Protests against "blasphemous" cartoons mounts in Islamic nations
Humorous cartoons published by a Danish newspaper are provoking widespread street protests, the closure of embassies and the boycott of supermarkets. The Arab League and Organisations from the Islamic Conference announced their intention to seek a UN resolution which bans attacks on religious faiths.
Beirut (AsiaNews) Saudi Arabia has recalled its ambassador in Copenhagen, Libya has close its diplomatic offices, in Iraq people blame them for recent bomb attacks against churches there, in Gaza demonstrations were held in front of EU offices, with shots fired in the air; the strong backlash from the Islamic world to a series of cartoons depicting Mohammad, published in a Danish newspaper, unimaginable to most western minds. Burnt flags, political condemnation, and appeals for a boycott are involving even traditionally moderate Islamic nations, like Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The Arab League and Organizations from the Islamic who announced their intention to appeal to the United Nations for a resolution blocking all forms of attacks against religious faiths.
At the root of the problem a dozen of ironic cartoon strips on Mohammad, published in September by Jyllands-Posten. One for example, depicts the prophet wearing a turban form bomb, another shows him telling smoking kamikazes on their arrival among the clouds that "there are no virgins left", an ironic take on the prize that await martyrs in heaven.
Of course in the Islamic world no one has actually seen these cartoons, but accusations launched against the daily by the media and politicians have catalyzed a growing reaction, which has spread to include Norway, given that an Oslo daily has labelled the strip as "blasphemous".
The Danish government, appealing to laws which guard the freedom of speech, has refused to condemn the publication, but yesterday prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen personally against "representations of Mohammad, Jesus or any other religious figures in a way that can be construed as offensive" for believers. The chief editor of the paper, Carsten Juste, has written a letter of apology to the Jordanian agency Petra. Meanwhile Copenhagen'S foreign ministry has invited its citizens "to take great care" if they visit countries such as Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Algeria or Pakistan. But the wave of protest continues. "It's cultural terrorism, not freedom of expression" intoned Mohammad al-Dhaheri, Minister for Justice and Islamic affairs of the United Arab Emirates. In Iraq, the maximum Shiite authority, Grand Ayatollah Al Sistani, asked Copenhagen to impose "measures" against the authors of the offence, while the secretary of the Arab League, Amr Moussa has accused the European press of using "two countries and two measures" with respect to their treatment of Islam and Judaism, speaking of a possible "prejudice in relations between Islamic and European States". Kuwait's foreign ministry has forbidden the Danish ambassador to take part in a special parliamentary session.
A threat of a greater nature is that issued by Fatah groups who have invited Danish and Norwegian citizens to immediately leave their territory, others from Hamas inviting Muslim nations to use "dissuasive measures" against the stupid behaviour of the Danes".
And there is also the economic boycott. The president of the Kuwaiti traders union says the episode will have "grave consequences" on trade between the nations. In Saudi Arabia, the Danish dairy group Arla Foods, was encouraged to temporarily close its branch, while numerous shopping chains say they will boycott Danish products. In Dubai products from the two countries have lost over 500 thousand euros in just a few days. Yesterday in Egypt the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood Mehdi Akef appealed to "Arab and Muslims and their governments to boycott all Danish and Norwegian products and to take firm measures".
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01/06/2018 10:34
