Tuesday, January 31, 2006

Danish newspaper offends Muslim nations

In September, Jyllands-Posten, a Danish newspaper, published caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). The drawings portrayed the prophet as a terrorist with one showing the Prophet (pbuh) wearing a turban shaped as a bomb. The cartoons infuriated the Muslim world

The Copenhagen Post claimed that Jyllands-Posten printed the cartoons by various Danish illustrators, after reports that artists were refusing to illustrate works about Islam, out of fear of fundamendalist retribution. Jyllands-Posten said it printed the cartoons as a test of whether Muslim fundamentalists had affected Danish freedom of expression.

But the repercussions have started, unfortunately for some innocents. Masked Islamist gunmen had seized an EU office in Gaza City to protest the blasphemy. Meanwhile in Iraq, an insurgent group has called for attacks on Danish and Norwegian targets. It seems a Norwegian paper has also published the drawings. The Danish Red Cross evacuated two of its employees from Gaza and one from Yemen after receiving death threats.

Saudi Arabia has recalled its envoy from Denmark and so has Libya. Sudan cancelled an official visit to Denmark. Thousands of Palestinians marched in protest against the insult to the Prophet (pbuh). Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyr's Brigades has demanded that all Danes and Swedes leave Palestine immediately. Hamas urged Muslim countries to take ‘deterrent steps against idiotic Danish behaviour.’

Most Arab countries have been boycotting Danish goods since the publication. Across the Gulf, several supermarkets removed Scandinavian foods off the shelves. The biggest loser is likely to be the Danish-Swedish dairy product maker Arla Foods, with its annual sales of US$487 million in the Middle East. The world's biggest maker of insulin, Novo Nordisk, has also been affected.

Arla Foods reported that two of its employees in Saudi Arabia were beaten by angry customers. Denmark has already warned its citizens to avoid Saudi Arabia. Arla Foods has suffered enormous losses since the Arab boycott, and has called upon the Danish government to apologise. Arla Foods said a boycott of its products in the Middle East was almost total. Its executive director Peder Tuborgh said:

"I urgently beg the government to enter a positive dialogue with the many millions of Muslims who feel they have been offended by Denmark. Freedom of expression is an internal Danish issue but this has a totally different dimension. This is about Denmark having offended millions of Muslims."

But the government said it cannot apologise on behalf of a newspaper, for the reason that in Denmark, independent media cannot be edited by the government and must therefore bear responsibility for its faux pas.

However, Prime Minister, Fogh Rasmussen gave his private opinion: "I personally have such a respect for people's religious belief that I personally never would have depicted Mohammad, Jesus or any other religious character in a way that could offend other people."

Finally, after earlier defiance, Jyllands-Posten has issued an apology to the world's Muslims for the insensitive cartoons of an Islamic Prophet (pbuh).

It could well be a case of too little too late. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has responded to the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) by appointing two UN experts on racism to carry out a detailed investigation into the Danish newspaper's 'disrespect for belief.'

KTemoc has no intention of publishing those offensive caricatures. Warning - Those cartoons are offensive to Muslims but those who are able to view them as nothing more than, in the words of Hamas, some Danish foolhardy idiocy, can see them on Newspaperlink.com.

6 comments:

  1. Well, what can we say huh Brother KTemoc?

    As the year reaches 2006, we see humanbeings still stoop to such irresponsible behaviour in blasphemous behaviour in their crude immoral attempts in desecrating the honour of The Last Messenger of God, whom many learned scholars and champions of peace hold to be the beacon of human leadership and a Leader above all leaders as attested by many in history!

    Stupid, publicity seeking lowlifes under guise of the Freedom of Speech and Expression dishonour the Greatest Messenger of God who came as a Mercy to All Mankind!

    The Denmark and Norwegian countries are just itching for a fight with the Muslims of the world!

    Not all will be just typing out our anger at this intentionally orchestrated insult to the Prophet of Islam!

    The criminals will be getting what they are asking for..soon..in a manner that they understand well.

    None escapes when trying to besmear the Prophet (May Allah bless him)!

    Their retribution will come to them soon. God willing!

    Salman Rushdie lives a life hiding and fearing for his wretched existence today as a result of his slander against the Messenger of God!

    As the saying goes 'You asked for it!'

    Seems like the Danes and the Nordic nincompoops want some of the same!

    Their braincells must have fused together as a result of the Arctic cold ; thus they have descended to this stupidity!

    Hellfire awaits to thaw their numbskulls soon!

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  2. Let’s see, someone publish a cartoon that implied Muslims are terrorists and in retaliation Islamist gunmen seized an EU office and an insurgent group in Iraq called for attacks on Danish and Norwegian targets. Doesn’t that just reinforce people’s belief about Islam and terrorism?

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  3. See the pictures here.

    http://sabbah.biz/mt/archives/2006/01/11/freedom-of-racism/

    http://5352dc4e.cable.casema.nl/altar/index.php?option=com_rwcards&Itemid=56

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  4. Ever heard of Baruch Goldstein? Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baruch_Goldstein

    or ever heard of Meir Kahane? Please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meir_Kahane

    Are they representative of Jews? Of course not!

    I rest my case.

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  5. Well, the French and German newspaper continued this perpetuation of Islamophobia by publishing the cartoons in their newspapers today.

    - MENJ

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  6. We don't see Muslims drawing and publishing cartoons making fun of other faiths, do we?

    That speaks volumes about the integrity of Muslims unlike the socalled 'Champions of Democracy and Freedom of this and that'!

    What can we say? Idiots like those Danish, French and other screwed up airheads will always be around, in any century.

    By their works we will know them.

    Let's just stop doing business with the perpetrators.

    Hit them where it will hurt them most....their pockets.

    Then, they'll know better than to offend others.

    ReplyDelete