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Militant Islam Monitor > Articles > Terrorists target Danes for murder worldwide - newspaper 'apologises' for Mohammed cartoons

Terrorists target Danes for murder worldwide - newspaper 'apologises' for Mohammed cartoons

January 30, 2006

Palestinian militants from the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade burn Demark's national flag during a protest over Danish cartoons in the West Bank city of Nablus, January 29, 2006. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini

Danish paper apologizes over Prophet cartoons

Reuters

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1558612&page=2

COPENHAGEN - Denmark warned its citizens on Monday to avoid Saudi Arabia, and gunmen in Gaza said any Scandinavians there risked attack, as Muslim fury mounted over newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

Denmark's Jyllands-Posten newspaper, which published the cartoons, issued an apology late on Monday in a statement to Arab countries sent to the Jordanian news agency Petra.

The drawings, that seemed to portray the Prophet as a terrorist, were published in September, but the row erupted this month after diplomatic efforts to solve the issue failed. One drawing shows Mohammad wearing a turban shaped as a bomb.

Some Muslims, who deem images of prophets disrespectful and caricatures blasphemous, have threatened Danes and demanded an apology.

"The drawings are not against the Danish law but have indisputably insulted many Muslims, for which we shall apologize," the newspaper said in the statement.

An Iraqi militant group called on Monday for attacks on Danish and Norwegian targets, according to a statement attributed to the Mujahideen Army. A Norwegian paper has also run the drawings.

The Internet statement called on fighters to "hit whatever targets possible belonging to these two countries and others that follow their steps." It could not be authenticated.

Denmark has around 530 troops serving in Iraq.

A roadside bomb exploded near an Iraqi police car driving around 150 metres (500 ft) in front of a Danish forces patrol, wounding one Iraqi, the Danish army said on Monday, adding it had no reason to conclude the attack was connected to the cartoon row.

BOYCOTTS

As the diplomatic and economic impact has spread, Saudi Arabia has recalled its envoy from Denmark and its religious leaders called for a boycott of Danish products.

Across the Gulf, several supermarkets pulled Scandinavian foods off the shelves after consumers complained.

Sudan said it had told a Danish government minister he could not make a planned visit and said it had also called for a boycott of Danish goods.

Jamal Ibrahim, a Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman, said: "This is an insult to the Prophet Mohammad. Furthermore, we have asked our national companies to boycott all Danish goods."

Libya has closed its Copenhagen embassy, and thousands of Palestinians marched in protest on Monday.

Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the paper's apology but did not apologize himself.

"The Danish government cannot apologize on behalf of a Danish newspaper. It does not work like that ... and we have explained that to the Arab countries. Independent media are not edited by the government," Rasmussen said.

Earlier on Monday he advised colleagues in the European Union of the situation and the bloc's executive said it might complain to the World Trade Organization about the boycott if the Saudi government had encouraged it.

The Danish Foreign Ministry advised against non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia and urged Danes to be cautious in other Muslim countries.

"Danes who choose to stay in Saudi Arabia should show extraordinarily high watchfulness," it added on its Web site.

The Danish Red Cross said it had pulled two employees out of Gaza and one from Yemen, and Norway's Foreign Ministry said two Norwegian aid workers in Gaza were planning to leave on Monday.

Sweden warned its citizens against traveling to Gaza and the West Bank and the Swedish consulate in Jerusalem received a fax claiming to be from Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades demanding that all Danes and Swedes leave the area.

"All Swedes and Danes that exist on our soil have 48 hours to leave our country or else," according to the fax read to Reuters by a consulate official.

Dozens of Palestinians with rifles and grenade launchers rallied outside the EU headquarters in Gaza City, demanding an apology and warning Danes and Norwegians they would be at risk in Gaza.

Some of the gunmen fired in the air, while others burned Danish and Norwegian flags.

Hamas, the militant Islamic group which won Palestinian elections last week, urged Islamic countries to take "deterrent steps against idiotic Danish behavior."

Hardest hit by the boycott was Danish-Swedish dairy product maker Arla Foods, with annual sales of 3 billion Danish crowns ($487 million) in the Middle East. The world's biggest maker of insulin, Novo Nordisk, also said it was affected.

--------------------

http://www.thecouriermail.news.com.au/printpage/0,5942,17999700,00.html

Anti-Muslim cartoon endangers Danes
Per Bech Thomsen in Copenhagen
01feb06

DENMARK has warned its citizens to avoid Saudi Arabia as Muslim fury mounts at newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad.

Gunmen in Gaza also said any Scandinavians there risked attack.

Denmark has defended the newspaper Jyllands-Posten's right to publish the satirical drawings that seemed to portray Mohammad as a terrorist and which a Norwegian paper has run too.

Some Muslims, who deem images of prophets disrespectful and caricatures blasphemous, have threatened Danes and demanded an apology.

Saudi Arabia has recalled its envoy from Denmark and its religious leaders called for a boycott of Danish products.

Many Saudis have started boycotting Danish goods and, across the Gulf, several supermarkets pulled Scandinavian foods off the shelves after consumers complained.

The 12 cartoons were published in September, but the row erupted this month after diplomatic efforts to solve the issue failed.

One of the drawings showed Mohammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.

Jyllands-Posten issued an apology in a statement to Arab countries, sent to the Jordanian news agency Petra.

"The drawings are not against the Danish law but have indisputably insulted many Muslims, for which we shall apologise," the newspaper said.

Libya has closed its Copenhagen embassy, and thousands of Palestinians marched in protest yesterday.

An Iraqi militant group called for attacks on Danish and Norwegian targets, saying a boycott was not enough, a statement attributed to the Mujahidin Army said.

The internet statement called on fighters to "hit whatever targets possible belonging to these two countries and others that follow their steps". It could not be authenticated.

Denmark has about 530 troops serving in Iraq.

Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen welcomed the paper's apology but did not apologise himself.

"The Danish Government cannot apologise on behalf of a Danish newspaper," Mr Rasmussen said.

"It does not work like that . . . and we have explained that to the Arab countries. Independent media are not edited by the government."

Earlier, he advised colleagues in the European Union of the situation and the bloc's executive said it might complain to the World Trade Organisation about the boycott if the Saudi Government encouraged it.

The Danish foreign ministry advised against non-essential travel to Saudi Arabia and urged Danes to be cautious in other Muslim countries.

"Danes who choose to stay in Saudi Arabia should show extraordinarily high watchfulness," it said on its website.

The Danish Red Cross said it had pulled two employees out of Gaza and one from Yemen, and Norway's foreign ministry said two Norwegian aid workers in Gaza were to leave.

Sweden warned its citizens against travelling to Gaza and the West Bank, and the Swedish consulate in Jerusalem received a fax claiming to be from Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades demanding that all Danes and Swedes leave the area.

Reuters

MIM: In an interview with Jyllands Post editor Flemming Rose in Al Jazeera he was reapeatedly asked the absurd question as to why his paper had chosen Muslims and not decided to choose a subject like the Holocaust. The first artice below is titled: Party chairman of the Danish Peoples Party : Islamic communtity must put out the fire .

Fractievoorzitter Dansk Folkeparti, Pia Kjaersgaard: Islamitisch kerkgenootschap moet vuur blussen.

Pia Kjaersgaard meent dat mededelingen van de zijde van de premier en de krant Jylland Posten onvoldoende zijn. Kjaersgaard verklaarde tegenover persbureau Ritzau:
'Allebei trachten ze dit eeuwige conflict, dat steeds weer escaleert, te beëindigen maar dat schijnt geen zier te helpen. Kjaersgaard vindt dat het Islamisk Trosamfund, Abu Laban en de twaalf ambassadeurs die al lang in Denemarken wonen en weten hoe de verhoudingen in Denemarken zijn, hun regeringen moeten uitleggen hoe het werkelijk zit, 'zodat ze niet meer aankloppen.'
'Het westen is anders als het middenoosten, zegt Pia Kjaersgaard. En: 'Het is het Islamisk Trosamfund (Islamitisch kerkgenootschap) dat het vuur heeft aangestoken.'
De oppositie is van mening dat de crisis zich in de juiste richting ontwikkelt door de verontschuldigingen van de ochtendkrant Jyllands Posten en de verklaring van premier Fogh Rasmussen waarin hij persoonlijk afstand neemt van de spotprenten.
Het diplomatiek offensief wordt voortgezet, verklaarde Jeppe Kofod van de Deense socialisten. SF-voorzitter Villy Søvndal wil dat de premier een officiële mededeling doet waarin hij stelt dat Denemarken alle godsdiensten respecteert, en een ontmoeting met de ambassadeurs van 11 moslimlanden araangeert om die boodschap door te geven.

Deense kranten berichten dat vooral het Deense zuivelconcern Arla hard wordt getroffen door de Arabische boycot van Deense produkten.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- --

Een macaber interview op Al-Jazeerah

Tijdens een live interview op de zender Al-Jazeerah verzuimde de tolk de uitspraken van de cultuurredacteur van Jyllands Posten, Flemming Rose, integraal te vertalen. Hieronder volgt de vertaling als gepubliceerd door het Deense dagblad Politiken. Het is een macaber interview dat aangeeft dat Al-Jazeerah nog een lange weg heeft te gaan, en er niet voor terugschrikt het vuur met religieuze sentimenten en latent antisemitisme aan te wakkeren.


Al-Jazeerah: Om te beginnen, mijnheer Rose, wil Uw krant de vrijheid van meningsuiting beproeven door de Islam te bespotten en mohammed, vrede zij met hem.
Rose: Laat ik beginnen met te zeggen dat ik het erg vind wanneer er mensen zijn in Uw land, in de arabische wereld of de moslimwereld die zich gekrenkt voelen, dat was niet de bedoeling van de karikaturen.
En ja ons doel wat het zoeken van de grens van de vrijheid van meningsuiting. Er zijn namelijk voldoende voorbeelden van kunstenaars in Denemarken en andere Europese landen die zich zelf censureren, en daarom zijn we aan dit project projecten.
Al-Jazeerah: Pardon, maar als U de vrijheid van meningsuiting wilde beproeven, waarom maakte U dan de holocaust niet belachelijk en de Jesus, vrede zij met hem? Waarom koos U ervoor Mohammed te vervolgen, als U weet welke status hij geniet bij meer dan een miljard mensen.'
Rose: 'We hebben karikaturen van Sharon afgedrukt toen hij gewelddadig omging met de Palestijnen, en we hebben spotprenten afgedrukt die Jezus belachelijk maakten. Laat mij tegelijkertijd zeggen, dat er sprake was van twaalf tekeningen in de krant en een van die tekeningen bespot mij en de krant en een heel bekend Deens politicus, hier.. ziet U.

Al Jazeerah: Opnieuw pardon, maar heeft U de holocaust eerder belachelijk gemaakt?
Rose: Dat hangt van de situatie af. Mij is door de New York Times gevraagd of dat ik tekeningen van Sharon zou afdrukken terwijl hij jegens de Palestijnen geweld uitoefent. Dat is een moeilijke vraag, die van de situatie afhangt. Als we voor de keuze staan, dat besluiten we het wel of niet te doen.

Al Jazeerah: U weet heel goed, dat Sharon helemaal voor niemand een profeet is. Hier voor mij ligt een artikel van de 14 april 2005 over de Deense Koningin, die een boek heeft uitgegeven waarin ze waarschuwt voor de Islam en tegenkrachten wil mobiliseren - de koningin is het hoofd van de Deense volkskerk waarvan 85% van de Deense bevolking lid is. Hoe moet men dat uitleggen, en wat verklaart dat over de ontwikkelingen in Denemarken?

Rose; Ik heb het boek niet gelezen, maar ik geloof, dat U haar opmerkingen uit zijn context heeft getrokken. In Denemarken bestaat vrijheid van meningsuiting, en moslims mogen zeggen wat ze denken, daarom ook wordt geen enkele moslim, christen, of boeddhist gediscrimineerd. We hebben een wet die discriminatie en godslastering verbiedt, en wie deze wet overtreedt moet verantwoording afleggen.

Al Jazeerah; Maar reikt in Denemarken net als in de rest van de wereld de vrijheid niet net zover als de vrijheid van de ander? U hebt niet geantwoord op mijn vraag over de holocaust, maar kwam aanzetten met Sharon,Fleming Rose uit Kopenhagen. Dank U wel.
(vertaling uit het Deens: Oscar Laurens Schrover)


Oscar Laurens Schrover
Indenpendent Newssourcing

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