International reactions to the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
Encyclopedia
The publication of satirical cartoons
of the Islamic prophet
Muhammad
in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten
on September 30, 2005 led to violence, arrests, inter-governmental tensions, and debate about the scope of free speech and the place of Muslims in the West. Many Muslims claim that any image of Muhammad is blasphemous
, while many Westerners have defended the right of free speech. A number of governments, organizations, and individuals have issued statements defining their stance on the protests or cartoons.
On February 13, 2006 Doudou Diène
, UNHCR Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance reported:
José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European Commission
, supported the Danish government saying that freedom of speech cannot be compromised: "It's better to publish too much than not to have freedom.." Franco Frattini, the vice-President of the European Commission
and EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security, called the publication of the twelve cartoons "thoughtless and inappropriate" in a time when European animosity towards Islam is said to be on the rise. According to Frattini, the cartoons foment hostility against Islam and foreigners.
The European Union on 2006-01-30, said that any retaliatory boycott of Danish goods would violate world trade rules.
On 15 February 2006, the European Parliament
accepted a resolution which condemns all violence arising from the publication of the cartoons. It stated that the EU stands in solidarity with Denmark and all other countries that have been affected by the violence. Furthermore it stated that Muslim
s may be offended by the cartoons and that they have the right to protest peacefully. However the freedom of speech is absolute and may not be affected by any form of censorship.
The OIC member states held a meeting in Jeddah
on 14 February 2006, to discuss the publication of the cartoons. The ambassadors felt that the reaction of the Danish authorities on the issue was "under par" compared to the reaction of other European states which condemned the publication of the cartoons and considered it as a provocation and an incitement to hatred. The member states approved a five-point plan which the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
had proposed to Javier Solana
on 7 February 2006. The plan called for:
Previously, on 1 January 2006, the OIC decided to boycott a project called "Images of the Middle East" which was to be organized by the Danish Center for Culture and Development and partially financed by the Danish Government. The press release mentions that the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference addressed this issue and stressed "the responsibility of all governments to ensure full respect of all religions and religious symbols, stating that the freedom of expression does not justify in any way whatsoever the defamation of religions."
On 28 January 2006, the OIC Secretary General called for "Muslims to stay calm and peaceful in the wake of sacrilegious depiction of Prophet Muhammad which has deeply hurt their feelings".
President Hamid Karzai
called the printing of the images a mistake, and hoped that this would lead to the media being more responsible and respectful in the future.
Bahrain's parliament demanded an apology from the government, as well as from Denmark's head of state, the Danish king
, unaware that Denmark's head of state is Queen Margrethe II
.
MPs called for an extraordinary session of parliament to discuss the cartoons, while protestors set Danish dairy products and bacon ablaze. Al-Menbar Islamic Society
MP Mohammed Khaled has demanded that Arab leaders take action: "We are stunned by the silence of the Arab leaders. They don't tolerate any criticism against them, yet allow others to insult the Prophet."
Foreign Minister Morshed Khan
stated before parliament that a diplomatic protest was lodged with the government of Denmark on 7 November 2005. Further, he requested the Danish government issue an apology and urged them to prevent further occurrences of "such heinous acts."
On Jan 18th, 2008, an editor of an independent newspaper who reproduced cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad got jailed for three years.
In Belgium, the parliament accepted a resolution to defend the freedom of speech
and to support Denmark.
On 8 February 2006, Muslims in Sarajevo organized a protest against the cartoons. They delivered a letter demanding an apology for the publication of the cartoons to staff at the Danish, Norweigian
and French embassies. The flags of Norway, Denmark and Croatia
were burnt.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper
issued a statement on February 14, 2006, that said Canadians have the right to free speech as well as the right to voice their opinions about the free speech of others. He said that he "regretted" that several Canadian newspapers had chosen to run the cartoons after the controversy began. "While we understand this issue is divisive, our government wishes that people be respectful of the beliefs of others." Harper also commended the Canadian Muslim community for voicing its opinion peacefully, respectfully and democratically.
Foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay
released a statement commenting that "This sensitive issue highlights the need for a better understanding of Islam and of Muslim communities... [to] promote a better understanding of Islam internationally, in partnership with Muslim communities."
After Iran sent a formal strong objection to the Czech government against the publication of the cartoons in MF DNES and Hospodářské noviny
, the newspapers insisted that it was necessary for them to publish the pictures so that the readers get the full information. The Czech foreign minister Cyril Svoboda called the Muslim reaction "exaggerated" and advocated a united European stand on the issue. President Václav Klaus
argued that freedom of speech is only meaningful as a contract between a citizen and a particular government. The Czech government expressed solidarity with Denmark.
In December 2005, Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy
, the Grand Imam
of Al-Azhar Mosque
and Grand Sheikh
of Al-Azhar University
, issued a statement saying that "Al-Azhar intends to protest these anti-Prophet cartoons with the UN's concerned committees and human rights groups around the world."
In early January the Egyptian government threatened Denmark with an embargo
of Danish products, but did not carry out its threat. Some citizens and major shops started a boycott on their own.
A poll of 1,000 Egyptians in October 2006 revealed that Denmark's image as an enemy to the Egyptian people remained in place. 60% of those polled viewed that Denmark was hostile to Egypt.
In February, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Erkki Tuomioja
said that Denmark should have acted earlier and paid more attention to Muslim outrage over the offensive caricatures. He added that the Danish government could apologise for the fact that religious feelings were offended, without endangering freedom of expression. The party of indigenous Finnish Muslims
, the Finnish Islamic Party
, said that it had issued a statement to the media that it condemns the republication of the caricatures and that "We also condemn the Danish government for not interfering in issues that causes confrontation between Islamic world and non-Islamic world. Reissuing the caricatures will cause widely spread agitation because things that Muslims hold sacred have been insulted. Therefore The Finnish Islamic Party exhorts to boikot Danish products everywhere." (verbatim)
Police opened investigations into the publication of the cartoons by Suomen Sisu
. In Finland it is illegal to "disturb religious peace" (literal translation). This law is rarely prosecuted, giving this incident nation-wide attention. The cartoons have been published on numerous Finnish web sites but not in mainstream media. Police declined to comment which site or sites are being investigated, and said any media that publishes the cartoons will be similarly investigated.
On February 24, 2006 Kaltio, a culture magazine in northern Finland, got publicity for publishing cartoon of a masked prophet Muhammad which lampooned Finnish political elites' reaction during the cartoon debate. After that some large financial institutions withdrew their advertisements from Kaltio and the board of the magazine fired their longtime editor Jussi Vilkuna.
On 6 February 2006, French Prime Minister
Dominique de Villepin
condemned the violence that had occurred internationally in response to the cartoons, but called for tolerance and respect toward other faiths.
The French foreign minister supported the right to free press, but added that it must be used "in a spirit of tolerance and with respect for beliefs and religions".
Nicolas Sarkozy
, then Interior Minister and presidential candidate, said on LCI
television that he "preferred an excess of caricature to an excess of censorship" and pointed out that it is, if necessary, up to the courts to judge whether caricatures go beyond what is reasonable to publish, and not to the governments of Muslim countries.
Chancellor Angela Merkel
said that while she understands that feelings were hurt by the caricatures, violent reactions were unacceptable. She stressed the central role of freedom of expression, and called for dialogue. "Denmark must not feel let alone in this issue". Merkel also said that she understands this to be the common position of the E.U.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
says the Indonesian government condemned the publication of caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. "The publication of the caricature of course reflects a lack of sensitivity to the views and belief of other religious adherents," he said. However, as "religious people", he recommends to "accept the apology".
On February 2, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered contracts to be cancelled with all countries where media have published the cartoons. On February 5, Iran recalled their ambassador from Denmark, and banned Danish journalists from reporting from Iran. Iran
's supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
said on February 6, 2006, that a "Zionist conspiracy" was to blame for the row over the Prophet Muhammad cartoons, in his first reaction to the controversy: "The reason for the Zionist action is because of the loss they suffered by Hamas
winning". Khamenai was referring to Hamas victory in the Palestinian legislative election
. In fact, the Palestinian election took place almost four months after the cartoons were first posted.
Former Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami
who is also the theorist of Dialogue Among Civilizations
, strongly criticized the Danish cartoons for "spreading hatred", but added that the Muslim world is not entirely blameless either:
There was a recommendation for the term for a "Danish" pastry to be changed to "Gole Mohammadi"(in Persian: Mohammadi Flower).
The Iranian government retaliated by organizing a holocaust cartoon competition. Jyllands-Posten was challenged to print the winning cartoons of the competition. It agreed at first but after the competition results were announced, Jyllands-Posten backed down and did not explain why it decided not to print the winning cartoons of the Holocaust cartoon competition. The Iranian government maintained that Jyllands-Posten was never interested in freedom of speech but was just spreading hate ideology.
Some Iranian organizations and media have also backed the publications of cartoons with actions such as organizing demonstrations abroad, republishing caricatures, publishing articles defending them, showing them through Satellite Channels or talk about them in radio.
The following Iranian Organizations are among those who backed the "Freedom of Speech" and publication of Caricatures: Atheists Society, Communist Youth Organization, Communist Youth Organization-Hekmatist, Organization of Iranian Blogwriters, Organization of Women Emancipation, Organization of Women Liberation, Worker-Communist Party of Iran
, Worker-Communist Party of Iran-Hekmatist and Organization of Unity of Iranian People Fedayis.
Iran amended §224-1 of its penal code (prohibition of apostasy, magic and religious innovation, punishable by death, no evidence or witness testimony required - only "the judge's views and impressions") to also cover Defamation of the Prophet [Muhammed].
Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
condemned the cartoons but also commented about militants who discredit Islam
by their acts. Sistani underlined how un-Islamic acts of extremism are used as justification to attack Islam.
Irish president Mary McAleese
condemned the cartoons as designed to provoke, designed to be rude and designed to inflame. She also condemned the violent protests against the cartoons.
On February 14, Italy's Reform Minister Roberto Calderoli
had T-shirts made emblazoned with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a move likely to embarrass Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
's government. Calderoli, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League
party, told Ansa news agency on Tuesday that the West had to stand up against Islamic extremists and offered to hand out T-shirts to anyone who wanted them.
The Lebanese minister of foreign affairs criticised the drawings saying that freedom of speech ends when sacred values are offended.
Libya recalled its ambassador and announced that it would close its embassy in Denmark. The consular section of the embassy has since reopened.
Malaysian Prime Minister
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
, current chairman of Organisation of the Islamic Conference
says "This is a deliberate act of provocation. They should cease and desist from doing so."
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jan-Peter Balkenende, issued the following statement (translated): "I regret the threats from the Muslim world. In our world, when someone crosses a line, we take the matter to court. There is no place here for threats and own direction. (I am) Glad there is freedom of speech here. At the same time we have to realize that our images and ideas can be provocative to others."
The cartoons were published by two major daily newspapers, the Dominion Post
and the Christchurch Press
(both owned by Fairfax
of Australia), and by two smaller newspapers, the Nelson Mail
and the National Business Review
. Fleeting glimpses were also shown on two television networks reporting on the issue. The publication ignited a national debate and prompted a peaceful street protest by New Zealand Muslims in Auckland. The publication of the cartoons was condemned by Prime Minister Helen Clark
and opposition leader Don Brash
, although they both stated that such decisions were up to newspaper editors to make. New Zealand has good trading relations with many Islamic countries and there were concerns that the controversy would threaten this. Shortly thereafter the newspapers agreed not to republish the cartoons, and New Zealand Muslim groups, while condemning the cartoons, have asked Muslim countries not to boycott New Zealand goods.
On February 7, the parliament of the State of Kano
in the Muslim
north of the country cancelled a €23 million order for Danish buses and banned the sale of all Danish and Norwegian products. Legislators then burned the flags of both nations before a crowd decrying the blasphemy of the caricatures of Muhammad.
The cartoons were first published in Aftenposten
and Dagbladet
, but when they were published in the Christian publication Magazinet
, and later again in many major Norwegian newspapers, violent reactions and hostile attitude against Norway started. Freedom of Speech
was heavily debated, and there has been great concern about the violent reactions and hostile attitude against Norway.
Upper House of parliament adopts a unanimous resolution condemning the Danish newspaper for publishing blasphemous and derogatory cartoons.
Pakistan
's ambassador urged the Danish prime minister to penalize the cartoonists. From February 14–15 protests have occurred, the largest of which took place in Peshawar
where protestors number over 70,000. Other cities have also experienced great unrest such as Lahore
where foreign owned businesses such as Pizza Hut
, KFC, and McDonalds have been burned; Islamabad
where the embassies of Britain
, France, and India were targeted; and Tank, a town 142 miles from Peshawar, where protestors burned down shops selling CDs and DVDs.
On February 17, 2006, Ynetnews.com ran an AP article that claims that an Islamic cleric is offering a monetary reward and a new car for killing cartoonists (implied).
"Mohammed Yousaf Qureshi, prayer leader at the historic Mohabat Khan mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, announced the mosque and the Jamia Ashrafia religious school he leads would give a 1.5 million rupee reward and a car for killing the cartoonist of the prophet pictures that appeared first in a Danish newspaper in September.
"Whoever has done this despicable and shameful act, he has challenged the honor of Muslims. Whoever will kill this cursed man, he will get one million dollars from the association of the jewelers' bazaar, one million rupees from Masjid Mohabat Khan and 500,000 rupees and a car from Jamia Ashrafia as a reward," Qureshi said.
"This is a unanimous decision by all imams (prayer leaders) of Islam that whoever insults the prophet deserves to be killed and whoever will take this insulting man to his end, will get this prize," Qureshi said.
Polish Prime-Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz
said he considered cartoons to be an unnecessary provocation. The Polish government also said they are quite sorry that the newspaper Rzeczpospolita
also offended Muslims.
The president of the Institute of the Middle East, Yevgeny Satanovsky, told Itar-Tass on February 6 that "The caricatures of Prophet Mohammad published as far back as last September angered the entire Islamic world but especially the countries where Iran
’s influence is the strongest, and the apex of the conflict coincided precisely with the discussion of the Iranian nuclear dossier at the International Atomic Energy Agency
.” This theory is echoed by Scientific Council of the Moscow Carnegie Centre member, Alexei Malashenko, who believes that “the fuss around the caricatures was made artificially." That is, at a time when the Muslim world has no concerted position either on the Iranian nuclear program or Hamas
, whose ideology is opposed by moderate Islamic regimes, the caricature uproar provides a “pretext for showing how coherent Muslims are.”
In late January 2006, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassadors for consultations — a traditional message of diplomatic displeasure.
An interdict
was obtained to prevent newspapers in South Africa from publishing the cartoons. Independent Newspapers (South Africa) did however publish an article which Muslims alleged was blasphemous and for this reason protest marches were arranged. President Thabo Mbeki
reacted to the granting of the interdict by saying that the courts
had spoken and that anyone who had objections to the granting of the interdict could pursue the matter as allowed by the law
. He went on to say that the courts had the obligation
to balance rights of citizens to freedom of speech
to those of others to be protected from harm or insult. On 3 February Mail & Guardian
however does print the cartoons.
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS
) issued a statement that said "the inciting of hatred against a faith of a people is very unfortunate," and that "[they] are fortunate and deeply appreciative that in Singapore, the media and the community at large have always been mindful of sensitivities… and have helped to promote racial and religious harmony across society." The Foreign Minister George Yeo
and the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim have similarly said that the incident shows the need to respect racial and religious sensitivities, have a "responsible media," and to cultivate good inter-religious relations and confidence beyond just legislation. Later, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the publication of the cartoons depicting Mohammad was provocative and wrong, but he expressed objection to violent response.
Danish-Sudanese relations are extremely poor, as are Sudanese relations with most western countries. On February 27, 2008, Sudan decided to boycott Danish goods after the controversial Muhammad cartoons were reprinted by a series of newspapers in Denmark and other European countries. Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has backed up the country and other Muslim states, requiring them to boycott Danish products just as Sudan did. He even stated that "No Danes shall ever again be able to set foot in Sudan." The two countries subsequently closed their respective embassies.
On February 5, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laila Freivalds
stated the following in an interview: We support the freedom of speech, that I think is very clear. But at the same time it is important to say that with this freedom comes a certain responsibility, and it could be objectionable to act in a way that insults people.
The nationalist party Swedish Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) started a competition to draw cartoons of Muhammed on their web site. After words of exhortation from the Swedish government, and in particular from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laila Freivalds, the website was shut down. When the story caught wider attention, Freivalds felt it necessesary to resign as Minister for having interfered with press freedom. (For details, see Swedish Democrats#The Mohammed cartoon debate and Laila Freivalds
)
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
, is quoted in the Turkish press saying: "Caricatures of prophet Muhammad are an attack against our spiritual values. There should be a limit of freedom of press."
The Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister, Mohammed Al Dhaheri, calls the publication of the cartoon "cultural terrorism, not freedom of expression."
British Foreign Secretary
Jack Straw
criticized European newspapers for republishing the cartoons: "There is freedom of speech, we all respect that, ... But there is not any obligation to insult or to be gratuitously inflammatory. I believe that the republication of these cartoons has been unnecessary. It has been insensitive. It has been disrespectful and it has been wrong." Straw also praises British newspapers for their "considerable responsibility and sensitivity" in not printing the cartoons.
Notably, even Private Eye
, a satirical magazine generally not afraid to publish controversial items, refused to publish the cartoons, instead printing textual descriptions of each of them in turn. The student newspaper of Cardiff University
published the cartoons, but recalled all copies after protests from the university concerned.
The U.S. government issued a statement saying: "We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable." A State Department
spokesman said that the images were offensive, but added that the U.S. also supports the rights of individuals to express their freely held views and that it is not for the government to dictate what is printed in the media.
In the U.S. State Department's daily briefing for Friday, February 3, official spokesman Sean McCormick, speaking for the current administration, said (in part), "Our response is to say that while we certainly don't agree with, support, or in some cases, we condemn the views that are aired in public that are published in media organizations around the world, we, at the same time, defend the right of those individuals to express their views. For us, freedom of expression is at the core of our democracy and it is something that we have shed blood and treasure around the world to defend and we will continue to do so. ... So we would urge all parties to exercise the maximum degree of understanding, the maximum degree of tolerance when they talk about this issue. And we would urge dialogue, not violence. And that also those that might take offense at these images that have been published, when they see similar views or images that could be perceived as anti-Semitic or anti-Catholic, that they speak out with equal vigor against those images."
Speaking in Qatar, former U.S. president Bill Clinton
strongly criticized the Danish cartoons, comparing historical anti-Semitism in Europe with anti-Islamic feeling today: "So now what are we going to do? ... Replace the anti-Semitic prejudice with anti-Islamic prejudice?"
The Vatican issued a statement saying "The right to freedom of thought and expression, sanctioned by the Declaration of the Rights of Man, cannot imply the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers. This principle applies obviously for any religion."
A court in Yemen has sentenced a newspaper editor to a year in jail for reprinting Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.
. A prominent feature of many of these demonstrations is the burning of the flags of Denmark
, France
, and Norway
. The Swiss flag
was also burned at some protests, possibly due to its similarity to the Danish flag. At some of these protests, many American
, British, and Israeli
flags were also burned. In addition to burning, some demonstrators walked on Danish flags or tore them up. Since the Danish flag incorporates a cross
, desecrating a Danish flag can be seen as both anti-Danish and anti-Christian. An interview in the Russian media asserts that a US newspaper made the cartoons, and the Jyllands-Posten only distributed it. This assertion is widely accepted in the Muslim world
.
The controversy produced labour strikes
and protests in Pakistan
, and mass demonstrations in Baghdad
in Iraq
. In the Palestinian territories
, thousands of people participated in demonstrations and gunmen in the Gaza Strip
threatened violence against any Scandinavians in the area. The European Union's Gaza offices were raided by 15 masked gunmen from the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
. They demanded apologies from Denmark and Norway, but left 30 minutes later without any shots being fired or injuries caused.
On February 2, Palestinian
gunmen shut down the EU headquarters in Gaza, in protest of the Jyllands-Posten drawings. According to CNN, "Masked members of the militant groups Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinians' former ruling party, Fatah, fired bullets into the air, and a man read the group's demands....The gunmen left a notice on the EU office's door that the building would remain closed until Europeans apologize to Muslims, many of whom consider the cartoons offensive."
As of February 5, the demonstrations had become too numerous to list here; however, they are tracked on the timeline
page.
On February 6, at least four demonstrators in Afghanistan
were shot by riot police, while taking part in an assault on the Bagram Airbase outside Kabul, another two died in Mihtarlam
.
As of February 24, at least 150 people, most of them Nigerian, had died during protests.
publish an article on their website entitled, "Kill those who insult the Prophet Muhammad". The article states, "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."
al Ghurabaa
had organised the 3 February protest march from London Central Mosque
to the Danish Embassy
where protesters waived placards reading, "Butcher those who mock Islam", "Kill those who insult Islam", "Europe you will pay, your 9/11
is on the way", or "7/7 is on its way", "Europe you will pay, Bin Laden
is on his way" and "Europe you'll come crawling, when the Mujahideen
come roaring". Despite the similar theme on Al Ghurabaa
's website, their spokesman, Anjem Choudary
, said he did not know who wrote the placards. MP
s from all parties condemned the protest, calling the Metropolitan police
to pursue those responsible on the grounds that the threats were an incitement to murder
.
On January 29 six churches in the Iraq
i cities of Baghdad
and Kirkuk
were targeted by car bombs, killing 13-year-old worshipper Fadi Raad Elias. No militants claimed to be retaliating for the pictures, nor is this the first time Iraqi churches have been bombed; but the bishop of the church stated "The church blasts were a reaction to the cartoons published in European papers. But Christians are not responsible for what is published in Europe."
Many Assyrians
in Iraq now feel like "Westerners should not give wild statements [as] everyone can attack us [in response]" and "Today I'm afraid to walk the streets, because I'm Christian."
On February 5, thousands of Muslims in Lebanon surrounded the Maronite Catholic Church and threw stones at it.
On February 6, an Italian Catholic priest named Andrea Santoro was reported to have been shot dead at the door-step of his church in the Black Sea
port city Trabzon
. The convict, arrested on February 7 who is a Turkish Muslim youth aged 16, told the public attorney that his action was motivated by cartoons protests.
Also on February 6, leaflets were distributed in Ramadi
, Iraq by the militant group "The Military Wing for the Army of Justice" demanding Christians to "halt their religious rituals in churches and other worship places because they insulted Islam and Muslims."
On February 18, 2006, eleven churches, as well as several Christian-owned businesses, in northern Nigeria
were burned by protesters.
issued a fatwa
stating, "Expel the Crusaders and infidels from the streets, schools, and institutions because they have offended the person of the prophet." It has been reported that Muslim students beat up a Christian student at Mosul University in response to the fatwa on the same day. On February 2, some Palestinians in the West Bank
handed out a leaflet signed by Islamic Jihad stating, "Churches in Gaza could come under attack".
The Danish government announced that a fatwa
had been declared against the Danish troops stationed in Iraq
. The government responded by heightening security for its troops.
, Syria
were set on fire, after being stormed by an angry mob. Within the building housing the Danish embassy were the Chilean and Swedish embassies, both having no formal connection to the present row. As it was a holiday, no one was present inside the building when this occurred, so no one was hurt. As a response to this incident, the Danish and Norwegian Ministries of Foreign Affairs issued a warning, urging their citizens in Syria
to leave the country immediately.
The German Cultural Centre in Gaza
was raided by Palestinian students
On February 5, the Danish consulate in Lebanon
was set on fire by demonstrators, reportedly police and military tried to restrain them from doing so.
In Tehran
, on February 6, the Danish and Norwegian embassies were attacked by protestors. According to reports, homemade grenades were thrown at the embassies. However, the embassies weren't set ablaze.
On October 19, ten ambassadors from Islamic countries, including Algeria
, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt
, Indonesia
, Iran
, Morocco
, Pakistan
, Libya
, Saudi Arabia
, and Turkey
, as well as the head of the Palestinian
delegation in Denmark, sent a letter to Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
requesting a meeting and asking him to distance himself from hate speech
, including remarks by MP Louise Frevert
, Culture Minister of Denmark
Brian Mikkelsen
, and the Radio Holger
station. Rasmussen declined, saying that the government could not interfere with the right to free speech, but said that cases of blasphemy and discrimination could be tried before the courts, a reaction essentially seen as a snub by the Muslims.
On February 18, the Italian consulate in Benghazi, Libya
, was set on fire by demonstrators. Police fired into the crowd, killing 11.
had printed two of the drawings in conjunction with an article discussing the event. However, it was the Magazinet printing that led to a great debate in Norway, and is assumed to be the reason for actions directed at Sweden and Norway.
A Norwegian man made a threat against the lives of the people at the magazine, but later claimed, when faced by the police, that it was just a prank. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry sent a letter to their ambassadors in the Middle East stating that one of the pillars of the Norwegian society is freedom of speech, but they expressed regret that Magazinet did not respect Muslims' beliefs.
On January 30, Palestinian
groups demanded that all Scandinavians leave the Palestinian territories
immediately. On January 30, an Islamic organisation, the Mujahedeen Army, called for militant attacks against "all available targets" in Denmark and Norway. On January 31, bomb threats were made against the newspaper's offices in Århus and Copenhagen.
In Finland the biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat
considered publishing the cartoons, however it did not publish them. Finland's comparatively small Muslim community held a peaceful demonstration with tens of demonstrators, close to the Danish embassy.
Editorial cartoon
An editorial cartoon, also known as a political cartoon, is an illustration containing a commentary that usually relates to current events or personalities....
of the Islamic prophet
Prophets of Islam
Muslims identify the Prophets of Islam as those humans chosen by God and given revelation to deliver to mankind. Muslims believe that every prophet was given a belief to worship God and their respective followers believed it as well...
Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten
Jyllands-Posten
Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten , commonly shortened to Jyllands-Posten or JP, is a Danish daily broadsheet newspaper. It is based in Viby, a suburb of Århus, and with a weekday circulation of approximately 120,000 copies, it is among the largest-selling newspaper in Denmark...
on September 30, 2005 led to violence, arrests, inter-governmental tensions, and debate about the scope of free speech and the place of Muslims in the West. Many Muslims claim that any image of Muhammad is blasphemous
Blasphemy
Blasphemy is irreverence towards religious or holy persons or things. Some countries have laws to punish blasphemy, while others have laws to give recourse to those who are offended by blasphemy...
, while many Westerners have defended the right of free speech. A number of governments, organizations, and individuals have issued statements defining their stance on the protests or cartoons.
United Nations
On February 13, 2006 Doudou DièneDoudou Diène
Doudou Diène of Senegal was United Nations Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance in 2002—2008....
, UNHCR Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance reported:
- "Legally, the Government of every State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is bound by three articles dealing with the relationship between freedom of religion and freedom of opinion and expression, namely article 18, which protects freedom of religion, subject to such limitations as are necessary to protect public safety and order or the fundamental rights and freedoms of others (art. 18, para. 3); article 19, which protects freedom of expression and opinion, subject to certain restrictions such as “respect of the rights or reputations of others” (art. 19, para. 3 (a)); and article 20, which states that any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence shall be prohibited by law."
- Louise ArbourLouise ArbourLouise Arbour, is the former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, a former justice of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Court of Appeal for Ontario and a former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda...
, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has expressed concern over the cartoons and said that United Nations is investigating racism of Danish cartoonists.
- After being asked to do so by the Secretary-General of the Arab LeagueArab LeagueThe Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...
Amr Mussa, the UN Secretary-General Kofi AnnanKofi AnnanKofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
, asked the WestWestWest is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography.West is one of the four cardinal directions or compass points. It is the opposite of east and is perpendicular to north and south.By convention, the left side of a map is west....
ern media to be more sensitive in its handling of religious themes and asked for use of peaceful dialogue.
European Union
José Manuel Barroso, the President of the European CommissionEuropean Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
, supported the Danish government saying that freedom of speech cannot be compromised: "It's better to publish too much than not to have freedom.." Franco Frattini, the vice-President of the European Commission
European Commission
The European Commission is the executive body of the European Union. The body is responsible for proposing legislation, implementing decisions, upholding the Union's treaties and the general day-to-day running of the Union....
and EU Commissioner for Justice, Freedom, and Security, called the publication of the twelve cartoons "thoughtless and inappropriate" in a time when European animosity towards Islam is said to be on the rise. According to Frattini, the cartoons foment hostility against Islam and foreigners.
The European Union on 2006-01-30, said that any retaliatory boycott of Danish goods would violate world trade rules.
On 15 February 2006, the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
accepted a resolution which condemns all violence arising from the publication of the cartoons. It stated that the EU stands in solidarity with Denmark and all other countries that have been affected by the violence. Furthermore it stated that Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
s may be offended by the cartoons and that they have the right to protest peacefully. However the freedom of speech is absolute and may not be affected by any form of censorship.
Organization of the Islamic Conference
The OIC member states held a meeting in JeddahJeddah
Jeddah, Jiddah, Jidda, or Jedda is a city located on the coast of the Red Sea and is the major urban center of western Saudi Arabia. It is the largest city in Makkah Province, the largest sea port on the Red Sea, and the second largest city in Saudi Arabia after the capital city, Riyadh. The...
on 14 February 2006, to discuss the publication of the cartoons. The ambassadors felt that the reaction of the Danish authorities on the issue was "under par" compared to the reaction of other European states which condemned the publication of the cartoons and considered it as a provocation and an incitement to hatred. The member states approved a five-point plan which the OIC Secretary General Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu
Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu is a Turkish academic, diplomat and currently the Secretary-General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation , the second largest intergovernmental organisation after the United Nations...
had proposed to Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
on 7 February 2006. The plan called for:
-
- the European Union to adopt legislative measures against Islamophobia;
- the OIC and the EU to work towards a UN Resolution on the lines of the existing UN Resolution 60/150 (Combating defamation of religions) which should prohibit defamation of all prophets and faiths;
- the European media to adopt a code of ethics;
- the United Nations to adopt an International Communication Media Order covering a definition of freedom of speech in case of religious symbols;
- the inclusion of a paragraph prohibiting blasphemy, defamation of religions and incitement to hatred in the text of the Human Rights Council resolution presently being negotiated.
Previously, on 1 January 2006, the OIC decided to boycott a project called "Images of the Middle East" which was to be organized by the Danish Center for Culture and Development and partially financed by the Danish Government. The press release mentions that the Third Extraordinary Session of the Islamic Summit Conference addressed this issue and stressed "the responsibility of all governments to ensure full respect of all religions and religious symbols, stating that the freedom of expression does not justify in any way whatsoever the defamation of religions."
On 28 January 2006, the OIC Secretary General called for "Muslims to stay calm and peaceful in the wake of sacrilegious depiction of Prophet Muhammad which has deeply hurt their feelings".
Afghanistan
President Hamid KarzaiHamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai, GCMG is the 12th and current President of Afghanistan, taking office on 7 December 2004. He became a dominant political figure after the removal of the Taliban regime in late 2001...
called the printing of the images a mistake, and hoped that this would lead to the media being more responsible and respectful in the future.
Bahrain
Bahrain's parliament demanded an apology from the government, as well as from Denmark's head of state, the Danish kingKing
- Centers of population :* King, Ontario, CanadaIn USA:* King, Indiana* King, North Carolina* King, Lincoln County, Wisconsin* King, Waupaca County, Wisconsin* King County, Washington- Moving-image works :Television:...
, unaware that Denmark's head of state is Queen Margrethe II
Margrethe II of Denmark
Margrethe II is the Queen regnant of the Kingdom of Denmark. In 1972 she became the first female monarch of Denmark since Margaret I, ruler of the Scandinavian countries in 1375-1412 during the Kalmar Union.-Early life:...
.
MPs called for an extraordinary session of parliament to discuss the cartoons, while protestors set Danish dairy products and bacon ablaze. Al-Menbar Islamic Society
Al-Menbar Islamic Society
Al Menbar National Islamic Society is the political wing of the Al Eslah Society in Bahrain, associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. A Sunni Islamist party, it is well organised through a network of mosques and seek to promote a conservative social agenda while not directly challenging the...
MP Mohammed Khaled has demanded that Arab leaders take action: "We are stunned by the silence of the Arab leaders. They don't tolerate any criticism against them, yet allow others to insult the Prophet."
Bangladesh
Foreign Minister Morshed KhanMorshed Khan
Morshed Khan was the foreign minister of Bangladesh from 2001 to 2006. Prior to entering politics, Khan was one of the most successful businessmen in Bangladesh...
stated before parliament that a diplomatic protest was lodged with the government of Denmark on 7 November 2005. Further, he requested the Danish government issue an apology and urged them to prevent further occurrences of "such heinous acts."
Belarus
On Jan 18th, 2008, an editor of an independent newspaper who reproduced cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad got jailed for three years.
Belgium
In Belgium, the parliament accepted a resolution to defend the freedom of speechFreedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
and to support Denmark.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
On 8 February 2006, Muslims in Sarajevo organized a protest against the cartoons. They delivered a letter demanding an apology for the publication of the cartoons to staff at the Danish, NorweigianNorway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
and French embassies. The flags of Norway, Denmark and Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
were burnt.
Canada
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen HarperStephen Harper
Stephen Joseph Harper is the 22nd and current Prime Minister of Canada and leader of the Conservative Party. Harper became prime minister when his party formed a minority government after the 2006 federal election...
issued a statement on February 14, 2006, that said Canadians have the right to free speech as well as the right to voice their opinions about the free speech of others. He said that he "regretted" that several Canadian newspapers had chosen to run the cartoons after the controversy began. "While we understand this issue is divisive, our government wishes that people be respectful of the beliefs of others." Harper also commended the Canadian Muslim community for voicing its opinion peacefully, respectfully and democratically.
Foreign affairs minister Peter MacKay
Peter MacKay
Peter Gordon MacKay, PC, QC, MP is a lawyer and politician from Nova Scotia, Canada. He is the Member of Parliament for Central Nova and currently serves as Minister of National Defence in the Cabinet of Canada....
released a statement commenting that "This sensitive issue highlights the need for a better understanding of Islam and of Muslim communities... [to] promote a better understanding of Islam internationally, in partnership with Muslim communities."
Czech Republic
After Iran sent a formal strong objection to the Czech government against the publication of the cartoons in MF DNES and Hospodářské novinyHospodarske noviny
Hospodarske noviny is name of two newspapers, written without diacritics:* Hospodářské noviny in the Czech Republic* Hospodárske noviny in Slovakia...
, the newspapers insisted that it was necessary for them to publish the pictures so that the readers get the full information. The Czech foreign minister Cyril Svoboda called the Muslim reaction "exaggerated" and advocated a united European stand on the issue. President Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus
Václav Klaus is the second President of the Czech Republic and a former Prime Minister .An economist, he is co-founder of the Civic Democratic Party, the Czech Republic's largest center-right political party. Klaus is a eurosceptic, but he reluctantly endorsed the Lisbon treaty as president of...
argued that freedom of speech is only meaningful as a contract between a citizen and a particular government. The Czech government expressed solidarity with Denmark.
Egypt
In December 2005, Muhammad Sayyid TantawyMuhammad Sayyid Tantawy
Muhammad Sayyid Tantawy was an influential Islamic scholar in Egypt. From 1986 to 1996, he was the grand Mufti of Egypt...
, the Grand Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
of Al-Azhar Mosque
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
and Grand Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
of Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University
Al-Azhar University is an educational institute in Cairo, Egypt. Founded in 970~972 as a madrasa, it is the chief centre of Arabic literature and Islamic learning in the world. It is the oldest degree-granting university in Egypt. In 1961 non-religious subjects were added to its curriculum.It is...
, issued a statement saying that "Al-Azhar intends to protest these anti-Prophet cartoons with the UN's concerned committees and human rights groups around the world."
In early January the Egyptian government threatened Denmark with an embargo
Embargo
An embargo is the partial or complete prohibition of commerce and trade with a particular country, in order to isolate it. Embargoes are considered strong diplomatic measures imposed in an effort, by the imposing country, to elicit a given national-interest result from the country on which it is...
of Danish products, but did not carry out its threat. Some citizens and major shops started a boycott on their own.
A poll of 1,000 Egyptians in October 2006 revealed that Denmark's image as an enemy to the Egyptian people remained in place. 60% of those polled viewed that Denmark was hostile to Egypt.
Finland
In February, Finnish Minister of Foreign Affairs Erkki TuomiojaErkki Tuomioja
Erkki Sakari Tuomioja is the Finnish Minister for Foreign Affairs. He is currently a member of the Finnish Parliament.Tuomioja is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Finland, although his political views are thought to be more to the left than the party line. He is also a member of ATTAC...
said that Denmark should have acted earlier and paid more attention to Muslim outrage over the offensive caricatures. He added that the Danish government could apologise for the fact that religious feelings were offended, without endangering freedom of expression. The party of indigenous Finnish Muslims
Islam in Finland
Islam is a minority religion in Finland. The first Muslims were Tatars who immigrated mainly between 1870 and 1920. After that there were decades with generally a small number of immigration in Finland. Since the late 20th century the number of Muslims in Finland has increased rapidly due to...
, the Finnish Islamic Party
Finnish Islamic Party
Finnish Islamic Party is a registered political association in Finland, that aims for the status of a registered political party. It was founded in September 2007 by a former KGB spy Abdullah Tammi. Its founders are Finnish converts to Islam....
, said that it had issued a statement to the media that it condemns the republication of the caricatures and that "We also condemn the Danish government for not interfering in issues that causes confrontation between Islamic world and non-Islamic world. Reissuing the caricatures will cause widely spread agitation because things that Muslims hold sacred have been insulted. Therefore The Finnish Islamic Party exhorts to boikot Danish products everywhere." (verbatim)
Police opened investigations into the publication of the cartoons by Suomen Sisu
Suomen Sisu
Suomen Sisu is a Finnish association that defines itself as nationalist and patriotic, criticizing unlimited immigration and multiculturalism. Suomen Sisu proclaims to support the idea of independent national states, that govern themselves sovereignly, and opposes supranational co-operation,...
. In Finland it is illegal to "disturb religious peace" (literal translation). This law is rarely prosecuted, giving this incident nation-wide attention. The cartoons have been published on numerous Finnish web sites but not in mainstream media. Police declined to comment which site or sites are being investigated, and said any media that publishes the cartoons will be similarly investigated.
On February 24, 2006 Kaltio, a culture magazine in northern Finland, got publicity for publishing cartoon of a masked prophet Muhammad which lampooned Finnish political elites' reaction during the cartoon debate. After that some large financial institutions withdrew their advertisements from Kaltio and the board of the magazine fired their longtime editor Jussi Vilkuna.
Early Modern France
On 6 February 2006, French Prime MinisterPrime Minister of France
The Prime Minister of France in the Fifth Republic is the head of government and of the Council of Ministers of France. The head of state is the President of the French Republic...
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique de Villepin
Dominique Marie François René Galouzeau de Villepin is a French politician who served as the Prime Minister of France from 31 May 2005 to 17 May 2007....
condemned the violence that had occurred internationally in response to the cartoons, but called for tolerance and respect toward other faiths.
The French foreign minister supported the right to free press, but added that it must be used "in a spirit of tolerance and with respect for beliefs and religions".
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
, then Interior Minister and presidential candidate, said on LCI
La Chaîne Info
La Chaîne Info, or LCI is a French cable news channel. The network provides 24-hour national and global news coverage.-History:LCI was created on June 24, 1994, by Christian Dutoit on behalf of the media group TF1....
television that he "preferred an excess of caricature to an excess of censorship" and pointed out that it is, if necessary, up to the courts to judge whether caricatures go beyond what is reasonable to publish, and not to the governments of Muslim countries.
Germany
Chancellor Angela MerkelAngela Merkel
Angela Dorothea Merkel is the current Chancellor of Germany . Merkel, elected to the Bundestag from Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, has been the chairwoman of the Christian Democratic Union since 2000, and chairwoman of the CDU-CSU parliamentary coalition from 2002 to 2005.From 2005 to 2009 she led a...
said that while she understands that feelings were hurt by the caricatures, violent reactions were unacceptable. She stressed the central role of freedom of expression, and called for dialogue. "Denmark must not feel let alone in this issue". Merkel also said that she understands this to be the common position of the E.U.
Indonesia
President Susilo Bambang YudhoyonoSusilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono AC , is an Indonesian politician and retired Army general officer who has been President of Indonesia since 2004....
says the Indonesian government condemned the publication of caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. "The publication of the caricature of course reflects a lack of sensitivity to the views and belief of other religious adherents," he said. However, as "religious people", he recommends to "accept the apology".
Iran
On February 2, Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad ordered contracts to be cancelled with all countries where media have published the cartoons. On February 5, Iran recalled their ambassador from Denmark, and banned Danish journalists from reporting from Iran. IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
's supreme religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei
Ali Khamenei
Ayatollah Seyed Ali Hoseyni Khāmene’i is the Supreme Leader of Iran and the figurative head of the Muslim conservative establishment in Iran and Twelver Shi'a marja...
said on February 6, 2006, that a "Zionist conspiracy" was to blame for the row over the Prophet Muhammad cartoons, in his first reaction to the controversy: "The reason for the Zionist action is because of the loss they suffered by Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
winning". Khamenai was referring to Hamas victory in the Palestinian legislative election
Palestinian legislative election, 2006
On January 25, 2006, elections were held for the Palestinian Legislative Council , the legislature of the Palestinian National Authority . Notwithstanding the 2005 municipal elections and the January 9, 2005 presidential election, this was the first election to the PLC since 1996; subsequent...
. In fact, the Palestinian election took place almost four months after the cartoons were first posted.
Former Iranian president, Mohammad Khatami
Mohammad Khatami
Sayyid Mohammad Khātamī is an Iranian scholar, philosopher, Shiite theologian and Reformist politician. He served as the fifth President of Iran from August 2, 1997 to August 3, 2005. He also served as Iran's Minister of Culture in both the 1980s and 1990s...
who is also the theorist of Dialogue Among Civilizations
Dialogue Among Civilizations
Former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami introduced the idea of Dialogue Among Civilizations as a response to Samuel P. Huntington’s theory of a Clash of Civilizations.-Introduction:...
, strongly criticized the Danish cartoons for "spreading hatred", but added that the Muslim world is not entirely blameless either:
- "Offending and insulting, is different from expressing an opinion that can be analyzed, argued on, and can eventually be accepted or rejected [therefore offending others is not acceptable] ... But in addition to the west, we ourselves also have problems in this regard. Instead of logical criticism or debate, we only keep saying offensive things about liberalism, democracy and modernism. I had told some of our elders before, that the religion of the today's world is 'liberalism' and we have no right to make insults about it. We should not keep using phrases such as "the corrupt culture of the west" etc. in our words. As it's also said in the Koran, "Do not insult the gods of others, otherwise you are indirectly insulting your God".
There was a recommendation for the term for a "Danish" pastry to be changed to "Gole Mohammadi"(in Persian: Mohammadi Flower).
The Iranian government retaliated by organizing a holocaust cartoon competition. Jyllands-Posten was challenged to print the winning cartoons of the competition. It agreed at first but after the competition results were announced, Jyllands-Posten backed down and did not explain why it decided not to print the winning cartoons of the Holocaust cartoon competition. The Iranian government maintained that Jyllands-Posten was never interested in freedom of speech but was just spreading hate ideology.
Some Iranian organizations and media have also backed the publications of cartoons with actions such as organizing demonstrations abroad, republishing caricatures, publishing articles defending them, showing them through Satellite Channels or talk about them in radio.
The following Iranian Organizations are among those who backed the "Freedom of Speech" and publication of Caricatures: Atheists Society, Communist Youth Organization, Communist Youth Organization-Hekmatist, Organization of Iranian Blogwriters, Organization of Women Emancipation, Organization of Women Liberation, Worker-Communist Party of Iran
Worker-Communist Party of Iran
The Worker-communist Party of Iran founded 1991, is a political party that seeks the revolutionary overthrow of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the establishment of a 'Socialist Republic' in its place...
, Worker-Communist Party of Iran-Hekmatist and Organization of Unity of Iranian People Fedayis.
Iran amended §224-1 of its penal code (prohibition of apostasy, magic and religious innovation, punishable by death, no evidence or witness testimony required - only "the judge's views and impressions") to also cover Defamation of the Prophet [Muhammed].
Iraq
Shia cleric Grand Ayatollah Ali al-SistaniGrand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani
Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Husayni al-Sistani is the highest-ranking Twelver Shia marja in Iraq and the leader of the Hawza of Najaf.-Early life:Sistani was born in Mashhad, Iran, to a family of religious scholars who traced their roots to Isfahan...
condemned the cartoons but also commented about militants who discredit Islam
Islam
Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...
by their acts. Sistani underlined how un-Islamic acts of extremism are used as justification to attack Islam.
Republic of Ireland
Irish president Mary McAleeseMary McAleese
Mary Patricia McAleese served as the eighth President of Ireland from 1997 to 2011. She was the second female president and was first elected in 1997 succeeding Mary Robinson, making McAleese the world's first woman to succeed another as president. She was re-elected unopposed for a second term in...
condemned the cartoons as designed to provoke, designed to be rude and designed to inflame. She also condemned the violent protests against the cartoons.
Italy
On February 14, Italy's Reform Minister Roberto CalderoliRoberto Calderoli
Roberto Calderoli is an Italian politician and a member of the Senate of Italy. He is currently a Minister without portfolio for Legislative Simplification in the Berlusconi IV Cabinet....
had T-shirts made emblazoned with cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad in a move likely to embarrass Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi
Silvio Berlusconi , also known as Il Cavaliere – from knighthood to the Order of Merit for Labour which he received in 1977 – is an Italian politician and businessman who served three terms as Prime Minister of Italy, from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006, and 2008 to 2011. Berlusconi is also the...
's government. Calderoli, a member of the anti-immigrant Northern League
Northern League (Italy)
Lega Nord , whose complete name is Lega Nord per l'Indipendenza della Padania , is a federalist and regionalist political party in Italy founded in 1991 as a federation of several regional parties of Northern and Central Italy, most of which had arisen...
party, told Ansa news agency on Tuesday that the West had to stand up against Islamic extremists and offered to hand out T-shirts to anyone who wanted them.
Lebanon
The Lebanese minister of foreign affairs criticised the drawings saying that freedom of speech ends when sacred values are offended.
Libya
Libya recalled its ambassador and announced that it would close its embassy in Denmark. The consular section of the embassy has since reopened.
Malaysia
Malaysian Prime MinisterPrime Minister of Malaysia
The Prime Minister of Malaysia is the indirectly elected head of government of Malaysia. He is officially appointed by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, the head of state, who in HM's judgment is likely to command the confidence of the majority of the members of that House of Representatives , the...
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
Tun Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi is a Malaysian politician who served as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2009. He was also the President of the United Malays National Organisation , the largest political party in Malaysia, and led the governing Barisan Nasional parliamentary coalition...
, current chairman of Organisation of the Islamic Conference
Organisation of the Islamic Conference
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Upon the groups's renaming, some sources provided the English-language translation "Organisation of the Islamic Cooperation", but and have since indicated the preferred English translation omits the "the". is an international organisation consisting of 57...
says "This is a deliberate act of provocation. They should cease and desist from doing so."
Netherlands
The Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jan-Peter Balkenende, issued the following statement (translated): "I regret the threats from the Muslim world. In our world, when someone crosses a line, we take the matter to court. There is no place here for threats and own direction. (I am) Glad there is freedom of speech here. At the same time we have to realize that our images and ideas can be provocative to others."
New Zealand
The cartoons were published by two major daily newspapers, the Dominion PostThe Dominion Post (Wellington)
The Dominion Post is a metropolitan broadsheet newspaper published in Wellington, New Zealand, owned by the Australian Fairfax group, owners of The Age, Melbourne, and The Sydney Morning Herald.- Foundation :...
and the Christchurch Press
The Press
The Press is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand. It is owned by Fairfax Media.- History :The Press was first published on 25 May 1861 from a small cottage in Montreal Street, making it the oldest surviving newspaper in the South Island of New Zealand. The first...
(both owned by Fairfax
Fairfax Media
Fairfax Media Limited is one of Australia's largest diversified media companies. The group's operations include newspapers, magazines, radios and digital media operating in Australia and New Zealand. Fairfax Media was founded by the Fairfax family as John Fairfax and Sons, later to become John...
of Australia), and by two smaller newspapers, the Nelson Mail
The Nelson Mail
The Nelson Mail is a daily newspaper in New Zealand. Founded in 1866 and then known as The Nelson Evening Mail. It absorbed another local paper, The Colonist about 1906.The paper is currently owned by Fairfax New Zealand....
and the National Business Review
National Business Review
The National Business Review is a weekly New Zealand newspaper aimed at the business sector. The paper is owned by Barry Colman who also publishes the Grocers Review and several other small trade publications....
. Fleeting glimpses were also shown on two television networks reporting on the issue. The publication ignited a national debate and prompted a peaceful street protest by New Zealand Muslims in Auckland. The publication of the cartoons was condemned by Prime Minister Helen Clark
Helen Clark
Helen Elizabeth Clark, ONZ is a New Zealand political figure who was the 37th Prime Minister of New Zealand for three consecutive terms from 1999 to 2008...
and opposition leader Don Brash
Don Brash
Donald "Don" Thomas Brash , a New Zealand politician, was Leader of the Opposition, parliamentary leader of the National Party from 28 October 2003 to 27 November 2006 and the leader of the ACT Party for 28th April 2011 - 26 November 2011...
, although they both stated that such decisions were up to newspaper editors to make. New Zealand has good trading relations with many Islamic countries and there were concerns that the controversy would threaten this. Shortly thereafter the newspapers agreed not to republish the cartoons, and New Zealand Muslim groups, while condemning the cartoons, have asked Muslim countries not to boycott New Zealand goods.
Nigeria
On February 7, the parliament of the State of KanoKano State
Kano State is a state located in North-Western Nigeria. Created on May 27, 1967 from part of the Northern Region, Kano state borders Katsina State to the north-west, Jigawa State to the north-east, Bauchi State to the south-east and Kaduna State to the south-west...
in the Muslim
Islam in Nigeria
Fifty percent of the population of Nigeria adheres to Islam, compared to Christianity which represents 40% of the population. Islam came to Northern Nigeria as early as the 9th century CE, and was well established in the Kanem-Bornu Empire during the reign of Humme Jilmi...
north of the country cancelled a €23 million order for Danish buses and banned the sale of all Danish and Norwegian products. Legislators then burned the flags of both nations before a crowd decrying the blasphemy of the caricatures of Muhammad.
Norway
The cartoons were first published in AftenpostenAftenposten
Aftenposten is Norway's largest newspaper. It retook this position in 2010, taking it from the tabloid Verdens Gang which had been the largest newspaper for several decades. It is based in Oslo. The morning edition, which is distributed across all of Norway, had a circulation of 250,179 in 2007...
and Dagbladet
Dagbladet
Dagbladet is Norway's second largest tabloid newspaper, and the third largest newspaper overall with a circulation of 105,255 copies in 2009, 18,128 papers less than in 2008. The editor in chief is Lars Helle....
, but when they were published in the Christian publication Magazinet
Magazinet
Dagen is a conservative Protestant Norwegian newspaper. Its predecessor was Magazinet, which was published three times a week. Its average circulation in 2004 was 5,307 copies. The last editor of the newspaper was Vebjørn Selbekk...
, and later again in many major Norwegian newspapers, violent reactions and hostile attitude against Norway started. Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
was heavily debated, and there has been great concern about the violent reactions and hostile attitude against Norway.
Pakistan
Upper House of parliament adopts a unanimous resolution condemning the Danish newspaper for publishing blasphemous and derogatory cartoons.Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
's ambassador urged the Danish prime minister to penalize the cartoonists. From February 14–15 protests have occurred, the largest of which took place in Peshawar
Peshawar
Peshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
where protestors number over 70,000. Other cities have also experienced great unrest such as Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
where foreign owned businesses such as Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
, KFC, and McDonalds have been burned; Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
where the embassies of Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, France, and India were targeted; and Tank, a town 142 miles from Peshawar, where protestors burned down shops selling CDs and DVDs.
On February 17, 2006, Ynetnews.com ran an AP article that claims that an Islamic cleric is offering a monetary reward and a new car for killing cartoonists (implied).
"Mohammed Yousaf Qureshi, prayer leader at the historic Mohabat Khan mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar, announced the mosque and the Jamia Ashrafia religious school he leads would give a 1.5 million rupee reward and a car for killing the cartoonist of the prophet pictures that appeared first in a Danish newspaper in September.
"Whoever has done this despicable and shameful act, he has challenged the honor of Muslims. Whoever will kill this cursed man, he will get one million dollars from the association of the jewelers' bazaar, one million rupees from Masjid Mohabat Khan and 500,000 rupees and a car from Jamia Ashrafia as a reward," Qureshi said.
"This is a unanimous decision by all imams (prayer leaders) of Islam that whoever insults the prophet deserves to be killed and whoever will take this insulting man to his end, will get this prize," Qureshi said.
Poland
Polish Prime-Minister Kazimierz MarcinkiewiczKazimierz Marcinkiewicz
Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz is a Polish conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of Poland from October 31, 2005 to July 14, 2006...
said he considered cartoons to be an unnecessary provocation. The Polish government also said they are quite sorry that the newspaper Rzeczpospolita
Rzeczpospolita (newspaper)
Rzeczpospolita is a Polish national daily newspaper, with a circulation around of 160,000. Issued every day except Sunday. Rzeczpospolita was printed in broadsheet format, then switched to compact at October 16, 2007...
also offended Muslims.
Russia
The president of the Institute of the Middle East, Yevgeny Satanovsky, told Itar-Tass on February 6 that "The caricatures of Prophet Mohammad published as far back as last September angered the entire Islamic world but especially the countries where IranIran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
’s influence is the strongest, and the apex of the conflict coincided precisely with the discussion of the Iranian nuclear dossier at the International Atomic Energy Agency
International Atomic Energy Agency
The International Atomic Energy Agency is an international organization that seeks to promote the peaceful use of nuclear energy, and to inhibit its use for any military purpose, including nuclear weapons. The IAEA was established as an autonomous organization on 29 July 1957...
.” This theory is echoed by Scientific Council of the Moscow Carnegie Centre member, Alexei Malashenko, who believes that “the fuss around the caricatures was made artificially." That is, at a time when the Muslim world has no concerted position either on the Iranian nuclear program or Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
, whose ideology is opposed by moderate Islamic regimes, the caricature uproar provides a “pretext for showing how coherent Muslims are.”
Saudi Arabia
In late January 2006, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassadors for consultations — a traditional message of diplomatic displeasure.
South Africa
An interdictInjunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
was obtained to prevent newspapers in South Africa from publishing the cartoons. Independent Newspapers (South Africa) did however publish an article which Muslims alleged was blasphemous and for this reason protest marches were arranged. President Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mbeki
Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki is a South African politician who served two terms as the second post-apartheid President of South Africa from 14 June 1999 to 24 September 2008. He is also the brother of Moeletsi Mbeki...
reacted to the granting of the interdict by saying that the courts
Court
A court is a form of tribunal, often a governmental institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law...
had spoken and that anyone who had objections to the granting of the interdict could pursue the matter as allowed by the law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
. He went on to say that the courts had the obligation
Obligation
An obligation is a requirement to take some course of action, whether legal or moral. There are also obligations in other normative contexts, such as obligations of etiquette, social obligations, and possibly...
to balance rights of citizens to freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
to those of others to be protected from harm or insult. On 3 February Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
The Mail & Guardian is a South African weekly newspaper, published by M&G Media in Johannesburg, South Africa, with a strong focus on politics, government, the environment, civil society and business.- The Mail & Guardian newspaper :...
however does print the cartoons.
Singapore
The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUISMUIS
MUIS is an abbreviation for:*Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura*Mongol Ulsyn Ikh Surguuli, The National University of Mongolia...
) issued a statement that said "the inciting of hatred against a faith of a people is very unfortunate," and that "[they] are fortunate and deeply appreciative that in Singapore, the media and the community at large have always been mindful of sensitivities… and have helped to promote racial and religious harmony across society." The Foreign Minister George Yeo
George Yeo
George Yeo Yong-Boon is a former politician from Singapore. A member of the governing People's Action Party , he served in the Cabinet from 1991 to 2011 as the Minister for Information and the Arts , Minister for Health , Minister for Trade and Industry and Minister for Foreign Affairs...
and the Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs Dr. Yaacob Ibrahim have similarly said that the incident shows the need to respect racial and religious sensitivities, have a "responsible media," and to cultivate good inter-religious relations and confidence beyond just legislation. Later, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said that the publication of the cartoons depicting Mohammad was provocative and wrong, but he expressed objection to violent response.
Sudan
Danish-Sudanese relations are extremely poor, as are Sudanese relations with most western countries. On February 27, 2008, Sudan decided to boycott Danish goods after the controversial Muhammad cartoons were reprinted by a series of newspapers in Denmark and other European countries. Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir has backed up the country and other Muslim states, requiring them to boycott Danish products just as Sudan did. He even stated that "No Danes shall ever again be able to set foot in Sudan." The two countries subsequently closed their respective embassies.
Sweden
On February 5, Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laila FreivaldsLaila Freivalds
Laila Ligita Freivalds is a Swedish Social Democratic politician and a former Swedish Minister for Justice, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister....
stated the following in an interview: We support the freedom of speech, that I think is very clear. But at the same time it is important to say that with this freedom comes a certain responsibility, and it could be objectionable to act in a way that insults people.
The nationalist party Swedish Democrats (Sverigedemokraterna) started a competition to draw cartoons of Muhammed on their web site. After words of exhortation from the Swedish government, and in particular from the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Laila Freivalds, the website was shut down. When the story caught wider attention, Freivalds felt it necessesary to resign as Minister for having interfered with press freedom. (For details, see Swedish Democrats#The Mohammed cartoon debate and Laila Freivalds
Laila Freivalds
Laila Ligita Freivalds is a Swedish Social Democratic politician and a former Swedish Minister for Justice, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Deputy Prime Minister....
)
Turkey
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoğanRecep Tayyip Erdogan
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has been Prime Minister of Turkey since 2003 and is chairman of the ruling Justice and Development Party , which holds a majority of the seats in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Erdoğan served as Mayor of Istanbul from 1994 to 1998. He graduated in 1981 from Marmara...
, is quoted in the Turkish press saying: "Caricatures of prophet Muhammad are an attack against our spiritual values. There should be a limit of freedom of press."
United Arab Emirates
The Justice and Islamic Affairs Minister, Mohammed Al Dhaheri, calls the publication of the cartoon "cultural terrorism, not freedom of expression."
United Kingdom
British Foreign SecretarySecretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, commonly referred to as the Foreign Secretary, is a senior member of Her Majesty's Government heading the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and regarded as one of the Great Offices of State...
Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
criticized European newspapers for republishing the cartoons: "There is freedom of speech, we all respect that, ... But there is not any obligation to insult or to be gratuitously inflammatory. I believe that the republication of these cartoons has been unnecessary. It has been insensitive. It has been disrespectful and it has been wrong." Straw also praises British newspapers for their "considerable responsibility and sensitivity" in not printing the cartoons.
Notably, even Private Eye
Private Eye
Private Eye is a fortnightly British satirical and current affairs magazine, edited by Ian Hislop.Since its first publication in 1961, Private Eye has been a prominent critic and lampooner of public figures and entities that it deemed guilty of any of the sins of incompetence, inefficiency,...
, a satirical magazine generally not afraid to publish controversial items, refused to publish the cartoons, instead printing textual descriptions of each of them in turn. The student newspaper of Cardiff University
Cardiff University
Cardiff University is a leading research university located in the Cathays Park area of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It received its Royal charter in 1883 and is a member of the Russell Group of Universities. The university is consistently recognised as providing high quality research-based...
published the cartoons, but recalled all copies after protests from the university concerned.
United States
The U.S. government issued a statement saying: "We all fully recognize and respect freedom of the press and expression but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable." A State DepartmentUnited States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
spokesman said that the images were offensive, but added that the U.S. also supports the rights of individuals to express their freely held views and that it is not for the government to dictate what is printed in the media.
In the U.S. State Department's daily briefing for Friday, February 3, official spokesman Sean McCormick, speaking for the current administration, said (in part), "Our response is to say that while we certainly don't agree with, support, or in some cases, we condemn the views that are aired in public that are published in media organizations around the world, we, at the same time, defend the right of those individuals to express their views. For us, freedom of expression is at the core of our democracy and it is something that we have shed blood and treasure around the world to defend and we will continue to do so. ... So we would urge all parties to exercise the maximum degree of understanding, the maximum degree of tolerance when they talk about this issue. And we would urge dialogue, not violence. And that also those that might take offense at these images that have been published, when they see similar views or images that could be perceived as anti-Semitic or anti-Catholic, that they speak out with equal vigor against those images."
Speaking in Qatar, former U.S. president Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
strongly criticized the Danish cartoons, comparing historical anti-Semitism in Europe with anti-Islamic feeling today: "So now what are we going to do? ... Replace the anti-Semitic prejudice with anti-Islamic prejudice?"
Vatican City
The Vatican issued a statement saying "The right to freedom of thought and expression, sanctioned by the Declaration of the Rights of Man, cannot imply the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers. This principle applies obviously for any religion."
Yemen
A court in Yemen has sentenced a newspaper editor to a year in jail for reprinting Danish cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad.Violent protests
Deaths
- At least four protestors were killed in AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, in MihtarlamMihtarlamMihtarlam , also spelled Mehtar Lam, is a town in Afghanistan, the capital of Laghman Province and center of Mihtarlam District. It is the only large urban settlement in the province. The town is situated in the valley formed by the Alishing and Alingar rivers, 47 km northwest of the city of...
and an US air base in BagramBagramBagram , founded as Alexandria on the Caucasus and known in medieval times as Kapisa, is a small town and seat in Bagram District in Parwan Province of Afghanistan, about 60 kilometers north of the capital Kabul. It is the site of an ancient city located at the junction of the Ghorband and Panjshir...
. One boy was trampled to death in Bossaso, SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
when the crowd stampeded as police fired in the air to disperse them. On February 5, 2006 one protestor died at the blazing Danish Embassy in BeirutBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among... - On February 6, 2006 one demonstrator involved in the torching of the Danish consulate in BeirutBeirutBeirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, LebanonLebanonLebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
was found dead on a staircase. One protestor was shot to death in Laghman Province AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. - Four people were killed and 22 injured on February 7, 2006 in an attack on a NATO base in Maymana, AfghanistanAfghanistanAfghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
. - Andrea SantoroAndrea SantoroFather Andrea Santoro was a Roman Catholic priest in Turkey, murdered in the Santa Maria Church in Trabzon where he served as a member of the Catholic Church's Fidei donum missionary program.On 5 September 2006 he was shot dead from behind while kneeling in prayer in the church...
, a Catholic priest, was killed on Sunday, February 5, 2006 in TrabzonTrabzonTrabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
, TurkeyTurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. A 16 year-old high school student was arrested two days later carrying a 9mm pistol. The student told police he had been influenced by the cartoons. - On February 13, 2006 two people were killed in LahoreLahoreLahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
, PakistanPakistanPakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
. The next day two were killed in PeshawarPeshawarPeshawar is the capital of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and the administrative center and central economic hub for the Federally Administered Tribal Areas of Pakistan....
, Pakistan; and another in Lahore. - On February 17, 2006 11 people died during protests in LibyaLibyaLibya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
- On February 18, 2006, sixteen people were killed in northern NigeriaNigeriaNigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
as demonstrators protested the cartoons by storming and burning Christian churches and businesses. - On March 23, 2006, a Danish soldier in IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
lost his life when an IEDImprovised explosive deviceAn improvised explosive device , also known as a roadside bomb, is a homemade bomb constructed and deployed in ways other than in conventional military action...
exploded next to the patrol vehicle in which he was seated, in BasraBasraBasra is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009...
. It is uncertain whether it was planned or not and whether the Muhammed cartoons were involved with the soldiers death.
Demonstrations and Riots
Demonstrations against the cartoons took place in several predominantly or partially Muslim countries, not just in the Middle East but also in the Philippines and IndonesiaIndonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. A prominent feature of many of these demonstrations is the burning of the flags of Denmark
Flag of Denmark
The national flag of Denmark, Dannebrog is red with a white Scandinavian cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side...
, France
Flag of France
The national flag of France is a tricolour featuring three vertical bands coloured royal blue , white, and red...
, and Norway
Flag of Norway
The flag of Norway is red with an indigo blue Scandinavian cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog, the flag of Denmark.- History :...
. The Swiss flag
Flag of Switzerland
The flag of Switzerland consists of a red flag with a white cross in the centre. It is one of only two square sovereign-state flags, the other being the flag of the Vatican City...
was also burned at some protests, possibly due to its similarity to the Danish flag. At some of these protests, many American
Flag of the United States
The national flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton bearing fifty small, white, five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars alternating with rows...
, British, and Israeli
Flag of Israel
The flag of Israel was adopted on October 28, 1948, five months after the country's establishment. It depicts a blue Star of David on a white background, between two horizontal blue stripes...
flags were also burned. In addition to burning, some demonstrators walked on Danish flags or tore them up. Since the Danish flag incorporates a cross
Christian cross
The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...
, desecrating a Danish flag can be seen as both anti-Danish and anti-Christian. An interview in the Russian media asserts that a US newspaper made the cartoons, and the Jyllands-Posten only distributed it. This assertion is widely accepted in the Muslim world
Muslim world
The term Muslim world has several meanings. In a religious sense, it refers to those who adhere to the teachings of Islam, referred to as Muslims. In a cultural sense, it refers to Islamic civilization, inclusive of non-Muslims living in that civilization...
.
The controversy produced labour strikes
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
and protests in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, and mass demonstrations in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. In the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
, thousands of people participated in demonstrations and gunmen in the Gaza Strip
Gaza Strip
thumb|Gaza city skylineThe Gaza Strip lies on the Eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. The Strip borders Egypt on the southwest and Israel on the south, east and north. It is about long, and between 6 and 12 kilometres wide, with a total area of...
threatened violence against any Scandinavians in the area. The European Union's Gaza offices were raided by 15 masked gunmen from the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades
The al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades is a coalition of Palestinian nationalist militias in the West Bank. The group's name refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem...
. They demanded apologies from Denmark and Norway, but left 30 minutes later without any shots being fired or injuries caused.
On February 2, Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
gunmen shut down the EU headquarters in Gaza, in protest of the Jyllands-Posten drawings. According to CNN, "Masked members of the militant groups Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the armed wing of the Palestinians' former ruling party, Fatah, fired bullets into the air, and a man read the group's demands....The gunmen left a notice on the EU office's door that the building would remain closed until Europeans apologize to Muslims, many of whom consider the cartoons offensive."
As of February 5, the demonstrations had become too numerous to list here; however, they are tracked on the timeline
Timeline of the Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy
The Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons were first published by Jyllands-Posten in late September 2005; approximately two weeks later, nearly 3,500 people demonstrated peacefully in Copenhagen...
page.
On February 6, at least four demonstrators in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
were shot by riot police, while taking part in an assault on the Bagram Airbase outside Kabul, another two died in Mihtarlam
Mihtarlam
Mihtarlam , also spelled Mehtar Lam, is a town in Afghanistan, the capital of Laghman Province and center of Mihtarlam District. It is the only large urban settlement in the province. The town is situated in the valley formed by the Alishing and Alingar rivers, 47 km northwest of the city of...
.
As of February 24, at least 150 people, most of them Nigerian, had died during protests.
Death threats
In response to the publication of the drawings, the UK Islamist group al GhurabaaAl Ghurabaa
Al Ghurabaa is a Muslim organization which, along with the The Saviour Sect, is widely believed to be the reformed Al-Muhajiroun after it disbanded in 2004 by order of Omar Bakri Muhammad. Other members include Abu Izzadeen and Abu Uzair....
publish an article on their website entitled, "Kill those who insult the Prophet Muhammad". The article states, "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."
al Ghurabaa
Al Ghurabaa
Al Ghurabaa is a Muslim organization which, along with the The Saviour Sect, is widely believed to be the reformed Al-Muhajiroun after it disbanded in 2004 by order of Omar Bakri Muhammad. Other members include Abu Izzadeen and Abu Uzair....
had organised the 3 February protest march from London Central Mosque
London Central Mosque
The London Central Mosque is a mosque in North London, England. It was designed by Sir Frederick Gibberd, completed in 1978, and has a prominent golden dome. The main hall can hold over five thousand worshippers, with women praying on a balcony overlooking the hall...
to the Danish Embassy
where protesters waived placards reading, "Butcher those who mock Islam", "Kill those who insult Islam", "Europe you will pay, your 9/11
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
is on the way", or "7/7 is on its way", "Europe you will pay, Bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
is on his way" and "Europe you'll come crawling, when the Mujahideen
Mujahideen
Mujahideen are Muslims who struggle in the path of God. The word is from the same Arabic triliteral as jihad .Mujahideen is also transliterated from Arabic as mujahedin, mujahedeen, mudžahedin, mudžahidin, mujahidīn, mujaheddīn and more.-Origin of the concept:The beginnings of Jihad are traced...
come roaring". Despite the similar theme on Al Ghurabaa
Al Ghurabaa
Al Ghurabaa is a Muslim organization which, along with the The Saviour Sect, is widely believed to be the reformed Al-Muhajiroun after it disbanded in 2004 by order of Omar Bakri Muhammad. Other members include Abu Izzadeen and Abu Uzair....
's website, their spokesman, Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary
Anjem Choudary is a British former solicitor, and, before it was proscribed, spokesman for the Islamist group Islam4UK. He is married, has four children, and lives in Ilford, London....
, said he did not know who wrote the placards. MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
s from all parties condemned the protest, calling the Metropolitan police
Metropolitan police
Metropolitan Police is a generic title for the municipal police force for a major metropolitan area, and it may be part of the official title of the force...
to pursue those responsible on the grounds that the threats were an incitement to murder
Incitement
In English criminal law, incitement was an anticipatory common law offence and was the act of persuading, encouraging, instigating, pressuring, or threatening so as to cause another to commit a crime....
.
Churches
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
i cities of Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
and Kirkuk
Kirkuk
Kirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
were targeted by car bombs, killing 13-year-old worshipper Fadi Raad Elias. No militants claimed to be retaliating for the pictures, nor is this the first time Iraqi churches have been bombed; but the bishop of the church stated "The church blasts were a reaction to the cartoons published in European papers. But Christians are not responsible for what is published in Europe."
Many Assyrians
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
in Iraq now feel like "Westerners should not give wild statements [as] everyone can attack us [in response]" and "Today I'm afraid to walk the streets, because I'm Christian."
On February 5, thousands of Muslims in Lebanon surrounded the Maronite Catholic Church and threw stones at it.
On February 6, an Italian Catholic priest named Andrea Santoro was reported to have been shot dead at the door-step of his church in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
port city Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
. The convict, arrested on February 7 who is a Turkish Muslim youth aged 16, told the public attorney that his action was motivated by cartoons protests.
Also on February 6, leaflets were distributed in Ramadi
Ramadi
Ramadi is a city in central Iraq, about west of Baghdad. It is the capital of Al Anbar Governorate.-History:Ramadi is located in a fertile, irrigated, alluvial plain.The Ottoman Empire founded Ramadi in 1869...
, Iraq by the militant group "The Military Wing for the Army of Justice" demanding Christians to "halt their religious rituals in churches and other worship places because they insulted Islam and Muslims."
On February 18, 2006, eleven churches, as well as several Christian-owned businesses, in northern Nigeria
Nigeria
Nigeria , officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a federal constitutional republic comprising 36 states and its Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. The country is located in West Africa and shares land borders with the Republic of Benin in the west, Chad and Cameroon in the east, and Niger in...
were burned by protesters.
Fatwa
Also on January 29, a Muslim Cleric in the Iraqi city of MosulMosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
issued a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
stating, "Expel the Crusaders and infidels from the streets, schools, and institutions because they have offended the person of the prophet." It has been reported that Muslim students beat up a Christian student at Mosul University in response to the fatwa on the same day. On February 2, some Palestinians in the West Bank
West Bank
The West Bank ) of the Jordan River is the landlocked geographical eastern part of the Palestinian territories located in Western Asia. To the west, north, and south, the West Bank shares borders with the state of Israel. To the east, across the Jordan River, lies the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan...
handed out a leaflet signed by Islamic Jihad stating, "Churches in Gaza could come under attack".
The Danish government announced that a fatwa
Fatwa
A fatwā in the Islamic faith is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law issued by an Islamic scholar. In Sunni Islam any fatwā is non-binding, whereas in Shia Islam it could be considered by an individual as binding, depending on his or her relation to the scholar. The person who issues a fatwā...
had been declared against the Danish troops stationed in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
. The government responded by heightening security for its troops.
Burning embassies
On February 4, the Danish and Norwegian embassies in DamascusDamascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
were set on fire, after being stormed by an angry mob. Within the building housing the Danish embassy were the Chilean and Swedish embassies, both having no formal connection to the present row. As it was a holiday, no one was present inside the building when this occurred, so no one was hurt. As a response to this incident, the Danish and Norwegian Ministries of Foreign Affairs issued a warning, urging their citizens in Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
to leave the country immediately.
The German Cultural Centre in Gaza
Gaza
Gaza , also referred to as Gaza City, is a Palestinian city in the Gaza Strip, with a population of about 450,000, making it the largest city in the Palestinian territories.Inhabited since at least the 15th century BC,...
was raided by Palestinian students
On February 5, the Danish consulate in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
was set on fire by demonstrators, reportedly police and military tried to restrain them from doing so.
In Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, on February 6, the Danish and Norwegian embassies were attacked by protestors. According to reports, homemade grenades were thrown at the embassies. However, the embassies weren't set ablaze.
On October 19, ten ambassadors from Islamic countries, including Algeria
Algeria
Algeria , officially the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria , also formally referred to as the Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria, is a country in the Maghreb region of Northwest Africa with Algiers as its capital.In terms of land area, it is the largest country in Africa and the Arab...
, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
, and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
, as well as the head of the Palestinian
Palestinian National Authority
The Palestinian Authority is the administrative organization established to govern parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip...
delegation in Denmark, sent a letter to Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen
Anders Fogh Rasmussen is a Danish politician, and the 12th and current Secretary General of NATO. Rasmussen served as Prime Minister of Denmark from 27 November 2001 to 5 April 2009....
requesting a meeting and asking him to distance himself from hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
, including remarks by MP Louise Frevert
Louise Frevert
Louise Frevert is a former member of the Danish parliament, born in Frederiksberg. She was elected as member of parliament for the Danish People's Party in the 2001 election and reelected in 2005. She left the party in 2007, and later joined the Centre Democrats, which did not stand for reelection...
, Culture Minister of Denmark
Culture Minister of Denmark
Culture Minister of Denmark is the Danish political minister office responsible for culture, head of the Ministry of Culture of Denmark.The political responsibility for culture, as well as church and education, was with the Kultus Minister from 1848 to 1916 when that post was split up into the...
Brian Mikkelsen
Brian Mikkelsen
Brian Arthur Mikkelsen is a Danish politician. He is a member of the Conservative People's Party, and has been a member of parliament since 21 September 1994....
, and the Radio Holger
Radio Holger
Radio Holger is a Danish radio station transmitting in Metropolitan Copenhagen.The radio station is a small and local radio station, which has become notable for being critical towards Islam and Islams influence in Denmark and the rest of the world.-Source:...
station. Rasmussen declined, saying that the government could not interfere with the right to free speech, but said that cases of blasphemy and discrimination could be tried before the courts, a reaction essentially seen as a snub by the Muslims.
On February 18, the Italian consulate in Benghazi, Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
, was set on fire by demonstrators. Police fired into the crowd, killing 11.
Nordic countries
On January 10, a marginal Norwegian Christian magazine, Magazinet, printed the drawings after getting authorization from Jyllands-Posten. Major newspapers in Norway had printed facsimiles from Jyllands-Posten and reproduced all the caricatures in their online versions; a few days earlier, the Swedish newspaper ExpressenExpressen
Expressen is one of two nationwide evening tabloid newspapers in Sweden, the other being Aftonbladet. Expressen was founded in 1944; its symbol is a wasp and slogans "it stings" or "Expressen to your rescue", always on the reader's side....
had printed two of the drawings in conjunction with an article discussing the event. However, it was the Magazinet printing that led to a great debate in Norway, and is assumed to be the reason for actions directed at Sweden and Norway.
A Norwegian man made a threat against the lives of the people at the magazine, but later claimed, when faced by the police, that it was just a prank. The Norwegian Foreign Ministry sent a letter to their ambassadors in the Middle East stating that one of the pillars of the Norwegian society is freedom of speech, but they expressed regret that Magazinet did not respect Muslims' beliefs.
On January 30, Palestinian
Palestinian people
The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...
groups demanded that all Scandinavians leave the Palestinian territories
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
immediately. On January 30, an Islamic organisation, the Mujahedeen Army, called for militant attacks against "all available targets" in Denmark and Norway. On January 31, bomb threats were made against the newspaper's offices in Århus and Copenhagen.
In Finland the biggest newspaper Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
considered publishing the cartoons, however it did not publish them. Finland's comparatively small Muslim community held a peaceful demonstration with tens of demonstrators, close to the Danish embassy.