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Last update - 02:49 14/02/2008 Danish newspapers reprint controversial Mohammed cartoon By The Associated Press Tags: cartoon, Denmark, Muslims  Leading Danish newspapers have reprinted cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in a gesture of solidarity after police revealed a plot to kill the creator of the caricature that sparked deadly riots across the Muslim world. Danish Muslims said Wednesday they would seek to avoid a repeat of the violence two years ago - but with a rightwing Dutch lawmaker planning to air a movie that condemns Islam as fascist, Europe pondered the possibility of a new cycle of ethnic and religious turmoil. Advertisement "I just don't want go through this again," said Mohammed Shafiq, of the Ramadhan Foundation, a Muslim educational group in London. Shafiq said he had already written a protest letter to the Danish ambassador in London. Other Muslim groups echoed his sentiments, saying they believed the Danish papers were seeking, unnecessarily, to rekindle the fiery debate over free speech and Islam that engulfed Europe during the cartoon uproar in 2006. Some experts said that discussion never went away - it just drifted off the editorial pages of Europe's dailies. "This conflict will remain as long as there are people who believe religion should have a greater role in society," said Magnus Norell, a Middle East expert at the Swedish Defense Research Agency. More than a dozen papers in Denmark reprinted Wednesday what was arguably the most controversial of the 12 Mohammed cartoons that enraged Muslims in early 2006 when they appeared in a range of Western newspapers. The drawing, by newspaper cartoonist Kurt Westergaard, depicts Islam's prophet wearing a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse. The papers said they wanted to show their firm commitment to freedom of speech after Tuesday's arrest in western Denmark of three people accused of plotting to kill Westergaard. "We are doing this to document what is at stake in this case, and to unambiguously back and support the freedom of speech that we as a newspaper will always defend," said the Copenhagen-based Berlingske Tidende. Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favorable, for fear it could lead to idolatry. At least three European newspapers - in Sweden, the Netherlands and Spain - also reprinted the cartoon as part of their coverage of the Danish arrests. The debate had already resurfaced recently in the Netherlands with right-wing lawmaker Geert Wilders' plans to make an anti-Quran film portraying the religion as fascist and prone to inciting violence against women and homosexuals. In Denmark, all eyes turned toward the Islamic Faith Community, a network of Muslim groups that many Danes say provoked the riots of 2006 by embarking on a Middle East tour seeking support for their fight against the paper that first published the cartoons, Jyllands-Posten. Group spokesman Kasem Ahmad said even though printing the cartoons was like a knife in the heart, the group would not take any action this time. "We have no plans to travel abroad or export this problem," he told reporters at a mosque in Copenhagen. "Now we have decided to neglect and ignore any possible provocation." In January and February of 2006, angry mobs burned the Danish flag and attacked Danish and other Western embassies in Muslim countries including Syria, Iran and Lebanon. Danish products were boycotted by many Muslim consumers. Protesters were killed in Libya and Afghanistan. The Danish Foreign Ministry said its diplomatic missions worldwide were monitoring the situation for any signs of unrest related to the cartoon. It had not observed any strong reactions Wednesday, said Uffe Wolffhechel of the ministry's consular department. In Egypt, one observer said there was no guarantee that violence would not break out again - and suggested Europe might be a possible stage. "I'm against any violent reaction, but how can you control or expect to control the 15-20 million Muslims living in Europe, how can you prevent a Muslim youth there not to try to take revenge while his religion and Prophet are being insulted?" said Fahmi Howeidy, a prominent Egyptian Islamic writer. Other experts said they didn't expect the resurgence of Westergaard's cartoon to provoke massive protests this time, partly because many of the Danish imams that solicited support from the Mideast in 2006 were no longer around. "Many have learned lessons of what happened two years ago. Some of the key players in Denmark have disappeared, they are either dead, have left the country or have been demoted," said Helle Lykke Nielsen, of the Center for Contemporary Middle East Studies at the University of Southern Denmark. The decision by the Danish papers to reprint Westergaard's cartoon came in response to Tuesday's news that intelligence police had arrested two Tunisians and a Danish citizen of Moroccan origin for plotting to kill Westergaard. The Danish suspect was released Tuesday after questioning, his lawyer, Henning Lyngsbo, said. He added that It doesn't seem that the evidence is very strong. Intelligence service chief Jakob Scharf had indicated the man could still face charges of violating a Danish terror law. "The two Tunisians are to be expelled from Denmark because they are considered threats to national security," Scharf said. Some critics claimed the Danish papers were using the arrests as an excuse to provoke Muslims. The British Muslim Initiative, a group devoted to fighting what it calls Islamophobia worldwide, said the republication showed the West's double standards. "It shows the apparent disregard to Islam and Muslims in some of these liberal society," said Ihtisham Hibatullah, the group's spokesman. "Every time they say: 'We have the right to offend,' and then they tell you don't have the right to be offended." Bookmark to del.icio.us   The gift of dignity T.A. charity provides female drug addicts with shower, meal and counseling. Sign of life Hamas leader says Gilad Shalit is still alive after two years in captivity.   1.   What a load of Islamic Confusion 03:09  |  Brad 14/02/08   2.   European Hypocrites 03:10  |  Free Speech American 14/02/08   3.   European Hypocrites 03:10  |  Free Speech American 14/02/08   4.   European Hypocrites 03:10  |  Free Speech American 14/02/08   5.   Get ready for a new circus in town 03:28  |  DejaVu 14/02/08   6.   why does it matter 04:16  |  who cares? 14/02/08   7.   jyllands posten has my support at least 04:22  |  joki 14/02/08   8.   Courageous people 04:40  |  Sarah 14/02/08   9.   The Mohammad Cartoons are readily seen on wikipedia 04:58  |  Gina 14/02/08   10.   Good showing of solidarity by the newspapers! 05:05  |  Gina 14/02/08   11.   They Have Guts - I Applaud The Danish 05:28  |  MIKE 14/02/08   12.   Be offended, but don`t turn to violence 08:12  |  Jason 14/02/08   13.   to sarah 08:29  |  sam 14/02/08   14.   to mike 08:34  |  sam 14/02/08   15.   CONGRATULATION, DANISH 08:59  |  indrajaya 14/02/08   16.   #2 Historical facts cannot be denied ! 09:02  |  Aaron 14/02/08   17.   Islamic Hypocrites 09:37  |  Free Speech Aussie 14/02/08   18.   Rubbish 09:45  |  Natallie Durson 14/02/08   19.   muslims need a serious reformation. they will benefit most 09:46  |  don 14/02/08   20.   # 15 indrajaya 10:01  |  danny 14/02/08   21.   Some common sense 11:52  |  Craig 14/02/08   22.   When will the Danish ,just grow up..! 11:55  |  Stephen. 14/02/08   23.   to Stephen 13:14  |  Craig 14/02/08   24.   Bravo to the Danes ! 14:40  |  Aaron 14/02/08   25.   @ Stephen 14:49  |  joki 14/02/08   26.   Muslims have massacred 280 million people & they are offended by 17:25  |  Genuine Tosefta 14/02/08   27.   So INDRARAT what about depicting Mo as a Rat with Dog head? 17:30  |  Genuine Tosefta 14/02/08   28.   #15 Indryaya - Must I remind you again 23:20  |  * BEN JABO 14/02/08   29.   Cartoons 13:31  |  ME 15/02/08   30.   What a bunch of whacko`s 21:14  |  * BEN JABO 16/02/08   31.   Islam 10:12  |  Salma 20/02/08   32.   emergency responce 20:16  |  Toprak 22/02/08   33.   Its not denmark, it was some ppl from denmark that drawed IT! 21:46  |  ANOYMOS 28/02/08   34.   christian hypocrites 10:44  |  Dr Syed 20/03/08   35.   Simply not true... 19:59  |  CH 31/03/08   36.   Ironi is OK ..- if y r muslim... 00:53  |  CH 01/04/08

Today Online Jerusalem council okays 600 new Jewish homes in Arab area Responses: 215 Yishai: Israel must negotiate with Hamas over Shalit release Responses: 128 Editorial: Peace talks, even on Jerusalem, must be secret Responses: 46 MK Swaid: Demolition of Arab homes will lead to an explosion Responses: 44 Rosner's Domain New Guest: Rabbis who don't officiate intermarriage should refer to rabbis who do Poll: What percentage of Jews will vote McCain? 38% for pressuring Palestinians, 25% for pressuring Israel (WTR) Can McCain get a boost from the new dovish Jewish lobby? More Headlines 21:34 Israeli kills Palestinian knifeman in attempted West Bank attack 01:43 Barak heeds Rice call, reverses course to back PA border plan 21:54 Jerusalem council okays 600 new Jewish homes in Arab area 00:17 Abducted soldier's mother: PM must pay price to retrieve them 23:09 Amir Peretz to Ehud Barak: Who would want to vote for you? 23:51 IDF tracker charged with 'aiding Hezbollah in war against Israel' 19:40 Clinton and Obama voters support Israel in similar numbers 20:06 Once a week, the gift of human dignity 16:30 Norway tries suspects in 2006 shooting at main Oslo synagogue 21:28 Barak allots NIS 30M more for security in frontline communities 23:04 Law sets 3-year jail penalty for car-owners who go to mechanics in PA 18:52 Rights group demands gov't stop demolishing Bedouin homes Previous Editions Select Day 31 mar 30 mar 28 mar 27 mar 26 mar 25 mar 24 mar 23 mar 21 mar 20 mar 19 mar 18 mar

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