|
Basayev enters cartoon debate
Several newspapers in Europe entered the fray by publishing some or all of the caricatures, including the French daily France-Soir, Germanys Die Welt, Italys Corriere della Serra and La Stampa, and Spains Catalan daily El Periodico, even as Denmarks government scrambled yesterday to repair the damage to its relations with the Muslim world.The 12 cartoons, first published by Danish daily Jyllands-Posten last September, have sparked a debate on where to draw the line on freedom of expression, as Muslim anger over the drawings continues to swell. Some said they were printing the cartoons in support of Jyllands-Posten, while others said they were used to illustrate articles on the dispute. Muslim outrage over the images depicting the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH) has boiled over into a diplomatic crisis threatening Danish relations with the Muslim world. Islam considers any image of the Prophet (PBUH) blasphemous. Danish flags have been burnt, ambassadors have been recalled, products have been boycotted and threats of violence have been issued against Scandinavians in Muslim countries in recent days. Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has repeatedly refused to apologise for the papers publication of the cartoons, saying that would constitute meddling in press freedoms. He has however apologised if Muslims were offended. After announcing a diplomatic offensive to resolve the row, Rasmussen yesterday said his government had also launched a media offensive in Muslim nations. We have to recognise that this is not only an issue between Denmark and a series of Arab governments. This is very much something that has spread to the streets in Arab countries, he said. It is therefore important to come in direct contact with the Arab people, he said. Yet despite Copenhagens efforts, Syria announced that it had recalled its ambassador to Denmark, while Chechen guerrilla leader Shamil Basayev threatened a response to the cartoons. And in Russia, the Orthodox Church and the Mufti Council, which represents 23 million Muslims, condemned European newspapers for reprinting the drawings. The French foreign ministry distanced itself from a reproduction of the cartoons by the newspaper France-Soir. The ministry condemned all that hurts individuals beliefs and religious convictions but underlined that France is a respectful and tolerant country that cherishes freedom of speech. Jyllands-Posten offices in Aarhus and the capital Copenhagen were again targeted by bomb threats yesterday and evacuated, media reports said. Nothing was found in both offices after a similar threat on Tuesday. The world press freedom watchdog Reporters without Borders, based in Paris, defended the newspapers. Freedom of the press also exists for viewpoints that shock the majority of the population, RSF head Robert Menard told France Soir. In Copenhagen, security police met Islamic leaders in a bid to calm reactions. Dalil Boubakeur, head of the French Muslim Council, denounced the publication of the drawings as a provocation. Burhan Kesici, a leader of Germanys Turkish community, said they reduced Islam to two or three terrorists. Thousands of Palestinians protested against Denmark this week, and Arab ministers called on it to punish Jyllands-Posten. Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador from Copenhagen and Libya has closed its embassy. The Danish-Swedish dairy product maker Arla Foods, with annual Middle East sales of almost $500m, said it might have to cut 140 jobs due to the boycott. We are losing around 10m kroner ($1.8m) per day at the moment, a spokeswoman said. The worlds biggest maker of insulin, Denmarks Novo Nordisk , said pharmacies and hospitals in Saudi Arabia had been avoiding its products since Saturday. Posted by: Dan Darling 2006-02-03 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=141326 |