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Freedom of Speech under attack

Yuri | 31.01.2006 13:22

Denmark and Norway are under attack from the Moslem world because of a series of anti-Mohammed cartoons. Palestinian terrorists threatened physical attack unless they apologize.

Muslim interests around the world have been in an uproar against a series of anti-Mohammed cartoons that appeared in Danish and Norwegian newspapers. In Iraq, Muslim forces finally made good on their threats today, detonating a bomb against a joint Danish-Iraqi military patrol. No one was reported hurt.

In Gaza City as well, five terrorists stormed the European Union headquarters this morning, closing the office down in protest of the cartoon series. At the same time, ten terrorists armed with assault rifles and grenade launchers stood outside, firing into the air and warning Danes and Norwegians not to visit Gaza until their governments apologize.

"We warn the citizens of the above-mentioned governments against not taking this warning seriously," one of the gunmen read from a statement, "because our groups are ready to implement it across the Gaza Strip."

The 12 controversial drawings were originally published last September in the independent Jyllands-Posten newspaper, and afterwards in a Norwegian paper. They included one of Mohammed waving off suicide bombers on their way to heaven, saying, "Stop! We have run out of virgins!" Another one portrays Mohammed wearing a turban shaped as a bomb with a burning fuse.

The Danish Prime Minister, Anders Rasmussen, has refused to apologize, defending his country's freedom of press and even refusing to meet with a delegation of eleven ambassadors from Moslem countries who demanded a meeting to discuss the perceived offense.

Saudi Arabia has enacted a boycott of Danish goods, and calls for the same have been heard in Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Bahrain, Syria and Yemen.

Libya announced Sunday the closure of its embassy in Denmark to protest the caricatures of Islam's prophet. A Libyan Foreign Ministry statement said other measures would be taken, but did not elaborate.

Several Kuwaiti MPs have called on Danish and European institutions to take legal action against the cartoonist and the Danish newspaper that originally published his caricatures.

PA Arabs in Samaria burnt and trampled the Danish flag yesterday [pictured above], in solidarity with the protest.

One Arab leader expressed a different point of view. Following the Danish prime minister's refusal to apologize, Afghani president Hamid Karzai, who was visiting Denmark, said he was satisfied with the newspaper's explanation and the Danish government's view. "Prime Minister Rasmussen explained Denmark's position on [the drawings], which was very satisfactory to me as a Moslem," Karzai said.

A recent poll conducted in Copenhagen found that the Danes refuse to give in to the Moslem pressure. The Epinion Research Institute in Denmark reported that 79% of respondents feel that Danish Prime Minister Rasmussen should not apologize on Denmark’s behalf, while only 18% said he should.

Yuri

Comments

Display the following 11 comments

  1. Sounds funny — art
  2. Illegal in the UK — free
  3. found 1!! — jp
  4. an irishman speaks — Ciaran MhicCoffaigh
  5. Link, Please — Source?
  6. Here they are — Rob
  7. Support the boycott — Danny
  8. Different strokes — Coffee cup
  9. see the context — type
  10. Oppose legocracy — Danny
  11. cartoons — nuta