Danish newspapers today reprinted a cartoon of the prophet Muhammad, a day after three people were arrested for allegedly plotting to kill the man who drew it.When the image was originally printed by the Jyllands-Posten newspaper as part of a series of 12 in 2005, it sparked global protests and violent demonstrations in Muslim countries. The newspaper reprinted the cartoon today, saying it wanted to show its commitment to freedom of speech after yesterday's arrests.
Several other newspapers, including Politiken, Berlingske Tidende and the Ekstra Bladet tabloid also decided to run the picture, which shows the prophet wearing a turban shaped like a bomb. At least three newspapers in Sweden, Holland and Spain also reprinted the cartoon as part of their reporting of the Danish arrests.
"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," Berlingske Tidende, based in Copenhagen, said.
An editorial in Politiken said the paper was printing the cartoon in support of Jyllands-Posten. "Regardless of whether Jyllands-Posten at the time used freedom of speech unwisely and with damaging consequences, the paper deserves unconditional solidarity when it is threatened with terror," the editorial said.
A spokesman for the Danish foreign ministry said its embassies worldwide were monitoring the situation for any indications of unrest related to the reprinting of the cartoon.
Danish Muslim leaders said reprinting the caricature was the wrong way to protest, while the leader of the Islamic Faith Community - the group that led demonstrations in Copenhagen in 2006 - said it was considering a rally outside parliament.
Danish intelligence services said they had arrested three suspects yesterday "to prevent a terror-related assassination of one of the cartoonists". The three - a Dane of Moroccan origin and two Tunisians - were detained after a pre-dawn raid near Aarhus, in the west of the country. The raid followed a prolonged surveillance operation by intelligence services.
Officials said the Danish citizen, aged 40, was released yesterday after questioning, while the two Tunisians will be deported as a security threat.
The suspects' intended target was alleged to be Kurt Westergaard, a 73-year-old illustrator with Jyllands-Posten. His drawing of Muhammad wearing the bomb-shaped turban was regarded as the most offensive by Muslims. Westergaard and the cartoonists who drew other images in the series are said to have been under police protection for several months.
Islamic law opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favourable, for fear it could lead to idolatry.
| Which sort of tells you where the problem lies. |
