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Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt has spoken out about the need for Sweden to stand up for press freedoms following the controversy surrounding the publication by a local newspaper of drawings of the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Asked whether Sweden risked being drawn into a similar situation as that faced by Denmark two years ago, Reinfeldt replied: "I think it's important to say two things. First, we are eager to ensure that Sweden remains a country in which Muslims and Christians, people who believe in God and people who don't believe in God, can live side by side in a spirit of...

Pakistan has added its voice to that of Iran in condemning the publication of a cartoon of the Prophet Muhammad in newspaper Nerikes Allehanda. Sweden has told Pakistan it is sorry if the publication hurt Muslim feelings. The protest concerned a cartoon by artist Lars Vilks, which showed the head of Muhammad on the body of a dog. In a statement, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad said Pakistan condemned the publication "in the strongest terms." Related Articles Paper defends Muhammad dog cartoon 28th August 2007 Ahmadinejad claims 'Zionists' behind Swedish cartoon 28th August 2007 Iran protests over Swedish...

Sweden risks crisis over Prophet picture By David Ibison in Stockholm Published: August 29 2007 23:11 | Last updated: August 29 2007 23:11 What began as a harmless artistic experiment in Sweden is at risk of erupting into a repeat of last year’s crisis in Denmark that followed the publication of allegedly insulting cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. The growing dispute in Sweden is linked to rondellhund – roundabout dogs – which are amateur and usually humorous sculptures of dogs placed covertly on roundabouts around the country as a form of counter-cultural expression.   When Lars Wilks, a Swedish...

The Swedish Foreign Ministry has played down the row surrounding a Swedish newspaper’s recent publication of a picture depicting the Prophet Mohammed as a dog. A spokeswoman for Foreign Mininster Carl Bildt told the newspaper ”Dagens Nyheter” that the Swedish government does not get involved in what newspapers write. The Foreign Ministry says it now considers the incident closed. The drawing, by Swedish artist Lars Vilks, appeared in a local newspaper in the city of Örebro, on August 19. Vilks originally produced three drawings depicting Mohammed as a roundabout, or traffic circle, dog. Iran lodged an official complaint with Sweden...

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has said that "Zionists" were behind a cartoon in Swedish newspaper Nerikes Allehanda, which depicted the head of the Prophet Mohammed on a dog's body. The drawing sparked an official protest by Tehran to Stockholm. "They do not want the Swedish government to be a friend of other nations. I strongly believe they are behind it (the cartoon). They thrive on conflict and war," he said.

Leading figures in Sweden's media industry have backed newspaper Nerikes Allehanda, which has been criticised by Iran for publishing a cartoon depicting the Prophet Muhammad as a dog. The paper itself has meanwhile defended its decision to publish.