Posted on 02/02/2006 6:08:23 PM PST by West Coast Conservative
European leaders tried to contain the controversy over newspaper cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed on Thursday, as the international dispute escalated into a consumer boycott and risked the gravest cultural clash with the Muslim world since the Salman Rushdie affair.
Publication of the cartoons in Spain, Italy, France, Germany and the Netherlands triggered condemnation in the Muslim and Arab world, where consumers turned their anger on Danish companies.
Arla, the dairy company based in Denmark, where the cartoons were first published, admitted on Thursday its sales in some Middle East countries had fallen to zero. Carrefour, the French retailer, said it had removed Danish products from shelves in its Middle East operations.
Other Danish companies targeted in the boycott include Lego, the toymaker, and Novo Nordisk, the pharmaceuticals company.
As popular protests spread, the leaders of Egypt and Afghanistan warned the cartoons had offended millions of Muslims and could be exploited by terrorists in their war against the west.
“Any insult to the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him) is an insult to more than 1bn Muslims and an act like this must never be allowed to be repeated,” said Hamid Karzai, Afghan president, strong western ally and moderate Muslim leader.
Gunmen in Gaza surrounded the local European Union office and threatened to kidnap citizens of countries where newspapers had published the cartoons.
In an effort to calm Muslim anger, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the Danish prime minister, was set to appear last night on the al-Arabiya satellite news channel to explain his government’s position. He also called a meeting of all foreign ambassadors in Copenhagen for today as the debate in Europe polarised defenders of press freedom and religious groups.
Ursula Plassnik, foreign minister of Austria, which holds the rotating EU presidency, said she understood the offence Muslims felt, adding that EU leaders needed to “clearly condemn” acts that insult religion.
Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary-general, said he believed “freedom of the press should always be exercised in a way that fully respects the religious beliefs and tenets of all religions”.
The dispute began on September 30, when Jyllands-Posten, Denmark’s biggest newspaper, published 12 cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, a move considered blasphemous in Islam. One of the cartoons showed the Prophet with a bomb under his turban. The Danish newspaper later apologised but the row escalated this week after several European newspapers reprinted the cartoons to assert the right to free speech.
The BBC on Thursday used footage of newspapers carrying the cartoons in its 1pm television news bulletin and on BBC News 24, the rolling news channel, and ITV News said it would show similar footage “in the context of it being a news story”.
Most daily UK newspapers decided not to reproduce the cartoons on Thursday. One cartoon appeared on The Spectator’s website but was quickly taken down.
The French government criticised France Soir, the first French newspaper to reprint the images. In Germany, religious and minority representatives sought to calm after Die Welt, the conservative daily, reprinted the cartoons on Wednesday.
However he added, Calling for the annihilation of Jews, calling America Satan and Blowing up statues of Buddha in my own land are OK
Aw shucks ya dopes, just put some sand on it.
Throughout time there never has been an issue about depictions.
But now in our PC times, it is a matter of whining and victim-hood for all to cave in.
Can Porky Pig cartoons be next?
The link in the Malkin page to historical images of Muchmed is really fascinating.
Apparently some of the Euros are getting fed up with all of the Muzzie intimidation and bullying, and are going out of their way to "offend" them even more...
Perhaps as a way to express their collective "appreciation" for how the Middle Eastern immigrants have been treating their hosts lately.
What the Islammonazis do about it could be interesting.
They are certainly not known for their sense of humor, are they?
I think that is the world's largest manufacturer of halal innsulin.
That means now that Moslem diabetics will have to inject pork insulin. Or just die.
Don't forget the pork had to be underage.
Full article on my blog: Smithism.com
There is one solution to the problem--especially the last item on the list:
ONE INBOUND!!!
Here are some more cartoons:
http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/ArabCartoons.htm
Can Porky Pig cartoons be next?
The fruits of tolerance, multiculturalism and diversity -
Making a pig's ear of defending democracy - By Mark Steyn
They will probably riot over this Popeye cartoon as well, since he beats the evil Arabs.
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