Who said what in the cartoon row
by
Sunday 05 February 2006 1:51 PM GMT
The cartoons triggered global protests
The row over the cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad has sparked
protests and comment worldwide. The following are some key quotes on
the controversy:
"The idea seemed good. The intention was to provoke a debate about the
extent to which we self-censor in our coverage of Muslim issues.
Jan Lund, foreign editor with Jylland-Posten, explaining why the Danish
national daily decided to run a series of cartoons depicting Prophet
Muhammad on 30 September last year
"Now it has become more than a case about the drawings:
Now there are forces that wants a confrontation between our
cultures ... It is in no one's interest, neither them or us"
Danish Foreign Minister Per Stig Moeller tells Danish radio that
"enough is enough" as protests against the cartoons become increasingly
violent
The Danish government cannot apologise on behalf of a Danish newspaper.
It does not work like that ... and we have explained that to the Arab
countries. Independent media are not edited by the government."
Danish Prime Minister, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, gives his own take on the
editorial decision.
"What we say to Muslims is that we must not at this time stoop to the
level of those who want to resort to insulting the prophet of Islam as
a terrorist. We should engage in peaceful, responsible protest."
Haji Mustafa, a representative of Muslim group, Hizb-ut-Tahrir, conveys
his dismay at Muslims threatening Westerners with violence during a
demonstration in London.
"There is freedom of speech, we all respect that, but there is not any
obligation to insult or to be gratuitously inflammatory... I believe
that the republication of these cartoons has been unnecessary, it has
been insensitive, it has been disrespectful and it has been wrong."
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw
"Whatever your views on these cartoons, we have a tradition of freedom
of speech in this country which has to be protected. Certainly there
can be no tolerance of incitement to murder."
The shadow UK home secretary David Davis condemns the offensive
placards carried by demonstrators in London.
"We know that moral double standards sometimes guide certain reactions
in the Arab world. If we start to stop using our right to the freedom
of expression within our legal boundaries then we start to develop an
appeasement mentality."
Roger Koppel, editor of German daily Die Welt criticises
Jylland-Posten's decision to apologise for the cartoons.
"This is an insult to the Prophet Muhammad. Furthermore, we have asked
our national companies to boycott all Danish goods."
Jamal Ibrahim, a Sudanese Foreign Ministry spokesman echoes the
sentiments of many countries across the Gulf whose supermarkets stopped
selling Danish goods.
"Overreactions surpassing the limits of peaceful democratic acts ...
are dangerous and detrimental to the efforts to defend the legitimate
case of the Muslim world."
Statement from the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.
"This has nothing to do with Islam at all ... Destabilising security
and vandalism give a wrong image of Islam. Prophet Mohammad cannot be
defended this way."
Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
"We call on all fighters in the resistance to reactive their military
activities and the first target of the upcoming attacks should be
Danish troops."
Militant leaflet handed out in Ramadi, Iraq.
"Silence from the Muslim World has encouraged other European newspapers
to reprint the blasphemous cartoons."
Mohammad Hanif, a Taliban spokesman.
"Two values are in conflict here. One is respect for religion and the
other is freedom of speech."
Peter Vandermeersch, Editor-in-Chief of Belgian newspaper De Standaard,
which reproduced the pictures.
Unspecified
By
You can find this article at:
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D8783146-2647-4243-BFB4-DF9B1B379C37.htm
abianchen@my-deja.com wrote:
> U.S. backs Muslims in European cartoon dispute
>
> By Saul Hudson
>
> WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States backed Muslims on Friday
> against European newspapers that printed caricatures of the Prophet
> Mohammad in a move that could help America's battered image in the
> Islamic world.
>
> Inserting itself into a dispute that has become a lightning rod for
> anti-European sentiment across the Muslim world, the United States
> sided with Muslims outraged that the publications put press freedom
> over respect for religion.
>
> "These cartoons are indeed offensive to the belief of Muslims," State
> Department spokesman Kurtis Cooper said in answer to a question.
>
> "We all fully recognise and respect freedom of the press and
> expression, but it must be coupled with press responsibility. Inciting
> religious or ethnic hatreds in this manner is not acceptable."
>
> The United States, seeking to strike a balance between competing
> rights, stopped short of urging U.S. media not to republish the
> cartoons that include depicting Mohammad as a terrorist.
>
> American Muslims welcomed the position despite some misgivings that
> unpopular U.S. policies such as the Iraq war and perceived pro-Israeli
> stances in the Palestinian conflict meant there was little America
> could do to repair its image.
>
> Cooper said he had no comment as to why the United States chose to pass
> judgement in a dispute that ostensibly does not involve America.
>
> But the United States, which was founded by immigrants fleeing
> religious persecution, has previously spoken out against publications
> offensive to believers of other faiths.
>
> "Anti-Muslim images are as unacceptable as anti-Semitic images, as
> anti-Christian images or any other religious belief," State Department
> spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.
>
> The United States, which before the September 11 attacks was criticised
> for insensitivity to the Islamic culture, has become more attuned to
> Muslim sensibilities.
>
> Accusations last year that U.S. officials desecrated the Koran sparked
> deadly riots in Asia and heightened that awareness.
>
> DIFFERENT RESPONSE IN U.S. AND EUROPE
>
> Major U.S. publications have not republished the cartoons.
>
> In contrast, some European media responded to the criticism against the
> Danish newspaper that originally printed the caricatures by reproducing
> the images and fuelled anger that has led to boycotts of Danish
> products and widespread protests.
>
> The U.S. response contrasted with European governments, which have
> tended to acknowledge the tension between free speech and respect for
> religion but have generally accepted the newspapers' rights to print
> the cartoons.
>
> Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for the Council on American Islamic
> Relations, applauded the U.S. position.
>
> The State Department reaction "was a strong statement in support of
> Muslims around the world. It's a reflection of the concern felt by
> millions of Muslims and I think it will be appreciated," he said.
>
> James Zogby, president of the Arab American Institute, said the United
> States avoided drawing the ire of Muslims in this dispute, but it would
> take an overhaul of its policies to begin to improve its image.
>
> "It's a sound response on this issue that escapes the fire. But
> repairing the U.S. standing in the Muslim world is already so out of
> reach that this move can't provide any help," he said.
>
> The U.S. criticism of the newspapers also comes after the Pentagon
> complained over a Washington Post cartoon.
>
> The Joint Chiefs of Staff sent an unusual letter to the editor that was
> published on Thursday, denouncing as "reprehensible" and "beyond
> tasteless" a cartoon earlier in the week portraying Defence Secretary
> Donald Rumsfeld as insensitive to U.S. troop casualties.
>
> The cartoon portrayed a soldier who had lost his arms and legs with
> Rumsfeld at his hospital bedside saying, "I'm listing your condition as
> 'battle hardened.'"
>
> (Additional reporting by Caroline Drees)
>
>
> Reuters
>
>
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