Muhammad cartoon row intensifies

[om3ga]

Newspapers across Europe have reprinted caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad to show support for a Danish paper whose cartoons have sparked Muslim outrage.
Seven publications in France, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Spain all carried some of the drawings.

Their publication in Denmark led Arab nations to protest.

The owner of one of the papers to reprint - France Soir - has now sacked its managing editor over the matter.

Islam forbids portrayals of Muhammad because they are considered idolatrous. One of the offending drawings shows Muhammad's turban as bomb with a lit fuse. In another he turns suicide bombers away from heaven because "We have run out of virgins". The 12 cartoons were the result of a competition, asking Danish cartoonists to draw Muhammad as they imagined him.

After gunmen threatened to kill Danes travelling through the Middle East because of the cartoons, Carsten Juste, the editor of Jyllands-Posten, issued a statement through a Jordanian news agency to try and dampen the controversy but he refused to apologise unreservedly.

"The drawings are not against the law but have indisputably insulted many Muslims, for which we shall apologise," the statement said.

Jyllands-Posten was also included on an al-Qaeda website listing possible terrorist targets. An organisation which calls itself “The Glorious Brigades in Northern Europe” is circulating pictures on the internet which show bombs exploding over pictures of the newspaper and blood flowing over the national flag of Denmark. “The Mujahedeen have numerous targets in Denmark – very soon you all will regret this,” the website says.

Meanwhile in Brussels a young Muslim immigrant published a poster depicting the Virgin Mary with naked breasts.

Though the picture has drawn some protest from Catholics (though not from Western embassies, nor from the bishops), this artist need not fear being murdered in the street. On the contrary, he is being subsidised by the Ministry for Culture.

Full story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4670370.stm
http://www.brusselsjournal.com/node/382

 

[jod0565]

That is not a Virgin Mary picture in my mind, so, I'm not offended at that one, it's just a picture.
The others are just drawings to me, so again I take no offense at them, but those terrorists need any little reason to show their dumb ass beliefs - by that I mean killing.

 

[om3ga]

That is not a Virgin Mary picture in my mind, so, I'm not offended at that one, it's just a picture.
The others are just drawings to me, so again I take no offense at them, but those terrorists need any little reason to show their dumb ass beliefs - by that I mean killing.

Update:
Hundreds demonstrated in Pakistan on Thursday, chanting "Death to Denmark" and burning Danish and French flags.

But one Jordanian paper has reprinted the cartoons, with an editorial urging Muslims worldwide to "be reasonable".

Palestinian gunmen briefly surrounded EU offices in Gaza to demand an apology over the cartoons

My only quibble with this item is that the paper should have known that in the current climate, these cartoons would not have been well received by some Muslims. But as the paper's editor stated:
"The drawings are not against the law"

[edit] at this rate Monty Python's Life Of Brian would never have seen the light of day and John Lennon if still alive, would be in hiding for his comments about the popularity of the Beatles.

As for those Palestinian gunmen - I take it they are aware that The same EU they are threatening currently funds Palestine approx £300 million.

 

[Yourself]

there were 12 pictures does anyone know where i can look at them?

 

[om3ga]

there were 12 pictures does anyone know where i can look at them?

Use Google (that's where I found the cartoon printed on my first post)

 

[spiceworld]

Those guys have no sense of humor whatsoever...

 

[BigSwede]

I hope that there are no muslims on this board who saw that pic in the first post...

 

[FreeOnes]

damn , now I probably get suicide bombed soon :ak47: :uohs:

 

[Yourself]

Yeah maybe lol :nanner:

 

[Caleb14]

Meanwhile in Brussels a young Muslim immigrant published a poster depicting the Virgin Mary with naked breasts

That is so damn juvenile. Its not even offensive.

Hundreds demonstrated in Pakistan on Thursday, chanting "Death to Denmark" and burning Danish and French flags.

I thought Islam was religion of peace.

 

[BNF]

Update - 8 minutes old:
NABLUS, West Bank (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen seized and later released a German on Thursday after militants threatened violence and demanded an apology for caricatures of the Prophet Mohammad that appeared in European newspapers.

The rare kidnapping in the occupied West Bank took Muslim anger to a new level in a controversy over balancing Western freedom of the press with religious sensibilities.

In the Gaza Strip, where tensions are also high, a hand grenade was thrown into the compound of the French Cultural Center. No one was hurt in the night-time incident, security officials said.

Palestinian security officials said gunmen from a militant faction in President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction seized Christoph Kasten, 21, from a hotel coffee shop in the city of Nablus and took him to an empty field before releasing him.

There was no immediate word from the kidnappers on their motives, but the security officials said the militants were showing their anger at publication of the cartoons in Denmark, Norway, France, Germany and Spain.

Islamic tradition prohibits realistic depictions of prophets, and considers caricatures of them blasphemous.

"Yes, I am OK," Kasten, an English teacher, told reporters in the offices of the Preventive Security agency in Nablus. "Two Palestinian gunmen asked me to go with them. I didn't know where. They did not make any demands. After a while, they put me in a taxi and told me the taxi would take me to the police."

Earlier, al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an armed faction in the Fatah movement, threatened in a news conference to kidnap citizens of France, Denmark and Norway if they did not leave Nablus within 72 hours.

GAZA PROTEST

In Gaza, about a dozen armed men surrounded EU offices and demanded an apology for the cartoons, one of which shows the Prophet Mohammad wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.

The militants, from the Islamic Jihad group and an armed Fatah faction known as the Yasser Arafat Brigades, fired in the air and climbed the compound's walls before leaving.

"We will watch the office closely and if European countries continued their assaults against Islam and against the Prophet Mohammad, we will turn this office into ruins," a spokesman for the Yasser Arafat Brigades said, giving a 48-hour deadline.

The Abu el-Reesh Brigades, part of Fatah, said citizens of Norway, Denmark, France and Germany in Gaza "will be in danger" if their governments do not swiftly apologize.

In response to the threats, John Kjaer, the European Commission's representative in the West Bank and Gaza, said "necessary security measures" had been taken. He would not elaborate.

He said European nationals working in the Gaza complex left the coastal strip in recent days but local staff remained. The European Commission is the executive branch of the EU.

Several European journalists have also left Gaza for their own safety.

Ahmed Qurie, who remains Palestinian prime minister until the formation of a new government following Hamas's landslide election victory last week, warned armed groups against threatening the Europeans.

"We cannot accept any group that takes the law into its own hands," said Qurie, who condemned the cartoons. "We hope that the governments (in Europe) are aware of the sensitivity and the sanctity of this subject."

 

[niptuck]

Damnit, although I do believe that religious icons should be left alone simply out of respect for other ppl's beliefs, I find this truly infuriating.

Next time these assholes bitch about the violation of human rights they really should be told to FUCK OFF. Freedom of speech is also one of those rights and if you so anxiously want to enjoy one part of this ensemble, do not refuse the others to enjoy the rest.

 

[cabey]

Damnit, although I do believe that religious icons should be left alone simply out of respect for other ppl's beliefs, I find this truly infuriating.

Next time these assholes bitch about the violation of human rights they really should be told to FUCK OFF. Freedom of speech is also one of those rights and if you so anxiously want to enjoy one part of this ensemble, do not refuse the others to enjoy the rest.

I'm all for live and let live and all that goes with it but I getting a little sick of the Muslim faith i know its the extremists causing all the unrest but what brasses me of is the peaceful muslims who practice there faith the way its supposed to be ie to love mankind and live in peace, its these that do not stand up against there extemist brothers and denounce there actions to the world media.
I know that now and again some cleric will say we don't support these actions but its not enough. They need to sort out there own shop!
I know that your post is written in frustration niptuck and so is mine, its really infuriating that any religion is used as a scapegoat for terrorism.
I'm beginning to believe the world is 99% moronic.
:2 cents:

 

[Imagine]

I thought Islam was religion of peace.

There is no such thing as a peaceful religion. Not as long as it's organized and practiced by humans, at any rate.

 

[9inch]

religion were created ages ago for support the war and it continue today...
there are no reason to apologize for publishing these caricatures, everyone is free to think/express.
we are in 2006, not in the middle age !!!

that's just another proof of how much belief are bullshit

http://www.boursier.com/vals/all/feed.asp?id=9252
some guys has already loss their works because of this.... wtf :crash:

 

[Red Spyder]

I'm all for live and let live and all that goes with it but I getting a little sick of the Muslim faith i know its the extremists causing all the unrest but what brasses me of is the peaceful muslims who practice there faith the way its supposed to be ie to love mankind and live in peace, its these that do not stand up against there extemist brothers and denounce there actions to the world media.
I know that now and again some cleric will say we don't support these actions but its not enough. They need to sort out there own shop!
I know that your post is written in frustration niptuck and so is mine, its really infuriating that any religion is used as a scapegoat for terrorism.
I'm beginning to believe the world is 99% moronic.
:2 cents:

Well, said, I believe that the Muslim world needs their own version of Martin Luther, someone who will be brave enough to call into question the motives of all those religious leaders behind the calls for Jihad.

 

[jumbo_jim]

I can understand why they are pissed of about this but every religion has had there leader drawn in a less than flattering caracature version. It is not meant to be taking literally.

 

[Imagine]

It was unnecessary to publish the pictures out of spite. Most of them were not even that funny and made some rather unfair assumptions. Still, this reaction is ridiculous. All I'll say is that if you step all over the values of others (as the western and Muslim societies have for ages), don't be surprised when they step over yours. I don't know which side started it, quite frankly I don't care, but claiming moral highground and getting all hot and bothered with righteous indignation over a couple of pictures seems a bit silly at this point.

Slaughtering infidels all day long is just dandy, but God forbid someone publish a poorly drawn picture. I would've thought thousands of lives was more important than some stupid pictures. Shows what I know, eh?

 

[om3ga]

I'd like to know why did the Danish newspaper (Jyllands-Posten) originally printed the cartoons in the first place (wayy back on 30 September last year)?

However that question is being buried in all the breast-beating about insulting Muhammad & freedom of speech.

Both sides (Muslims & the West) are being ignorant of each other's traditions (imo).

 

[Gordar]

I'm all for live and let live and all that goes with it but I getting a little sick of the Muslim faith i know its the extremists causing all the unrest but what brasses me of is the peaceful muslims who practice there faith the way its supposed to be ie to love mankind and live in peace, its these that do not stand up against there extemist brothers and denounce there actions to the world media.
I know that now and again some cleric will say we don't support these actions but its not enough. They need to sort out there own shop!
I know that your post is written in frustration niptuck and so is mine, its really infuriating that any religion is used as a scapegoat for terrorism.
I'm beginning to believe the world is 99% moronic.

Jordan did...

Well, said, I believe that the Muslim world needs their own version of Martin Luther, someone who will be brave enough to call into question the motives of all those religious leaders behind the calls for Jihad.

Luther, Calvin and Henry VIII only survived because of a new way of thinking in Europe, mostly caused by 'new' ideas from the fallen Constantinople (AKA the renaissance and later the age of enlightenment). Although I totally agree that the Islam needs it's own renaissance and age of enlightenment, I doubt it's going to happen soon (and that's too bad, cause they're (muslims) not becoming very popular in the rest of the world).