark go down the road of self-censorship? And was freedom of speech more important than Muslim sensitivities? On September 30 the paper's editor, Carsten Juste, launched his own provocative experiment, commissioning and publishing 12 cartoonists who had come up with their own satirical drawings of the prophet Muhammad." http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (7 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
"Danish cartoonists fear for their lives" (Anthony Browne, The Times, 2006/02/04) The Danish cartoon affair I: "Twelve Danish cartoonists whose pictures sparked such outcry have gone into hiding under round-the-clock protection, fearing for their lives. The cartoonists, many of whom had reservations about the pictures, have been shocked by how the affair has escalated into a global “clash of civilisations”. They have since tried, unsuccessfully, to stop them being reprinted. A spokesman for the cartoonists said: “They are in hiding around Denmark. Some of them are really, really scared. They don’t want to see the pictures reprinted all over the world. We couldn’t stop it. We tried, but we couldn’t.” Mogens Blicher Bjerregaard, president of the Danish Union of Journalists, told The Times: 'They are keeping a very low profile. They are very concerned about their safety. They feel a big responsibility on their shoulders. It’s blown up so big. It is tough for them.'"
"BEHEAD THOSE WHO INSULT ISLAM" (Stephen Hird, Reuters, 2006/02/03) "British Muslims demonstrate outside the Danish embassy over the publication of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, in London February 3, 2006." Some other charming slogans at the rally: "EXTERMINATE THOSE WHO SLANDER ISLAM", "EUROPE. YOU WILL PAY. DEMOLITION IS ON THE WAY.", "EUROPE. TAKE SOME LESSONS FROM 9/11", "BE PREPARED FOR THE REAL HOLOCAUST" and "FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION GO TO HELL!!".
"Text of Danish Imams' case against Denmark" (Judith Apter Klinghoffer, HNN, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair XVI. An English translation of the Danish Imams' case against Denmark: "Here is what the Danish Islamic priest told religious and political leaders of the Middle East. This is the first pages of a 40 page case file compiled by the Danish Imams." [Remarks in italics by the translator] One of their examples of a "continuation of the aggression" against Muslims is that Denmark allowed Ayaan Hirsi Ali to visit and that she even was allowed to criticise Islam.
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One of their "direct demands" is "an apology from the newspaper, and promises of that it would never happen again, and in future to respect all that is holy to the Muslims." So now you see how it is…: "Even though they belong to the Christian faith, the secularizations have overcome them, and if you say that they are all infidels, then you are not wrong. ... The faithful in their religion (Muslims) suffer under a number of circumstances, first and foremost the lack of official recognition of the Islamic faith. (This is not true) Which lead to a lot of problems, especially the lack of right to build mosks (Another lie, everybody is free to build, when municipal rules are followed), and the true believers are forced in to converting former business building and warehouses to place of worship. Among these conditions you find an atmosphere, which nourish a growing racism, which grow worse after the 9/11 incidents. And it, the racism, has many different expressions, but common for them all is that they speak badly about Islam. ... Denmark greeted the Dutch author of Somali decent, who is the author of the film, that degrades Islam, and whose producer was killed recently in Holland. The reception for her was a continuation of the aggression especially because she gave an interview to Danish television where she talked about Islam in a degrading way. And the most strange is, that the prime minister, which said no to meet with the ambassadors, welcomed her and awarded her with a price, just as he showed his approval of her courageous points of view, and that he supported her fee [free?] opinions. So now you see how it is…"
"Democracy in a Cartoon" (Ibn Warraq, Der Spiegel, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair XV: "A democracy cannot survive long without freedom of expression, the freedom to argue, to dissent, even to insult and offend. It is a freedom sorely lacking in the Islamic world, and without it Islam will remain unassailed in its dogmatic, fanatical, medieval fortress; ossified, totalitarian and intolerant. Without this fundamental freedom, Islam will continue to stifle thought, human rights, individuality; originality and truth. Unless, we show some solidarity, unashamed, noisy, public solidarity with the Danish cartoonists, then the forces that are trying to impose on the Free West a totalitarian ideology will have won; the Islamization of Europe will have begun in earnest. Do not apologize. This raises another more general problem: the inability of the West to defend itself intellectually and culturally. Be proud, do not apologize. ... The west is the source of the liberating ideas of individual liberty, political democracy, the rule of law, human rights and cultural freedom. It is the west that has raised the status of women, fought against slavery, defended freedom of enquiry, expression and conscience. No, the west needs no lectures on the superior virtue of societies who keep their women in subjection, cut off their clitorises, stone them to death for alleged adultery, throw acid on their faces, or deny the human rights of those considered to belong to lower castes. ... Freedom of expression is our western heritage and we must defend it or it will die from totalitarian attacks. It is also much needed in the Islamic world. By defending our values, we are teaching the Islamic world a valuable lesson, we are helping them by submitting their cherished traditions to Enlightenment values."
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"Protecting Mohammed" (William F. Buckley, Jr., National Review, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair XIV: "The most striking aspect of the controversy is the leverage of the offended Muslim community. Even in the United States, even a publication as venturesome as Slate magazine describes the offending caricatures but is careful not to reproduce them. A quite natural curiosity attaches to how these twelve caricatures actually looked. One of them features Mohammed in a vaporous cloud addressing an assembly of suicide terrorists, with the caption that the heavenly kingdom has run out of virgins, so that aspirant debauchers simply have to lay off for a while. How was all that actually depicted by the cartoonist? Even the banal representation of Mohammed with a bomb replacing the turban on his head did not appear in the New York Times, the paper of record. The offending cartoons have to be imagined. The reason for it is what turns out to be an iron glove at the disposal of the Islamic establishment. The publisher of Paris's France Soir, which did reproduce the images, fired the editor who was responsible. Massive boycotts of Danish goods are in motion. Foreign leaders and press spokesmen are objects of boycotts and even death threats. Flag burning is routine. What we have seen is an intimation of the strength of a mobilized Muslim community. And this is early on, in the great narrative of the growth of Muslim power in Europe, where national suicide is reflected in the birth rates of Italian, German, French, and British non-Muslims (to call them Christians would be wholesale co-optation). These societies seem to be willing themselves to go out of existence, as the birth rate falls below the replacement rate. There are Europeans who are satisfied that the tradition of press liberty is asserting itself in the current challenge but who are entitled to wonder whether five, ten years from now — let alone fifty — any such frolic as that of Jyllands-Posten would in fact be tolerated."
"Three Pillars of Wisdom" (Victor Davis Hanson, National Review, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair XIII: "Now the Islamic world is organizing boycotts of Denmark because one of its newspapers chose to run a cartoon supposedly lampooning the prophet Mohammed. We are supposed to forget that it is de rigueur in raucous Scandinavian popular culture to attack Christianity with impunity. Much less are we to remember that Hamas terrorists occupied and desecrated the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in a globally televised charade. Instead, Danish officials are threatened, boycotts organized, ambassadors recalled — and, yes, Bill Clinton steps forward to offer another lip-biting apology while garnering lecture fees in the oil-rich Gulf, in the manner of his mea culpa last year to the Iranian mullacracy. There is now a pattern to Clintonian apologies — they almost always occur overseas and on someone else's subsidy. Ever since that seminal death sentence handed down to Salman Rushdie by the Iranian theocracy, the Western world has incrementally and insidiously accepted these laws of asymmetry. Perhaps due to what might legitimately be called the lunacy principle ("these people are capable of doing anything at anytime"), the Muslim Middle East can insist on one standard of behavior for itself and quite another for others. It asks nothing of its own people and everything of everyone
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else's, while expecting no serious repercussions in the age of political correctness, in which affluent and leisured Westerners are frantic to avoid any disruption in their rather sheltered lives."
"The lies we tell ourselves" (Caroline Glick, The Jerusalem Post, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair XII: "At its base, the Muslim furor over the cartoons is part and parcel of their culture war against the West. The Muslims pushing the issue believe that non- Muslims ought to behave obsequiously towards all things Islamic, while the Muslims are free to demonize Jews as monkeys and pigs and accuse Christians of being idolaters. According to the rules of their culture war, if Western societies refuse to behave in accordance with their dictates, the Muslims have the right and duty to attack them. That is, the culture war that is being waged by the Arabs and Muslims in response to the Danish cartoons is an assault on the West's right to live and govern in accordance with its values. It is an assault on the notions of freedom and self-determination themselves."
"Turkey Condemns Danish Cartoons of Islamic Prophet" (Amberin Zaman, VOA News, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair XI: "Turkey's Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has added his voice to those that are condemning the publication of caricatures of Islam's prophet. On Friday, he called the images an attack on the spiritual values of the Muslim people. Late last year, during an official trip to Denmark, Mr. Erdogan criticized images that depict the Prophet Muhammad in different guises. On Friday, he went further. He was quoted by the Turkish media as saying there should be a limit to freedom of the press. He said caricatures of Islam fuel conflict at a time when the world is seeking to establish an alliance between civilizations. ... Analysts say Mr. Erdogan's remarks about limits on press freedom are sure to draw criticism from the European Union. Turkey opened membership talks with the 25 nation alliance in October but has faced mounting censure over the continued prosecution of academics, journalists and writers, including the world famous novelist Orhan Pamuk, for expressing views deemed to insult the Turkish identity."
"US sides with Muslims in cartoon dispute" (Reuters, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair X. Glenn Reynolds: "I'm sorry, but the lesson here is that if you want to be listened to, you should blow things up. That's a very bad incentive structure, but it's the one the allegedly responsible parties have created.": "Washington on Friday condemned caricatures in European newspapers of the Prophet Mohammad, siding with Muslims who are outraged that the publications put press freedom over respect for religion. By inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States could help its own battered image among Muslims. "These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims," State Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question. "We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the
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press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable." "We call for tolerance and respect for all communities for their religious beliefs and practices," he added."
"Protests Over Muhammad Drawings Intensify" (Ibrahim Barzak, AP/Yahoo! News, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair IX: "In Sudan, some even urged al- Qaida terrorists to target Denmark. "Strike, strike, Bin Laden," shouted some in a crowd of about 50,000 who filled a Khartoum square. ... "Whoever defames our prophet should be executed," said Ismail Hassan, a tailor who marched in the pouring rain with hundreds of other Muslims in the West Bank city of Ramallah. "Bin Laden our beloved, Denmark must be blown up," the protesters chanted. ... In Iraq, about 4,500 people protested in the southern city of Basra, burning the Danish flag. Some 600 worshippers stomped on Danish flags before burning them outside Baghdad's Abu Hanifa Mosque, Sunni Islam's holiest shrine in Iraq. Demonstrators also burned Danish journalists in effigy and torched boxes of Danish cheese."
"Anger sweeps Middle East over cartoons of Mohammad" (Nidal Al-Mughrabi, Reuters/SignOnSignDiego.com, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair VIII: "'We will not accept less than severing the heads of those responsible,' one preacher told worshippers at the al-Omari Mosque in the Gaza Strip as tensions spread over the publication of the cartoons, first in Denmark and later in Norway, France, Germany and Spain. ... 'We must tell Europeans, we can live without you. But you cannot live without us,' prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi told worshippers in Qatar. 'We can buy from China, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia... we will not be humiliated.' In Lebanon, thousands of Palestinian refugees marched through the streets of their camps, burning Danish and Norwegian flags and calling on Osama bin Laden, the al Qaeda leader, to avenge the Prophet Mohammad. 'We will not be satisfied with protests. The solution is the slaughter of those who harmed Islam and the Prophet,' said Sheikh Abu Sharif, spokesman for the militant Osbet al-Ansar group, at a rally in Lebanon's largest camp, the southern Ein al- Hilweh. ... At a rally organized by the Islamic militant group Hamas, which won Palestinian parliamentary elections last week, as many as 50,000 protesters called for the cartoonists to be punished. 'Let the hands that drew (the cartoons) be severed,' they chanted."
"Anger over Mohammad cartoons spreads" (Kerstin Gehmlich, Reuters/Yahoo! News, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair VII: "Denmark said on Friday it could not apologize for cartoons in a Danish newspaper depicting the Prophet Mohammad as outrage spread across the Muslim world from the Middle East to countries in Asia. ... "Neither the Danish government nor the Danish nation as such can be held responsible for drawings published in a Danish newspaper," Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after meeting with Muslim envoys in Copenhagen. "A Danish government can never apologize on behalf of a free and independent newspaper," he said. "This is basically a http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (12 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
dispute between some Muslims and a newspaper." ... Palestinian gunmen seized and later released a German on Thursday, and a hand grenade was thrown into the compound of the French Cultural Center in the Gaza Strip. ... The editor of a Norwegian magazine which reprinted the Danish cartoons said he had received 25 death threats and thousands of hate messages. A Jordanian editor was sacked for reprinting them, despite saying his purpose had been only to show the extent of the Danish insult to Islam. "Oh I ask God to forgive me," Jihad Momani wrote in a public letter of apology. Iraqi Christians said they feared a new wave of attacks by Muslims, driven by anger over the images."
"Muslims attack Danish embassy building in Jakarta" (Reuters/ Yahoo! News, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair VI: "About 300 militant Indonesian Muslims went on a rampage inside the lobby of a Jakarta building housing the Danish embassy on Friday in protest over cartoons that Muslims say insult Islam and the Prophet Mohammad. Shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Greatest), the white-clad protesters from the hardline Islamic Defender's Front (FPI) smashed lamps with bamboo sticks and threw chairs around in anger at cartoons originally published by a Danish daily. They also threw rotten eggs and tomatoes at the Danish embassy symbol inside the lobby. The embassy is on the 25th floor of the building and protesters were unable to get past security in the lobby, a Reuters photographer said."
"'The War is On'" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair V: "Yesterday (Thursday) Mullah Krekar, the alleged leader of the Islamist group Ansar al-Islam who has been living in Norway as a refugee since 1991, said that the publication of the Muhammad cartoons was a declaration of war. “The war has begun,” he told Norwegian journalists. Mr Krekar said Muslims in Norway are preparing to fight. It does not matter if the governments of Norway and Denmark apologize, the war is on. Islamist organizations all over the world are issuing threats towards Europeans. The Islamist terrorist group Hizbollah announced that it is preparing suicide attacks in Denmark and Norway. A senior imam in Kuwait, Nazem al-Masbah, said that those who have published cartoons of Muhammad should be murdered. He also threatened all citizens of the countries where the twelve Danish cartoons ... have been published with death."
"European press review" (BBC News, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair IV: "Germany's Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung warns of the consequences of apologising for the cartoons' publication. The paper says people seem more willing to apologise over the cartoons than at the time of the fatwa against Mr Rushdie. It believes their attitude is undermining the principles of freedom of speech and the autonomy of art. "It would be utterly disastrous if, under the pretext of 'political correctness', something like a special duty to protect all or some religions were to be devised," the paper says. It argues that in secular civil society there must not be any
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"taboos on thought" and that, if in doubt, people can appeal in court. "Nobody must be threatened," the daily says. Austria's Der Standard is alarmed at what it calls an "apology as soft as butter" by the country's ambassador in Tehran. The paper complains that the envoy expressed "deep regret" but apparently failed to mention "that there is something like freedom of speech in the West". It concedes that an escalation is in nobody's interest, but adds that 'this cowardly renunciation of any awareness of values is intolerable.'"
"Day of anger threatened over cartoons of Prophet" (David Rennie and Tim Butcher, The Daily Telegraph, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair III: "A leading Islamic cleric called for an "international day of anger" today over publication of caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, and a Danish activist predicted that deadly violence could break out in Europe "at any minute". ... A leading hard-line Muslim cleric, Sheikh Yussef al-Qaradawi, called for the day of anger to protest against the printing of the cartoons - first published in the Danish newspaper Jyllands- Posten in September - in other European papers. "Let Friday be an international day of anger for God and his prophet," said the sheikh, who is the head of the International Association of Muslim Scholars. ... Ahmed Akkari, a Muslim theologian from Copenhagen, said he had attended a meeting this week with the Danish intelligence service, which called the situation "very, very tense". He said that a text message had been sent to the mobile phones of young Muslims "telling people not to react to provocations from Right-wing extremists, like burning the Koran, but I know some Muslims will not listen to our message". He said the level of anger was "very high" in the Muslim community across Europe and the wider world. "It is more likely [than not] that any minute we will hear of violence unless the police can control the situation." Mr Akkari is the spokesman for a group of Danish imams and activists who brought the cartoons - plus three more offensive ones from an unknown source - to the wider attention of Muslims in trips to Egypt and Lebanon. One of the three new cartoons shows Mohammed with a pig's snout." (See also: "Imams accused of doublespeak" (The Copenhagen Post, 2006/02/02))
"Cartoon wars and the clash of civilisations" (Daniel McGrory and Dan Sabbagh, The Times, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair II: "The BBC was drawn into the row after broadcasting the images on its main evening bulletins. The move drew accusations from Muslim leaders that the corporation was inciting racial hatred. Channel 4 News and The Spectator magazine website also showed the images, originally published in Denmark, dragging Britain into an increasingly ugly confrontation between Islam and the West. ... Across the region, including Baghdad and Basra, Muslim leaders called for protests after Friday prayers today. Demonstrations are also expected to spread to major European capitals after a dozen more publications in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain carried the cartoons. ... Last night both the Muslim Association and the militant Islamic group Hizb-ut-Tahrir in Britain condemned the BBC’s behaviour and pleaded with it to drop the broadcasts. http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (14 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
A spokesman for the Muslim Association said: 'The BBC is inciting racial hatred and not conducting a serious debate on freedom of speech. This threatens to become another Salman Rushdie affair.'"
"Foreigners flee as gunmen hunt 'targets'" (Anthony Browne and Stephen Farrell, The Times, 2006/02/03) The Danish cartoon affair I: "Militants threatened yesterday to kidnap Western citizens in retaliation for the publication of the caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad. Western governments tried to ease tensions before today’s prayers in mosques, which they fear will increase anger. Diplomats, journalists and aid workers fled Gaza and the West Bank as Palestinian gunmen searched hotels for citizens of countries where newspapers had printed the pictures, declaring that they were legitimate targets. The EU, the main financial supporter of the Palestinian Authority, stepped up security at its offices in Gaza after gunmen fired into the air outside and scrawled graffiti saying that the offices were “closed until an apology is sent to Muslims”. ... Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, the head of the extremist Hezbollah movement, said: “I am sure there are millions of Muslims who are ready to give their lives to defend our Prophet’s honour.” He said that people would not have dared to insult Islam if the novelist Salman Rushdie had been executed."
"Imams accused of doublespeak" (The Copenhagen Post, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair XI: "Danish imams are blamed for fanning the flames of the on-going conflict over Mohammed caricatures by saying one thing in Danish and something else in Arabic PM Anders Fogh Rasmussen lashed out at extremist Muslim leaders in Denmark on Thursday for speaking with two tongues in the on-going row between the country and the Muslim world. Rasmussen said imams' positive comments in Danish about the recent days' thaw in the dispute over newspaper Jyllands- Posten's publication of 12 caricatures of the prophet Mohammed had been undermined by statements made in Arabic to the media from Muslim countries. 'We have clearly noted that in certain situations, some people are speaking with two tongues,' Rasmussen said after meeting the parliament's foreign policy committee. 'The government watches what news and information is circulated in Arabic countries very closely so we can catch false stories and correct them immediately.' Rasmussen was referring specifically to an incident in which controversial imam Abu Laban said to television station al- Jazeera that he was happy about the Muslim boycott. Later in the day, Laban said to Danish television station TV2 that he would urge Muslims to stop the boycott immediately. ... Earlier this week, imam Abu Bashir appeared on BBC World showing a caricature of Mohammed with a pig's snout and ears to representatives of the Arabic League. Bashir falsely claimed that the caricature was one of the 12 Jyllands-Posten drawings." (See also: "Scandinavian Update: Israeli Boycott, Muslim Cartoons" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/14))
"British Jihadists: 'Kill all those who insult Muhammad'" (Judith Apter Klinghoffer, History News Network, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair X. Note that the "Kill those..." text
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cited here is taken from the current page at Al Ghurabaa and differs slightly from the one in Klinghoffer's original post. I guess Al Ghurabaa has updated the page since then: "As far as I know the British paper have not yet published the cartoons but one group Al Ghurabaa is planning a mass demonstration in London on Saturday and issued the following calls: ...
THE TRINITY OF EVIL
The recent cartoons that appeared in a Danish newspaper (Jyllands-Posten) and that were then re- printed in a Norwegian magazine, The Paris daily France Soir, The German Welt daily, Spanish and also Italian newspapers and which insult the Messenger Muhammad (saw) carry the death penalty in Islam for the perpetrators, since the Prophet said ‘Whoever insults a Prophet kill him’ ...
Kill those who insult the Prophet Muhammad (saw)
The kuffar in their sustained crusade against Islam and Muslims have yet again displayed their hatred towards us this time by attacking the honour of our beloved Messenger Muhammad (saw). In September 2005 the Danish newspaper Jyllands- Posten published 10 cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad (saw) which were later republished by a Norwegian paper Magazinet. Until now both governments have refused to denounce the drawings and to condemn the publication of them. ... The insulting of the Messenger Muhammad (saw) is something that the Muslims cannot and will not tolerate and the punishment in Islam for the one who does so is death. This is the sunnah of the prophet and the verdict of Islam upon such people, one that any Muslim is able execute."
(See also: "London Islamists target Israel, Denmark" (Ynetnews, 2006/02/02))
"Cartoon jihad" (Melanie Phillips, melaniephillips.com, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair IX: "Yet for becoming the latest unlikely front in the war declared upon civilisation by religious fascism, Denmark has not been supported but criticised from the United Nations and the EU. This was a staggering reaction when one considers the fact that relatively mild images making a valid political point were condemned by the EU and UN; while the truly hate-filled, disgusting images about Jews that pour out of the Arab and Muslim world portraying them as diabolical, Satanic, bestial, repellent and inhuman – in the service of lies and libels designed to incite mass murder – attract no opprobrium from the EU or UN at all. ... And people still say there is no clash of civilisations. There is – and on this evidence, the west is losing it."
"Iraqi churches bombed: Link with Danish cartoons?" (Barnabas Fund, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair VIII: "A spate of car bombs exploded
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outside churches in Iraq last Sunday 29th January in what appears to have been a coordinated attack. The explosions occurred within a half hour period, apparently chosen to coincide with the time at which Christians would be going to church. Two churches in the northern city of Kirkuk and at least two others in the capital Baghdad were targeted. At least three people, including a 13-year-old boy, were killed and an estimated 16-20 people injured. According to some reports as many as seven churches were bombed. ... Many Christians in Iraq are connecting this week’s church bombings with the growing furore across the Muslim world caused by the publication of some cartoons caricaturing Muhammad in a Danish newspaper on 30th September 2005. ... On the same day, 29th January, Christian students at Mosul University were beaten up by Muslim students. Some days earlier a number of fatwas had been issued by sheikhs in Mosul, acting in reponse to pressure from Islamic militias in the city. The fatwas called for their followers to 'expel the crusaders and infidels from the streets, schools and institutions because they insulted the person of the prophet in Denmark." (See also: "The first fatality of the Mohammed pictures" (Nuri Kino, Expressen, 2006/01/31) and "Bombs Strike Christian Targets in Iraq" (Paul Garwood, AP/Yahoo! News, 2006/01/29))
"Islam: les caricatures de la discorde" (Plantu, Le Monde, 2006/02/02)
"France's Le Monde publishes front-page cartoon of Mohammed" (AFP/TTC, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair VII: "France's respected daily newspaper Le Monde joined a European press campaign for freedom of expression Thursday with a front-page cartoon of the Prophet Mohammed and an editorial defending the right to ridicule religions. The drawing by the paper's long-time cartoonist Plantu featured a head of the prophet made up of the words "I must not draw Mohammed" written repeatedly in long-hand. "Religions are systems of thought, constructions of the spirit, beliefs which are to be respected certainly, but also freely analysed, criticised and even turned to ridicule," Le Monde said. http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (17 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
"A Muslim may well be shocked by a picture of Mohammed, especially an ill-intentioned one. But a democracy cannot start policing people's opinions, except by trampling the rights of man underfoot," it said. Plantu told the newspaper that cartoonists and other humourists find it increasingly hard to touch on religion in their work. "People do not understand to what point -- outside the Catholic Church which we can attack and which is, one has to say, very lenient -- it has become impossible to criticise religious things," he said."
"Global reaction" (Fiona Symon and Alan Rappeport, Financial Times, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair VI: "Publications that printed part or all of controversial cartoons Jyllands-Posten (Danish); WeekendAvisen (Danish); Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (German); Magazinet (Norwegian); Brussels Journal (Belgium); DV (Icelandic); Die Tageszeitung (German); France Soir (French); Die Welt (German); Tagesspiegel (German); Berliner Zeitung (German); La Stampa (Italian); El Periodico(Spanish); Volkskrant (Dutch); NRC Handelsblad (Dutch); Elsevier (Dutch); Die Zeit (German); al-Shihan (Jordanian); Le Soir (Belgium); Le Monde (French); BBC (UK)"
"More European papers defy Muslim protests" (Gwladys Fouché, The Guardian, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair V: "The Swiss daily Le Temps today printed a selection of the drawings. In an editorial, Patricia Briel argued that "freedom of the press and freedom of speech are fundamental achievements made by democratic societies, and the latter do not have to bow in the face of demands that endanger these hard-won principles." ... But Le Temps stopped short of publishing the cartoons on its website. Instead, letemps.ch shows a drawing made by its in- house cartoonist, Patrick Chappatte, showing himself holding a sheet of paper that reads "Muhammad with a big nose", while he says "I did not draw him". Another Swiss daily, La Tribune de Genève, today ran a selection of the drawings in its print edition, but did not reproduce them online. One of the cartoons shows Muhammad stopping suicide bombers from leaving because heaven has run out of virgins. On its website, there is a drawing by the paper's cartoonist, Hermann, with a reporter asking a puzzled-looking God, Yahweh, Buddha and a woman wearing a burqa: "Can one laugh at everything?" ... Other newspapers in Hungary, Iceland, the Netherlands and Italy also published the cartoons."
"Anger Over Drawings Spreads Among Muslims" (Ibrahim Barzak, AP/Yahoo! News, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair IV: "Armed militants angered by a cartoon drawing of the Prophet Muhammad published in European media surrounded EU offices in Gaza on Thursday and threatened to kidnap foreigners as outrage over the caricatures spread across the Islamic world. Foreign journalists, diplomats and aid workers began leaving Gaza as gunmen there threatened to kidnap citizens of France, Norway, Denmark and Germany unless those governments apologize for the cartoon. ... http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (18 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
Gunmen in the West Bank city of Nablus entered four hotels to search for foreigners to abduct, and they warned hotel owners not to host citizens from several European countries. Gunmen said they were also searching apartments in Nablus for Europeans. Militants in Gaza said they would shut down media offices from France, Norway, Denmark and Germany, singling out the French news agency Agence France Presse. "Any citizens of these countries, who are present in Gaza, will put themselves in danger," a Fatah-affiliated gunman said as he stood outside the EU Commission's office in Gaza. He was flanked by two masked men holding up their rifles. If the European governments don't apologize by Thursday evening, "any visitor of these countries will be targeted," he said."
"Cartoon Rage vs. Freedom of Speech" (Robert Spencer, FrontPageMagazine, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair III: "These cartoons are much less offensive than what is routinely printed in every American newspaper about presidents, presidential candidates, and other pols. Yet strange as it may seem to Western non-Muslims, the rage over them seems to grow with each passing day — until the global scale of the response to it has now involved ambassadors from many countries, the United Nations, international boycotts, and the threatening of utterly innocent businesspeople and embassy personnel. ... The free world should be standing resolutely with Denmark, ready to defend freedom of speech. Insofar as it is not defended, it will surely be lost. On Wednesday publications all over Europe — in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Holland — published the cartoons to demonstrate their support for this principle. But in a grim reminder of the dhimmitude and multiculturalist fog that still grips us, the editor of France Soir was fired for doing so. The defense of free speech and free thought will not be easy, and is not the matter of just a day."
"Mohammed Cartoon Conflict Gets Even Hotter" (Deutsche Welle, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair II: "Meanwhile, a Jordanian gossip tabloid on defiantly published three of the cartoons that have triggered outrage in the Arab and Muslim world. "Muslims of the world, be reasonable," said the editor-in-chief of the weekly independent newspaper Al-Shihan in an editorial alongside the cartoons, including the one showing the Muslim religion's founder wearing a bomb-shaped turban. "What brings more prejudice against Islam, these caricatures or pictures of a hostage-taker slashing the throat of his victim in front of the cameras or a suicide bomber who blows himself up during a wedding ceremony in Amman?" wrote Jihad Momani. He told the AFP news service he decided to publish the offending cartoons 'so people know what they are protesting about... People are attacking drawings that they have not even seen.'" (UPDATE: "Cartoons: Jordanian daily withdrawn" (AKI, 2006/02/02): "In an apparent U-turn, the publishers of the Amman-based al-Shihan weekly - which on Thursday published three of the 12 controversial Danish cartoons satirising the Prophet Mohammed - has withdrawn all copies of the newspaper. In a note, the owner says it is "suprised" by the paper's publication of the Danish cartoons, condemns these, and says it is investigating the matter, and will "severely" punish those responsible.")
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"Muhammad cartoon editor is sacked" (BBC News, 2006/02/02) The Danish cartoon affair I: "The editor of a French newspaper that printed a cartoon featuring the Prophet Muhammad on its front page has been sacked for offending Muslims. Jacques Lefranc was dismissed by the owner of France Soir, as his paper became embroiled in a developing row between Muslims and European press. ... However France Soir owner Raymond Lakah said in a statement to AFP he "decided to remove Jacques Lefranc as managing director of the publication as a powerful sign of respect for the intimate beliefs and convictions of every individual". "We express our regrets to the Muslim community and all people who were shocked by the publication." Islamic tradition bans depictions of the Prophet or Allah." (See also: "Yes, we have the right to caricature God" (France Soir/The Brussels Journal, 2006/02/01))
"Yes, we have the right to caricature God" (France Soir/The Brussels Journal, 2006/02/01) "The front page of French daily newspaper France Soir reading "Yes, we have the right to caricature God" (on drawing man at R says: "Do not complain Mohammed, we all have been caricatured here")."
"'Integration might be impossible'" (Erik Ohlsson, Dagens Nyheter, 2006/02/01) The Danish cartoon affair VI. Translation of parts of an interview with Carsten Juste, the editor-in-chief of Jyllands- Posten. It might be added that the likeliness that Dagens Nyheter, or indeed any other major Swedish paper, would publish the cartoons is less than zero. Swedish media is probably the world's most politically correct. But it is encouraging that Swedes themselves are not as craven as their media and politicians. In an ongoing poll in Svenska Dagbladet, 79,8 % thinks that it was right that Jyllands-Posten http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (20 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
published the cartoons. And in Dagens Nyheter, 81 % thinks that it is right that other papers have republished them: "His paper has received bomb threats, its computer system is attacked by hackers round the clock, he has personally received several serious death threats and is protected by police. ... "It is excellent that other papers follow us [and publishes the cartoons]. The defence against the fundamentalism that wants to suffocate the freedom of expression becomes more efficient the more papers who do so. Now we are only waiting for Dagens Nyheter to do so," he says, half jokingly, half seriously. ... "What have you learned from the "Mohammed affair"?" "I've learned to appreciate humour and the Danish temperament even more. Humour is an article in short supply in the world, especially among you (in Sweden)," says the editor-in-Chief. ... 'And I've also come to the saddening insight that integration might be an impossible project. This affair shows that there is a gulf between the Western man and the Muslim world which is bigger than Grand Canyon.'"
"Norwegian Muslims want blasphemy law" (Aftenposten, 2006/02/01) The Danish cartoon affair V: "Norway needs anti-blasphemy regulations to protect minorities against derisive and hateful expression, says lawyer Abid Q Raja. "The point is not to restrict freedom of speech but to give it direction so that weak groups do not feel insulted or mocked. If we do nothing the differences within Norwegian society will increase in the future," Raja told newspaper Dagsavisen. Raja's statement comes after the new wave of controversy surrounding caricatures of the prophet Mohammed, first published in Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten last September and now recently in the Norwegian Christian weekly Magazinet. Raja said he perceives the caricatures as a clear insult of Muslims and their faith. "I would like a new blasphemy regulation that defines limits for what type of offensive expression shall be allowed towards society's minorities," Raja said."
"Denmark battles to contain fallout over Mohammed cartoons" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 2006/02/01) The Danish cartoon affair IV: "Yet despite Copenhagen's efforts, Syria announced that it had recalled its ambassador to Denmark, while Chechen guerrilla leader Shamil Basayev threatened a response to the cartoons. And in Russia, the Orthodox Church and the Mufti Council, which represents 23 million Muslims, condemned European newspapers for reprinting the drawings. ... The editor-in-chief of Jyllands-Posten, which published the cartoons after the Danish author of a book on Islam was unable to find a single cartoonist who dared to illustrate the prophet, said opponents of freedom of expression had scored a victory. "They've won. That is what is so appalling. My guess is that no one in the next generation is going to want to draw the Prophet Mohammed in Denmark and therefore I must ashamedly admit it: they've won," Carsten Juste told the Berlingske Tidende daily."
"Denmark's Cartoon Jihad" (Anjana Shrivastava, Der Spiegel,
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2006/02/01) The Danish cartoon affair III: "Indeed, after the July bombings in London and the riots in Paris, many German commentators are concerned about what the affair means for free speech and whether the Danish cartoons could prove the combustible link between domestic and foreign conflict in Europe. The conservative paper Die Welt demonstratively reprints the cartoons, asking "Is it possible to satirize Islam? How much humor is compatible with the religion of Islam, this metaphysics of world conquest by an early medieval robber prince, who with his caravan army created a great empire on the basis of polygamy and a strict code of honor?" While the paper agrees that there is a certain "threshold of shame" in regard to the satirization of religion, "The standard of measure set by the Muslims nonetheless is a challenge for an open society." Die Welt also regrets what it regards as the Danish capitulation to the pressure, and goes on to defend the "right to blasphemy" against calls not to 'provoke religious minorities.'"
"Muhammad cartoon row intensifies" (BBC News, 2006/02/01) The Danish cartoon affair II: "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. ... 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." 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. "The protests from Muslims would be taken more seriously if they were less hypocritical," it wrote in an editorial."
"French paper reprints Danish Mohammad cartoons" (Jon Boyle, Reuters/Yahoo! News, 2006/02/01) The Danish cartoon affair I: "A French newspaper reprinted on Wednesday a series of 12 Danish newspaper cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad that have sparked protests in the Muslim world and prompted Saudi Arabia to recall its ambassador from Denmark. ... Police said they had won a pledge from Denmark's imams to work to prevent an escalation of the row while the France Soir daily said it had published the cartoons in the name of freedom of expression and to fight religious intolerance. "Because no religious dogma can impose its view on a democratic and secular society, France Soir publishes the incriminated cartoons," the paper said. Under a headline "Yes, we have the right to caricature God," the paper ran a front page cartoon with Buddha, the Christian and Jewish Gods and the Prophet Mohammad sitting on a cloud above Earth, with the Christian God saying: "Don't complain Mohammad, we've all been caricatured here." France Soir, which is in financial difficulties and looking for a buyer, devoted two inside pages to the Danish cartoons, with editor Serge Faubert unapologetic. http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (22 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
"Enough lessons from these reactionary bigots! There is nothing in these incriminated cartoons that intends to be racist or denigrate any community as such," he wrote in a commentary. 'Some are funny, others less so. That's it. That is why we have decided to publish them.'" (See also: "Image of Muhammad" - News and commentary on the Danish cartoon affair.)
"This poster depicting Mohammed..." (zombietime) From "Mohammed Image Archive: Depictions of Mohammed Throughout History" (zombietime), which also includes the cartoons from Jyllands- Posten: "This poster depicting Mohammed was bought on the street in Iran in 1999 by the Norwegian scientist Ingvild Flaskerud."
"The first fatality of the Mohammed pictures" (Nuri Kino, Expressen, 2006/01/31) The Danish cartoon affair VI. Nuri Kino is an Assyrian-Swedish journalist and documentary filmmaker. It's rather astonishing that a major Swedish newspaper publishes this call for the West to give up its freedom of expression in the face of Muslim terror and threats, but it is a sign of the times. Kino deems the cartoons "an act of war" and welcomes the "reactions", which is particularly outrageous as he just has described the latest church bombings in Iraq as examples of these. Translated excerpts of an article in Swedish [emphasis added]: "The Danish depictions of the Prophet Mohammed have now claimed its first fatality. One person was killed and fourteen severely wounded when bombs exploded outside six churches in Baghdad and Kirkuk on Sunday morning. The reason behind the attacks is Jyllands-Postens cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. Several Islamist organizations have requested revenge actions against Christians in Iraq, who are viewed as proxies for everyone in the West. It started with the mocking and assault of Christian students at the University in Mosul. Muslim students yelled "this is for the http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (23 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
blasphemies of your Danish fellow believers." ... My colleague and friend Wassim Poleth, an Assyrian journalist from Kirkuk in northern Iraq, says that "the violation of the rotters in Denmark" is talked about by Muslims everywhere in the city. ... And it is here we must take sides. Should we stop publishing and debating Islamic issues? The cartoons in the Danish paper have got extreme reactions from the Arab World seen from a Swedish perspective. We have only seen the beginning of actions against Christians in the East as well as Danish and Scandinavians in the West. The depictions in Jyllands-Postens is a desecration of Islam and the beliefs of Muslims. Personally, I welcome the debate, the cartoons and the reactions. The cartoons are a blasphemy and in its extension an act of war. Now at last we might get an honest debate about the real cultural clashes. If we depict Mohammed there will be revenge actions whether we accept it or not! And personally I don't think one should desecrate either Jesus, Moses, Mohammed or any other prophet. We must see the world as it is. What's naive and permitted might mean a violent end somewhere else." (See also: "Bombs Strike Christian Targets in Iraq" (Paul Garwood, AP/Yahoo! News, 2006/01/29))
"Businessman with balls" (Henrik, Viking Observer, 2006/01/31) The Danish cartoon affair V: "In my last post, the Danish businessman Asger Aamund was mentioned as condemning the demands coming from Danish Industry. The following is his piece in Jyllands-Posten saturday (sorry, no link):
It is when you are under pressure, that you are tempted to give in. It is when you are under pressure, that you are lured into compromising. But it is also when you are under pressure, that you have to stand up for eachother. In the middle og the debate over the disputed prophet-drawings the prominent businessman, CEO and board chariman Asger Aamund speaks up. And the message to politicians, Jyllands-Posten and the danish people is quite clear: "You´re not giving an inch of ground, no matter how much the political, diplomatic and economic pressure increases". Even though Saudi Arabia has withdrawn its ambassador for consultations, and even though danish companies in the country with the official name Al-mamlaka al-Arabiya as-Saudiya fear a total boycot of danish goods, nobody can begin to give in, says Asger Aamund. .. "As the pressure increases, it is very, very important that everybody stands firm. If the politicians or Jyllands-Posten start apologizing, it will have to very serious consequences: Firstly, it will send the signal, that you can always just start a boycot and thus remove freedom of speech. We are in a typical hostage situation, where Arla (Danish dairy giant - Henrik) has been taken hostage. If we want to avoid that in the future, we have to make an example out of it."
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"Palestinian supporters of the Islamic Jihad..." (Mahmud Hams, AFP, 2006/01/31) "Palestinian supporters of the Islamic Jihad movement burn a poster depicting the Danish Prime Minister Andres Fogh Rasmussen during a demonstration outside the UN compound in Gaza City to denounce caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that appeared in Danish and Norwegian publications."
"Gazans burn Danish flags, demand cartoon apology" (Nidal al- Mughrabi, Reuters/Yahoo! News, 2006/01/31) The Danish cartoon affair IV: "Thousands of Palestinians protested for a second day on Tuesday against Denmark for allowing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad to be published, saying an apology by the newspaper involved was not enough. Demonstrators burned Danish flags, chanted "War on Denmark, Death to Denmark" and called for an Arab boycott of products from the small north European country until it showed contrition for the satirical caricatures deemed blasphemous by Islam. ... Danish troops based in southern Iraq raised their state of alert. "The Defense Ministry evaluates the threat as real since it comes from a reliable source," the Politiken newspaper's Web site quoted Danish Defense Minister Soren Gade as saying. But Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen repeated that his government could not apologize on behalf of independent media who had only exercised their right to free speech. The Gaza protestors fired bullets in the air, chanted anti-Danish slogans and burned Danish and U.S. flags as well as portraits of Rasmussen and U.S. President George W. Bush."
"Newspaper evacuated after threat" (The Advertiser, 2006/01/31) The Danish cartoon affair III: "The offices of the Danish newspaper which published cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed were evacuated overnight after a bomb threat, police said. "I can confirm we evacuated Jyllands-Posten. There has been a bomb threat and we have evacuated the building," a police spokesman said. The newspaper, which has its main office in Denmark's second city Arhus, apologised yesterday for offending Muslims by publishing the cartoons, one of which showed Mohammed wearing a turban shaped like a bomb."
"Militant group: Apology not accepted" (svt.se, 2006/01/31) The Danish cartoon affair II. Translation of a dispatch in Swedish: "In an interview for SVT:s Rapport, leaders of the
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militant Palestinian group the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades says that they are not accepting Jyllands-Posten's apology for offending Muslims with the publication of cartoons of Mohammed. In order to terminate the protests they are demanding an apology from the Danish government and also that the publishers of the cartoons are put on trial. They also say that they have nothing against Sweden and that the threats against Swedish citizens were based on a misunderstanding."
"Nordic firm hit by Arab boycott" (BBC News, 2006/01/31) The Danish cartoon affair I: "The Danish-Swedish dairy giant Arla Foods says its sales in the Middle East have plummeted to zero as a result of a row over cartoons published in Denmark. The firms said it had to lay off 100 people because of the fall in demand. ... The company has annual sales of $480m there. "Our sales in the Middle East have come to a complete stop - in all countries in the region," company spokeswoman Astrid Gade Niels told the BBC. She said the row came as a shock to the company. "We have found ourselves in the middle of a game that we have no part in. 'We have taken 40 years to build up a very big business in the Middle East, and we've seen it come to a complete stop in five days.'"
"Members of the Palestinian militant group Popular Resistance Commitee..." (Emilio Morenatti, AP, 2006/01/30) "Members of the Palestinian militant group Popular Resistance Commitee burn a Danish flag next to the European Commission building during a protest in Gaza City Monday Jan. 30. 2006."
"Honourable Fellow Citizens of the Muslim World" (Carsten Juste, Jyllands-Posten, 2006/01/30) The Danish cartoon affair VII. Jyllands-Posten editor Carsten Juste's letter of apology. Even if he doesn't apologize for the actual publication of the cartoons, it's surely a saddening victory for boycotts, death threats, blasphemy laws and fundamentalistic hysterics over the open society: "Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten is a strong proponent of democracy and freedom of religion. The newspaper respects the right of any human being to practise his or her religion.
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Serious misunderstandings in respect of some drawings of the Prophet Mohammed have led to much anger and, lately, also boycott of Danish goods in Muslim countries. Please allow me to correct these misunderstandings. On 30 September last year, Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten published 12 different cartoonists' idea of what the Prophet Mohammed might have looked like. The initiative was taken as part of an ongoing public debate on freedom of expression, a freedom much cherished in Denmark. In our opinion, the 12 drawings were sober. They were not intended to be offensive, nor were they at variance with Danish law, but they have indisputably offended many Muslims for which we apologize."
"Iraqi group urges Danish attacks over cartoons" (Reuters, 2006/01/30) The Danish cartoon affair VI: "An Iraqi militant group called on Monday for attacks against Danish and Norwegian targets over satirical cartoons of Islam's Prophet Mohammad, saying a boycott of goods was not enough, according to an Internet statement. "Boycotting cheese and dairy products alone is a flimsy stance that fits a weak nation that cannot defend its prophet ... They started this and they have to shoulder the responsibilities," said the statement attributed to the Mujahideen Army. It called on its fighters to "hit whatever targets possible belonging to these two countries and other (countries) that follow their steps." The statement could not be authenticated but it was posted on a main Web site used by Iraqi insurgent groups. The group was among three organizations that have claimed the downing of a U.S. helicopters in Iraq earlier this month."
"Protests Over Muhammad Cartoon Grow" (Donna Abu-Nasr, AP/ Yahoo! News, 2006/01/30) The Danish cartoon affair V: "Denmark-based Arla Foods, which has been the target of a widespread boycott in the Middle East, reported that two of its employees in Saudi Arabia were beaten by angry customers. Aid groups, meanwhile, pulled workers out of Gaza, citing the threat of hostilities. ... The Danish Red Cross said it was evacuating two employees from Gaza and one from Yemen. "There have been concrete threats against our employees. The fact that they are Danish nationals has made the difference," Danish Red Cross spokesman Anders Ladekarl said. The Norwegian People's Aid group also said it was withdrawing its two Norwegian representatives in Gaza but that operations would be maintained by local staff. ... Emirates' Minister of Justice and Islamic Affairs Mohammed Al Dhaheri said publishing the "blasphemous" cartoons was "disgusting and irresponsible," according to comments released Monday by the official WAM news agency. "This is cultural terrorism, not freedom of expression. The repercussions of such irresponsible acts will have adverse impact on international relations." The Egyptian parliament's Economic Committee refused to discuss a $72.5 million loan from Denmark to Egypt, with newspapers quoting lawmakers as saying they do not want to cooperate with a country that has insulted the prophet."
"Clinton warns of rising anti-Islamic feeling" (Robert Spencer, Dhimmi Watch, 2006/01/30) http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (27 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
The Danish cartoon affair IV. Dhimmi Watch, indeed. It seems unlikely that Clinton has even seen the cartoons in question. For example, does he think that the cartoon which criticizing Jyllands-Posten ("Jyllands-Posten's journalists are a bunch of reactionary provocateurs.") was "appalling" as well? Perhaps he thinks it was outrageously stereotyping journalists?: "Bill Clinton, former President and future First Husband, condemns freedom of speech. From AFP, with thanks to MB:
Former US president Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti- Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper. "So now what are we going to do? ... Replace the anti-Semitic prejudice with anti-Islamic prejudice?" he said at an economic conference in the Qatari capital of Doha. ... Clinton described as "appalling" the 12 cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September depicting Prophet Mohammed and causing uproar in the Muslim world. "None of us are totally free of stereotypes about people of different races, different ethnic groups, and different religions ... there was this appalling example in northern Europe, in Denmark ... these totally outrageous cartoons against Islam," he said.
That's not the point. This is a question of being able to say something that Bill Clinton finds outrageous. These cartoons may be totally outrageous indeed. But if we cannot speak openly about Islamic militancy, we cannot combat it. And freedom of speech is certainly dead."
"Palestinian militants bar Danes, Norwegians from Gaza" (AFP/ Khaleej Times, 2006/01/30) The Danish cartoon affair III. Norwegians and Swedes are also called by their respective representatives to leave the Palestinian territories. Meanwhile, Danish troops in Iraq were targeted for the very first time on Monday: "Bomb Targets Danish-Iraqi Military in Iraq" (Abbas Fayadh, AP/chron.com, 2006/01/30): "Denmark called on its nationals to leave the Palestinian territories, stepping up security at its mission in the West Bank as a group calling itself the Yasser Brigades demonstrated outside the EU offices in Gaza City. The previously unheard of faction said it was linked to Fatah, which dominated Palestinian politics until it was trounced in last week’s general election by Islamist faction Hamas. ... “We recommended Danes in the West Bank to leave,” Denmark’s representative in the Palestinian territories, Rolf Holmboi, told AFP, adding that nationals in the Gaza Strip had already complied with a call for them to depart. Holmboi said Danes were asked to leave after flag burnings took place in the West Bank towns of Nablus and Hebron on Sunday."
"Denmark subject of cyber-attacks" (Henrik, Viking Observer, 2006/01/30) The Danish cartoon affair II: "Most people following current http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (28 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
affairs are probably by now aware, that a boycot of all things Danish (and Norwegian and Swedish, too, in some instances) is spreading in the ME. What hasnt been reported is, that Denmark has likewise come under cyber attack. From the paper Politiken friday: ...
A large number of Danish papers´ web versions have crashed. Suspicions immediately center on the hacker attacks being because of the Mohammed-drawings in Jyllands-Posten. .. All the web media hit are hosted on the same servers at the internet company Metropol Online, owned by Berlingske (Danish publishing house). .. Among the media hit is the homepage of Jyllands- Postens, www.jp.dk, which creates suspicions, that hackers are trying to hit the paper as part of the row over the papers´ Mohammed-drawings. ...
And from the same paper sunday: ...
The web version of the paper Jyllands-Posten, www.jp.dk, has again been nocked to the ground. The web paper is under attack by hackers. ...
What hasnt filtered through to the media, even the Danish one, is that the rightwing blogosphere was also hit hard by hacker attacks from the ME. The largest blog Uriasposten (still recovering - may not load for you) was taken over and defaced with amongst others a Saudi flag friday. The blog Filtrat was similarly attacked sunday, though without being defaced by arab content." (See also: "Loony Lefto acting as a good Dhimmi" (Henrik, Viking Observer, 2006/01/30): "Danish Loony Lefto blogger Raapil is including the message "Do not hack this site! It is not islam critical!" on his blog. Just to show his multi-culti sensibility, he is translating it into arab, too. I dont know what to say.")
"Palestinians storm EU office in Gaza" (AP/The Jerusalem Post, 2006/01/30) The Danish cartoon affair I: "Masked gunmen on Monday briefly took over a European Union office to protest a Danish newspaper's publication of cartoons deemed insulting to Islam's Prophet Mohammad, the latest in a wave of violent denunciations of the caricatures across the Islamic world. The gunmen demanded an apology from Denmark and Norway, and said citizens of the two countries would be prevented from entering the Gaza Strip. "We are calling on the citizens of the two countries to take this threat seriously because our cells are ready to implement this all over Gaza," said one of the militants. ... In the Monday incident, gunmen burst into the EU office, then withdrew several minutes later. A group of about 15 masked men, armed with hand grenades, automatic weapons and anti- tank launchers, remained outside, keeping the offices closed. No shots were fired, and there were no reports of injuries. The gunmen left the building after about half an hour. The Al Aksa Martyrs' Brigades, a violent group linked to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah Party, claimed responsibility."
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"Palestinian militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades..." (Abed Omar Qusini, 2006/01/29) "Palestinian militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades burn Denmark's national flag during a protest over Danish cartoons seen as offensive to the Prophet Mohammad in the West Bank city of Nablus January 29, 2006. The 57-nation Organisation of the Islamic Conference said Denmark should have 'categorically condemned' cartoons published by Danish paper Jyllands- Posten last September in which the Prophet is shown wearing a turban shaped as a bomb."
"Palestinians want Danes out" (Ali Waked, Ynetnews, 2006/01/29) The Danish cartoon affair III. From an article in Aftonbladet: "Late Sunday there was information from Gaza that the Al- Aqsa Martyrs Brigades spread leaflets and requested Danes and Swedes to leave the area within 72 hours. On another location in Gaza, Islamic Jihad requested Danes, Swedes and Norwegians to leave within 48 hours.": "Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members hold anti-Denmark demonstration Sunday to protest recent publication of caricatures mocking Prophet Muhammad in Danish newspaper, threaten to harm Danish nationals in territories and urge them to leave area immediately. Dozens of al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members held a demonstration against Denmark Sunday at the main square in the West Bank town of Nablus, shouted anti-Danish slogans and threatened to harm Danish targets located in the West Bank and Gaza. Sunday's demonstration is the last in a string of Muslim rallies to protest the recent publication of a series of caricatures mocking Muslim prophet Muhammad in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten. ... During the demonstration in Nablus, participants threatened to harm Danish interests in the territories and called on all Danish representatives and activists operating in the area to leave immediately. Members of the organization also urged Danish citizens planning to enter the territories to refrain from doing so in order to avoid being hurt. Protesters also demanded the Palestinian public to suspend all ties with Denmark, in light of what they described as a "serious insult to Muslim sentiments." An al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades senior member told Ynet that 'the http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (30 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
Danish campaign against the prophet Muhammad constitutes part of the crusade the western world conducts against Islam.'"
"Libya Closes Denmark Embassy Over Drawings" (Khaled Al-Deeb, AP/Yahoo! News, 2006/01/29) The Danish cartoon affair II: "Libya said Sunday it was closing its embassy in Denmark to protest drawings of the prophet Muhammad in a Danish newspaper as anger over the controversy spread across the Middle East. "Due to Danish authorities not taking a responsible stance in this concern, Libya has decided to close its (embassy) in Copenhagen," said a statement from Libya's Foreign Ministry. The statement said other measures would be taken but did not elaborate. ... On Sunday, Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-Illah Khatib summoned the Danish ambassador to protest against what he said was an "intentional insult of Islam, its message and its honorable Prophet," the official Petra news agency reported. It said Khatib insisted that there must be measures taken to ensure no "recurrence of such violations." Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Denmark last week and Saudi citizens were boycotting Danish goods. Kuwait's state-supported supermarkets have announced a similar boycott and the government summoned a regional Danish ambassador to complain. Egypt's parliament demanded that Egypt recall its ambassadors to Denmark and Norway, where a newspaper reprinted the cartoons. The opposition Muslim Brotherhood demanded a boycott of products from the two countries. Syria's Foreign Ministry called on the Danish government to take the 'necessary measures to punish the offenders so that such offenses may not be repeated in the future.'"
"Muslims seek UN resolution over Danish prophet cartoons" (AFP/Yahoo! News, 2006/01/29) The Danish cartoon affair I: "The Muslim world's two main political bodies have said they were seeking a UN resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions following the outcry caused by publication in Scandinavia of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. Organisation of the Islamic Conference secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told reporters in Cairo Sunday that the international body would "ask the UN general assembly to pass a resolution banning attacks on religious beliefs." The deputy secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Ben Helli, confirmed that contacts were under way for such a proposal to be made to the United Nations. "Consultations are currently taking place at the highest level between Arab countries and the OIC to ask the UN to adopt a binding resolution banning contempt of religious beliefs and providing for sanctions to be imposed on contravening countries or institutions," he said."
"Muslim World League calls for UN interventions against disdaining religions" (KUNA, 2006/01/28) The Danish cartoon affair II. Robert Spencer: "'Disdaining religion,' eh? Such "insolence"! This is an increasingly strong challenge to a fundamental basis of a free society. If one is not free to write something critical of any belief-system or group, if any belief-system or group is held immune from such criticism, then freedom of speech does not actually exist. A free society
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means the freedom to reject, to criticize, even to ridicule. Without this freedom of speech and freedom of thought are hollow and meaningless.": "Muslim World League (MWL) called Saturday on the UN Secretary General Kofi Annan to activate international laws against insolence of religions. MWL Secretary General Dr Abdullah Al-Turki condemned, in a letter addressed to Annan, the discretion of Prophet Mohammed (PBU) by Danish and Norwegian newspapers, which published cartoon depicting the Prophet in a disrespectful way. Al-Turki said in the letter that Muslims around the world felt very offended by the unethical campaign, noting that international laws prohibited scorning religions and other hatred-provoking practices. He stressed that UN should intervene to stop media campaigns against Islam, which might ignite clashes between different cultures. Moreover, he called on Annan to immediately and directly contact the Danish and Norwegian governments to demand them to ban media campaigns against Islam and to officially apologize for the Muslim nation. Al-Turki also called on the international community to adopt a clear law criminalizing individuals and institutions that disrespect religions."
"Denmark should not apologise for Mohammed cartoons" (AFP/ Yahoo! News, 2006/01/28) The Danish cartoon affair I: "A majority of Danes feel their government and media should not apologise to Muslims for controversial cartoons in a Danish newspaper depicting Mohammed, a poll has shown. Twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, published in the daily Jyllands-Posten last September and reprinted in a Norwegian magazine earlier this month, have sparked an uproar in the Muslim world since images of the prophet are considered blasphemous. The Saudi ambassador to Copenhagen was recalled to Riyadh earlier this week over the row, and Kuwait said Saturday it would summon the Danish ambassador over what it called "despicable racism". Danish food giant Arla Foods said meanwhile it was being targeted by a boycott in Saudi Arabia. In a poll for Danish Radio Saturday by the Epinion research institute which questioned 579 people in Denmark, 79 percent said Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen should not apologise on Denmark's behalf, 18 percent said he should and three percent were undecided. Meanwhile, 62 percent said Jyllands-Posten should not apologise, 31 percent said it should and seven percent were undecided." (See also: "Warnings of Impending Suicide Attack in Denmark" (Rusty Shackleford, The Jawa Report, 2006/01/27))
"Denmark is next"
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(The Jawa Report, 2006/01/27)
"Warnings of Impending Suicide Attack in Denmark" (Rusty Shackleford, The Jawa Report, 2006/01/27) The Danish cartoon affair III: "The Glory Brigades in Northern Europe are now threatening suicide attacks in Denmark. The originals can be seen and downloaded at Infovlad who has them archived. A rough translation of the warning from an Islamic forum can be seen at Tracking al Qaeda. The Glory Brigades of Northern Europe have threatened terrorist actions in both Sweden and Denmark in the past. The current threats are being made in retalliation for cartoons appearing in Danish papers which are said to be offensive to Muslims. I wonder how many Christian fundamentalists have threatened to blow themselves up in New York over Kanye West's portrayal of Christ in Rolling Stone?"
"Norway Apologizes over Muhammad Cartoons" (Filip van Laenen, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/27) The Danish cartoon affair II: "The left-wing government in Norway apologizes to Muslims worldwide for the publication of twelve Muhammad cartoons ... in the Norwegian newspaper Magazinet. Oslo sent out instructions to all the Norwegian embassies on how to respond to queries about the cartoons. Unlike the Danish government, the Norwegian government is not concerned about safeguarding the right to freedom of expression. Foreign Minister, Jonas Gahr Støre, a leading member of Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg’s Workers’ Party, wrote the following e-mail to the Norwegian embassies:
I am sorry that the publication of a few cartoons in the Norwegian paper Magazinet has caused unrest among Muslims. I fully understand that these drawings are seen to give offence by Muslims worldwide. Islam is a spiritual reference point for a large part of the world. Your faith has the right to be respected by us. The cartoons in the Christian paper Magazinet are not constructive in building the bridges which are necessary between people with different religious and ethnic backgrounds. Instead they contribute to suspicion and unnecessary conflict. ...
Opposition politicians reacted to this message with indignation. Jon Lilletun, the spokesman on foreign policy for the Christian- democrat Kristelig Folkeparti, points out that it is not the ministry’s task to express an opinion on the content of the cartoons."
"Where is the anger?" (Verity, Albion's Seed, 2006/01/27) The Danish cartoon affair I: "Why are our cowardly leaders letting the steadfast Mr Rasmussen and the newspaper’s editors take the heat alone? Why has not one American Congressman raised the issue in Congress? No one would expect an unequivocal response from the British prime minister, but is there not one British MP brave enough to support Mr Rasmussen and the Danish people who are, after all, defending the liberty of all of us? Is there not one newspaper editor – even a tabloid – with the strength of conviction to support the Danes? Now Danish livelihoods are http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (33 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
being threatened for failing to condemn this infraction against Islamic law, with boycotts of their products. Is there not one damn’ politician in the entire Anglosphere who will take a stand with Mr Rasmussen? What about John Howard, then? The newly elected Harper? God help us, where is Jesse Jackson? So far, the sole support has come from Norway – another Viking nation, let us note – one of whose papers printed the original article translated into Norwegian and ran the cartoons. Will not one elected member of an Anglosphere government stand shoulder to shoulder with Mr Rasmussen, who is single- handedly defending Western values and freedoms?" (Hat tip: Instapundit. See also: "Saudis Recall Ambassador to Denmark" (Abdullah Al- Shihri, AP/My Way, 2006/01/26))
"Saudis Recall Ambassador to Denmark" (Abdullah Al-Shihri, AP/My Way, 2006/01/26) More on the Danish cartoon affair: "Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador to Denmark Thursday to protest a published series of caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, which provoked a wave of anger in Islamic countries when they were published last year in a leading Danish newspaper. Ambassador Mohammad Ibrahim Al-Hejailan has been posted in Denmark since March 2003. Embassy officials did not answer phone calls Thursday afternoon. ... The anger over the drawings was evident throughout the Saudi capital on Thursday. Outside malls in downtown Riyadh, huge signs read: "Dear brothers, you should hold out purchasing any Danish food stuff because the Danes desecrated our prophet." A flurry of text messages were sent via mobile phones, urging a boycott of Danish goods, such as cheese and cosmetics. "We call on the merchant brothers to stop importing all Danish products for the sake of our beloved prophet," read one message. A convoy of young men drove down one street with white cloth banners streaming from their windows. "We demand all the brothers stop buying Danish products!" one read. "Remove all Danish products from your markets," another urged." (See also: "Danish Imams Propose to End Cartoon Dispute" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/22))
"Muhammed" (Arne Sörensen, Jyllands-Posten, 2005/10/30)
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"Danish Imams Propose to End Cartoon Dispute" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/22) An update on the Danish cartoon affair, with all 12 cartoons attached: "The Danish imams, who protested the publication of 12 Muhammad cartoons ... in the Danish newspaper Jyllands- Posten last September, have announced that they want to end the dispute. For four months the imams and their radical Muslim organizations have unsuccesfully demanded government censorship. However, despite immense pressure (also from international organizations such as the UN and the EU) the Danish government refused to call the newspaper to account. ... “We want Jyllands-Posten to show respect for the Muslims. This can happen with an apology, but it can also happen in some other way. We will leave it to Jyllands-Posten to come up with some ideas,” said Ahmed Akkari, spokesman of the Muslim organizations. “We want respect for Muhammad restored and we want him to be described as the man he really was in history, and that he gets the respect he deserves,” Akkari stressed that Muslim organizations are still deeply opposed to the publication of the cartoons. The Muslim organizations and Jyllands-Posten met last week to discuss the matter. “It was a good and constructive meeting. We agreed that we need to find a solution,” said Carsten Juste, editor of Jyllands-Posten. Juste stressed that the meeting was one step in a reconciliation process which the Muslim organizations and the newspaper began in December. Some sceptics wonder whether the demands of the imams have changed fundamentally. They still insist that Jyllands- Posten admit that publishing the cartoons was wrong and make amends for it."
"Scholars Threaten Boycott Over Anti-prophet Cartoons" (Adel Abdel Halim, Islam Online, 2006/01/21) Even more on the Danish cartoon affair: "The International Union for Muslim Scholars (IUMS) threatened on Saturday, January 21, to call for a boycott of Danish and Norwegian products over the publication of controversial anti-Prophet cartoons in both Scandinavian countries. "We urge the officials in Denmark and Norway to take a firm stance against these repeated insults to the Muslim nation and the prophet followed by 1.3 billion people across the globe," read a statement by the Dublin-based body, a copy of which was mailed to IslamOnline.net on Saturday, January 21. "Otherwise the IUMS will be forced to urge millions of Muslims across the world to boycott all Danish and Norwegian products and activities." ... The union asked Arab and Muslim governments to exercise all possible political and diplomatic pressures on the Danish and Norwegian governments to grind to a halt such organized anti- Islam campaigns. The IUMS was launched in July of last year in the British capital London as an independent body and a reference for all Muslims worldwide with prominent scholar Sheikh Yusuf Qaradawi as its chair." (Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch. See also: "Denmark: Moderate Muslims Oppose Imams" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/19))
"Denmark: Moderate Muslims Oppose Imams" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/19) A positive update on the Danish cartoon affair. It should be added that 49 Danish Muslims published an article in Jyllands- http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (35 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
Posten on Monday, defending the paper and protesting against the strong reactions from radicals. From an article in Svenska Dagbladet:
"'It's a problem every time an Imam sounds as if he is speaking for all Danish Muslims, because Muslims differ as much as Christians... No one should restrict the freedom of Jyllands-Posten, not regarding the prophet Mohammed either', says for example the writer Adil Erdem, member of the board in the Danish Pen-club and one of the 49 Danism Muslims protesting against being represented by indignant Muslim individuals."
"Instead of the Danish government surrendering to Muslim radicals, moderate Danish Muslims are now speaking out against the extremists. A group of Muslims in the Danish city of Århus intend to organize a network of Muslims who do not want to be represented by fundamentalist Danish imams or others who preach the Sharia laws and oppression of women. “There is a large group of Muslims in this city who want to live in a secular society and adhere to the principle that religion is an issue between them and God and not something that should involve society,” said Bünyamin Simsek, a city councillor and one of the organizers. Århus witnessed severe riots after the publication of the cartoons in the newspaper Jyllands-Posten last Autumn. In Copenhagen, too, moderate Muslims are speaking out. Hadi Kahn, an IT consultant and the chairman of the Organization of Pakistani Students in Denmark (OPSA), describes himself as a modern Muslim living in a Western society. He says that he does not feel he is being represented by the Muslim groups. When he goes to the mosque for Friday prayers he says the imam does not say much that is useful for him. “We have no need for imams in Denmark. They do not do anything for us,” he says. According to Mr Kahn the imams are not in touch with Danish society. He says too few of them speak Danish and too few of them are opposed to stoning as a punishment." (See also: "Scandinavian Update: Israeli Boycott, Muslim Cartoons" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/14))
"Scandinavian Update: Israeli Boycott, Muslim Cartoons" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/14) More on the Danish cartoon "scandal": "Meanwhile, the Danish tabloid Extra Bladet got hold of a 43-page report that Danish Muslim leaders and imams, on a tour of the Islamic world are handing out to their contacts to “explain” how offensive the cartoons are. The report contains 15 pictures instead of 12. The first of the three additional pictures, which are of dismal quality, shows Muhammad as a pedophile deamon [see it here], the second shows the prophet with a pigsnout [here] and the third depicts a praying Muslim being raped by a dog [here]. Apparently, the 12 original pictures were not deemed bad enough to convince other Muslims that Muslims in Denmark are the victims of a campaign of religious hatred. Akhmad Akkari, spokesman of the 21 Danish Muslim organizations which organized the tour, explained that the three drawings had been added to “give an insight in how hateful the atmosphere in Denmark is towards Muslims.” Akkari claimed he does not know the origin of the three pictures. He said they had been sent anonymously to Danish Muslims. http://watch.windsofchange.net/themes_102.htm (36 von 45)04.02.2006 20:20:28 Watch - "Image of Muhammad"
However, when Ekstra Bladet asked if it could talk to these Muslims, Akkari refused to reveal their identity." (See also: "Danish Prime Minister Shocked at Lies" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/11))
"Danish Prime Minister Shocked at Lies" (Hjörtur Gudmundsson, The Brussels Journal, 2006/01/11) An update on the Danish cartoon "scandal": "Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen is shocked at the way in which some Muslims are misrepresenting Denmark in the Islamic world. “I am speechless that those people, whom we have given the right to live in Denmark and where they freely have chosen to stay, are now touring Arab countries and inciting antipathy towards Denmark and the Danish people,” Rasmussen told journalists yesterday. Rasmussen was responding to the recent visits by certain imams, Muslim intellectuals and representatives of Danish Muslim organizations who toured a number of Muslim countries to “explain” the Danish cartoon affair to local political and religious leaders and media. The affair started last September when the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of Muhammad. Meanwhile, after last week’s rejection of their complaint by the public prosecutor, Danish Muslim organisations have announced that they will take the newspaper to the European Court of Human Rights over the controversial publication. ... Meanwhile the 12 cartoons were published on Tuesday in the Norwegian Christian newspaper Magazinet “in support of the freedom of expression.” Magazinet has received much feedback since publishing the cartoons and the overwhelming majority of it has been positive, thanking the newspaper for its initiative in defense of freedom of expression. Much of it has come from Denmark, but also from e.g. Sweden, Great Britain, Canada and the United States. Yesterday the Norwegian newspaper Dagbladet also published the cartoons on its website." (See also: "Denmark Is Unlikely Front in Islam-West Culture War" (Dan Bilefsky, The New York Times, 2006/01/08))
"Denmark Is Unlikely Front in Islam-West Culture War" (Dan Bilefsky, The New York Times, 2006/01/08) "When the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten published 12 cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad, including one in which he is shown wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse, it expected a strong reaction in this country of 5.4 million people. But the paper was unprepared for the global furor that ensued, including demonstrations in the Indian-controlled part of Kashmir, death threats against the artists, condemnation from 11 Muslim countries and a rebuke from the United Nations. "The cartoons did nothing that transcends the cultural norms of secular Denmark, and this was not a provocation to insult Muslims," said Flemming Rose, cultural editor of Jyllands- Posten, Denmark's largest newspaper, which has declined to apologize for the drawings. "But if we talk of freedom of speech, even if it was a provocation, that does not make our right to do it any less legitimate before the law," he added in an interview from Miami. He spent months living under police protection in Denmark."
"Muslim organisation calls for boycott of Denmark" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/12/28)
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The Danish cartoon "scandal" is certainly one of the most revealing of the year. The outcome of it will give an indication of the level of dhimmitude in Western Europe: "An Islamic cultural organisation warns that 51 Muslim states will boycott Denmark unless an official apology is offered for the cartoons of the prophet Mohammed printed in national newspaper Jyllands-Posten": "An Islamic cultural organisation has called upon its 51 member states to boycott Denmark in response to cartoons of the prophet Mohammed printed three months ago in national daily Jyllands-Posten. The Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) stated on its webpage that it sought a condemnation of 'the aggressive campaign waged against Islam and its Prophet' by Jyllands-Posten. Abdulaziz Othman al-Twaijri, the organisation's secretary general, reportedly told Arabic TV station Al-Arabiya that member states would impose a boycott until an apology was offered for the drawings. 'We encourage the organisation's members to boycott Denmark both economically and politically until Denmark presents an official apology for the drawings that have offended the world's Muslims,' al-Twaijri said. Egypt's ambassador to Denmark, Mona Omar Attiah, warned against not taking the boycott seriously. 'The organisation has a broad appeal among the world's Muslims, and if the government doesn't make new efforts, Muslims around the world will follow the boycott and international pressure against Denmark will increase,' she told daily newspaper Information." (Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch.)
"EU commissioner lashes out at Mohammed drawings" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/12/23) "The European Commission criticises a daily newspaper's Mohammed cartoons for opening the door to hate and radicalisation": " After months of silently observing, the leadership of the European Commission has weighed in on the Danish debate over daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten's decision to publish caricatures of Muslim prophet Mohammed. The Commission's vice-chairman, Franco Frattini, called the newspaper's decision to publish the twelve cartoons as 'thoughtless and inappropriate' in a time when animosity towards Islam is on the rise. 'Honestly, these kinds of drawings can add to the growing Islamophobia in Europe,' Frattini said. 'I fully respect the freedom of speech, but, excuse me, one should avoid making any statement like this, which only arouses and incites to the growing radicalisation,' Frattini said to Jyllands-Posten on Thursday. ... 'I am a Catholic myself, and if anyone had created a drawing of a holy Christian symbol with a bomb and a message about death, I would personally take it as an insult,' he said. Carsten Juste, Jyllands-Posten's editor-in-chief, rejected Frattini's criticism. 'This thing has become so absurd that it wouldn't surprise me if the next step would be to take action against Jyllands-Posten,' said Juste, referring to the junior government partner, the Conservatives, declaring that they partially agreed with a group of former ambassadors and ministers public criticism of the decision." (Hat tip: Andrew Stuttaford.)
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"Demonstrations in Pakistan have escalated into death threats against Danish illustrators who drew pictures of the prophet Mohammed" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/12/02) "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has warned Danish travellers to Pakistan of increased hazard after a Danish newspaper's decision to publish cartoons of Muslim prophet Mohammed escalated into a bounty being placed on the heads of the cartoonists. Daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten published twelve cartoon drawings of Mohammed in September, sparking angry reactions from Denmark's Muslim population and a number of Muslim countries. A bounty of DKK 50,000 had been put on the head the cartoonist responsible for the drawings, daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende reported on Friday. The Pakistani group offering the reward mistakenly believes that the 12 cartoons were created by just one person. Danish Ambassador to Pakistan Bent Wigotski said the bounty had been promised by religious party Jamaat-e-Islami and its youth organisation, which had also demanded Danish representatives expelled from the country. Danish authorities immediately informed the Pakistani government about the death threats and bounty promised by the party, which is described as nationalistic and fundamentalist. Ever since the demonstrators marched through the streets of Islamabad, the party has been spreading its message through the media and flyers."
"Muslims march over cartoons of the Prophet" (Kate Connolly, The Daily Telegraph, 2005/11/04) "A Danish experiment in testing "the limits of freedom of speech" has backfired - or succeeded spectacularly - after newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed provoked an outcry. Thousands of Muslims have taken to the streets in protest at the caricatures, the newspaper that published them has received death threats and two of its cartoonists have been forced into hiding. ... Juste commissioned the cartoons after learning of the difficulties a children's writer, Kare Bluitgen, had in finding an illustrator for his book on the Koran and the Prophet's life. Bluitgen said all the artists he approached feared the wrath of Muslims if they drew images of Mohammed. Many cited the murder of the Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh by an Islamist as a reason for refusal. ... Ayaan Hirsi Ali, the Dutch MP famous for her criticism of Islam and author of the screenplay for Mr Van Gogh's film Submission, supported the paper. "It's necessary to taunt Muslims on their relationship with Mohammed," she said. 'Otherwise we will never have the dialogue we need to establish with Muslims on the most central question: 'Do you really feel that every Muslim in 2005 should follow the way of life the Prophet had 1,400 years ago, as the Koran dictates?''"
"Prophet cartoons prompt Egypt to cut off Danish dialogue" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/11/03) "A Danish newspaper's decision to print cartoons of Muslim prophet Mohammed have caused a diplomatic crisis between Denmark and Egypt, national broadcaster DR reported on Thursday.
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Egypt's ambassador in Libanon, Hussein Darrar, told news service AFP that Egypt had decided not to continue its dialogue with Denmark on human rights and discrimination. The Egyptian ambassador in Denmark requested, along with ten other ambassadors of Muslim states, to meet with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to discuss daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten's decision to print twelve caricatures of the prophet, an act considered blasphemous by many Muslims. Rasmussen refused to meet with the ambassadors, saying that if they thought he had any power to influence what a national newspaper did and printed, the essence of Danish democracy had been lost on them. Egyptian Embassy Councillor Mohab Nasr Mostafa Mahdy said he had not seen for himself what Darrar told reporters, but that he was certain it was based on the information Darrar had received on the matter. 'The Egyptian ambassador in Denmark has said that the case no longer rests with the embassy. It is now being treated at an international level. As far as I have been informed by my government, the cartoon case has already been placed on the agenda for the Islamic Conference Organisation's extraordinary summit in the beginning of December,' Mahdy said."
"War in France, War in Denmark" (Henrik, Viking Observer, 2005/10/31) Denmark II: "Not that well covered [compared to Paris] is a very similar series of riots, also running for four days, in Århus, Denmark. Nothing of it has penetrated to the english-language sections of Danish media, so the following is my translation of a piece in daily Jyllands-Posten:
Rosenhøj Mall has several nights in a row been the scene of the worst riots in Århus for years. "This area belongs to us", the youths proclaim. Sunday evening saw a new arson attack. Their words sound like a clear declaration of war on the Danish society. Police must stay out. The area belongs to immigrants. ... He calls himself 100 percent Palestinian, born in a refugee camp in Lebanon 19 years ago, and now out of work in Denmark. "The police has to stay away. This is our area. We decide what goes down here". And then the bit with the drawings of the prophet Muhammed comes around: We are tired of what we see happening with our prophet. We are tired of Jyllands-Posten. I know it isnt you, but we wont accept what Jyllands-Posten has done to the prophet", he says aggressively, and the others nod approvingly. ... "We have planned this for three weeks. That is why only two were arrested saturday nigh. The police will cordon off it all. But we know the ways out", he claims, and then disappears, munching on a piece of pizza from Fun Pizza. The pizzerias windows are also held together by adhesive tape after the attacks with cobblestones."
(Hat tip: The Brussels Journal.)
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"Selective Muslim Silence" (Judith Apter Klinghoffer, HNN, 2005/10/31) Denmark I: "Consider the following headline: "Muslim embassies complain over Mohammed caricatures." ... Suddenly, the ever silent Muslims states found their tongues. 11 ambassadors including those from a number of Arab countries, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Bosnia-Hercegovina and Indonesia entered the fray not to calm the excesses of their coreligionists or condemn the threats of violence but to complain about the cartoons and Danish Islamophobia! The Turkish ambassador even seconded the Imam’s sentiments, berating the paper for “abusing Islam in the name of democracy, human rights and freedom of expression.” ... So, here we are: part of the Muslim community is in the thrall of a totalitarian ideology which turns young Muslims into human bombs. Photos of Muslim and non Muslim civilian body parts flying in the middle of markets, mosques, discos and hotels have become routine. Beheadings of Christian and Jewish men and women are no longer surprising. And what do the ever-silent and passive-defensive Muslim countries, Organization of Islamic Conference and the Arab League vociferously condemn? They are condemning the publication of cartoons featuring Muhammad in a Danish paper. The absurdity of this action is only matched by its hypocrisy." (See also: "Muslim anger at Danish cartoons" (BBC News, 2005/10/20))
"death will visit Denmark" (infovlad.net, 2005/10/15)
"Holy war against newspaper" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/10/20) Denmark II: "Internet collages threatening Denmark and daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten with death and retribution have begun circulating on the internet after the newspaper published caricatures of Muslim prophet Mohammed. Bombs exploding over pictures of Danish daily Jyllands-Posten and blood flowing over the national flag and a map of Denmark are among the images circulating on the internet after the newspaper printed twelve cartoons of the Muslim prophet Mohammed last month. Daily newspaper Berlingske Tidende reported that the internet collages, posted in the name of an unknown organisation calling itself 'The Glory Brigades in Northern Europe', showed pictures of various tourist attractions in Denmark and stated that 'The Mujahedeen have numerous targets in Denmark - very soon you all will regret this', amongst other things. Another picture showed soldiers, armed with bombs, over a map of Denmark, with blood spattered over parts of the country. The front page of Jyllands-Posten featured prominently on many of the four collages. The newspaper has been criticised
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by Muslims for printing the cartoons, and was forced to hire security guards after receiving hate mail and death threats over the telephone."
"Muslim anger at Danish cartoons" (BBC News, 2005/10/20) Denmark I: "The ambassadors of 10 Muslim countries have complained to the Danish prime minister about a major newspaper's cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad. A letter from the ambassadors said the cartoons published in Jyllands-Posten last month showed the Prophet as a stereotypical fundamentalist. Pictorial depictions of the Prophet Muhammad are forbidden in Islam. ... On Thursday, the Jyllands-Posten reported that two illustrators who produced the cartoons had received death threats. The daily published the series of cartoons, after a writer complained that nobody dared illustrate his book about Muhammad. "We must quietly point out here that the drawings illustrated an article on the self-censorship which rules large parts of the Western world", the paper said. "Our right to say, write, photograph and draw what we want to within the framework of the law exists and must endure - unconditionally!" The ambassadors who signed the letter to the prime minister included a number of Arab countries, Pakistan, Iran, Bosnia- Hercegovina and Indonesia." (See also: "Youth reported held in Denmark for death threats over Mohammed cartoons" (Middle East Times, 2005/10/17), "Imam demands apology for Mohammed cartoons" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/10/06), "Image of Muhammad" (Kurt Westergaard, Fjordman, 2005/10/05) and "Fear Pervades Danish Art Community" (Patrick, Dhimmi Watch, 2005/09/18))
"Youth reported held in Denmark for death threats over Mohammed cartoons" (Middle East Times, 2005/10/17) "COPENHAGEN -- A 17-year-old boy has been arrested in Denmark in connection with death threats sent to two newspaper cartoonists for their depiction of Muslim Prophet Mohammed, Danish media reported on Sunday. The youth, who was not named, was arrested in the western town of Aarhus on Saturday suspected of sending death threats to two cartoonists with Denmark's largest circulation daily, Jyllands-Posten, last week for their depictions of Prophet Mohammed, the paper reported. The 17-year-old was waving a knife when he was arrested and is considered by police to be "psychologically unbalanced", the paper said. The 12 drawings, which appeared in the paper on September 30, have drawn criticism from across the Muslim community in Denmark, with religious leaders insisting that they are an insult to the Prophet and calling for an official apology. On Friday up to 5,000 Muslims demonstrated in Copenhagen against the paper and the drawings, which depicted Prophet Mohammed in different settings. In one of the drawings he appeared with a turban shaped like a bomb strapped to his head. Politicians and Denmark's media community have come out in support of Jyllands-Posten and the cartoonists." (See also: "Imam demands apology for Mohammed cartoons" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/10/06), "Image of Muhammad" (Kurt Westergaard, Fjordman, 2005/10/05) and "Fear Pervades Danish Art Community" (Patrick, Dhimmi
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Watch, 2005/09/18))
"Imam demands apology for Mohammed cartoons" (The Copenhagen Post, 2005/10/06) "Daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten is facing accusations that it deliberately provoked and insulted Muslims by publishing twelve cartoons featuring the prophet Mohammed. The newspaper urged cartoonists to send in drawings of the prophet, after an author complained that nobody dared to illustrate his book on Mohammed. The author claimed that illustrators feared that extremist Muslims would find it sacrilegious to break the Islamic ban on depicting Mohammed. Twelve illustrators heeded the newspaper's call, and sent in cartoons of the prophet, which were published in the newspaper one week ago. Daily newspaper Kristeligt Dagblad said one Muslim, at least, had taken offence. 'This type of democracy is worthless for Muslims,' Imam Raed Hlayhel wrote in a statement. 'Muslims will never accept this kind of humiliation. The article has insulted every Muslim in the world. We demand an apology!' ... Flemming Rose, cultural editor at the newspaper, denied that the purpose had been to provoke Muslim. It was simply a reaction to the rising number of situations where artists and writers censured themselves out of fear of radical Islamists, he said. 'Religious feelings cannot demand special treatment in a secular society,' he added. 'In a democracy one must from time to time accept criticism or becoming a laughingstock.' It is not the first time Hlayhel has created headlines in Denmark. One year ago, he became the target of criticism from Muslims and non-Muslims alike, when he said in a sermon during Friday prayer, that Danish women's behaviour and dress invited rape." (Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch. See also: "Image of Muhammad" (Kurt Westergaard, Fjordman, 2005/10/05) and "Fear Pervades Danish Art Community" (Patrick, Dhimmi Watch, 2005/09/18))
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"Image of Muhammad" (Kurt Westergaard, Fjordman, 2005/10/05) "Danish author Kåre Bluitgen had difficulties in getting artists to illustrate his book about Muhammad due to fear of reprisals from Islamic extremists. Jyllandsposten, Denmark's largest newspaper, responded by asking 40 illustrators to make drawings of Muhammad, and published twelve in this Saturday's edition. Not all of them were good, but here's the best one, made by Kurt Westergaard." (Hat tip: Dhimmi Watch. See also: "Muhammeds ansigt" (Jyllands-Posten, 2005/09/30) and "Fear Pervades Danish Art Community" (Patrick, Dhimmi Watch, 2005/09/18))
"Fear Pervades Danish Art Community" (Patrick, Dhimmi Watch, 2005/09/18) "If the murderers of Theo van Gogh were seeking to deter other European artists from taking up Islam as a subject for artistic discussion, they have enjoyed some notable success. The latest news concerning radical Islam's intimidation campaign in Europe comes from Denmark, thanks to Filtrat.
Since the murder of the Islam critical Dutch film director Theo van Gogh, and the violent attack on a lecturer at the Danish Carsten Niebuhr Institute, Danish artists are fearful of criticising Islam. Author, Kåre Bluitgen, is due to publish a book on the profit Mohammed in two weeks time, but so far no one has agreed to illustrated the work through fear of reprisals from Islamic extremists. According to the author, three artists have turned down an offer to illustrate the book based on their fear of being attacked if they do so. The president of the Danish Writers Union, Frants Iver Gundelach, said that it is a gross attack on freedom of speech, and the issue will be taken up at the next union meeting.
This story is eerily similar to the decision of the European
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Parliament to cancel an April screening of Van Gogh's last film "Submission", the making of which resulted in his murder. Parliament members later identified security concerns as their motive for calling off the screening." (See also: "Danish artists scared of Islam" (DR Nyheder, 2005/09/16))
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