The clash of cultures that occurred in 2005 over a Danish cartoon depicting the Muslim Prophet Muhammad could be about to reignite. The AP reports that a Danish press freedom group is selling copies of the infamous cartoon that sparked outrage across the Muslim world.
Around 1,000 autographed reproductions of one cartoon drawn by Danish artist Kurt Westergaard are on sale for DKK 1,400 (USD 250) each. Lars Hedegaard, the chairman of the Danish Free Press Society, told the AP: “All we are doing is starting a debate. We are using our freedom of speech. We have not, and are not, breaking any laws.”
Twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet were published in the Jyllands-Posten newspaper in 2005. The publications triggered widespread protests from Indonesia to Morocco, and several Muslim nations boycotted Danish products altogether. Westergaard, the creator of one of the cartoons, has been under police protection since Danish police uncovered a plot to murder him last year.
During the drawn-out incident, then Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen kept a long distance from the cartoons but refused to apologise, citing freedom of speech. Now that he is NATO’s new secretary-general, this latest move by the Danish Free Press may spark another round of Muslim fury in a new arena.
[…] Controversial Danish cartoon prints go on sale […]
It is stupid and immature for anyone to try to hurt the sentiments of anyone else, especially where matters of belief are the subject matter. It is equally stupid and immature to react violently to such behaviour.
Kurt Westergaard is a talentless hack whose only claim to fame is these contraversial drawings. He is basically Denmark’s poster boy for demonstrating freedom of speech without responsiblity. Too bad he is able to generate all of this negative attention, which he apparently loves.
It was insensitive on part of the Danish paper to have published the cartoon.Now it is unwise on part of Muslims not to allow the controversey to die.
Well, The danish folk party (Dansk Folkeparti) is on his side, and since the government has to rely on them, the answer is: it wont be necessary for him to donate anything.
I wonder if Kurt Westergaard will donate some of his $250,000 income from this towards the increased police protection that he’ll need…