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Anger sweeps at least 12 countries Furor over cartoons continues despite apology, pleas Seattle paper reprints caricatures
KEVIN SULLIVAN; The Associated Press The Washington Post Demonstrators marched in at least 12 countries – Kenya, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt, Israel and Jordan – as the global wave of protests, spurred by reprintings of a Danish newspaper’s publication of cartoons depicting Islam’s holiest figure, headed toward a second consecutive weekend. The protesters defied calls for calm from several prominent Muslim leaders and organizations as well as a statement of regret for causing offense from Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and an apology by editors of the newspaper that published the cartoons. “The government has done what can be done,” Rasmussen said in an interview Thursday. “Neither the government nor the Danish people can be held responsible for what is published in an independent newspaper. And neither the government nor the Danish people have any intention whatsoever to insult Muslims or any other religious community.” In Kenya, police shot and wounded at least one protester Friday as they tried to protect the Danish ambassador’s residence. Thousands of demonstrators shouting “Kill Danes! Down with Denmark!” marched following Friday prayers. Riot police fired on a group of at least 200 people who then tried to reach the home of the Danish envoy, Bo Jensen. The violence came despite a plea from Iranian Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami. “I am calling on all religious men not to attack the embassies of the foreigners,” Khatami told worshippers in Tehran in live comments on state radio. “Chanting slogans, staging protests and condemning such measures are holy … but I feel that they want their embassies to be set on fire so they can say that they are innocent. Take this excuse away from them.”
The Stranger, an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, is publishing the cartoons that have sparked chaos overseas by outraged Muslims who consider them blasphemy. The goal is to let readers make up their own minds about the drawings, which have stirred violent demonstrations in the Islamic world months after their publication in Denmark’s Jyllands-Posten. “One man’s blasphemy doesn’t override other people’s free-speech rights, their freedom to publish, freedom of thought,” said Stranger editor Dan Savage. The decision frustrates some Muslims in the region, who consider the cartoons hurtful and offensive. Many U.S. publications have opted not to print the cartoons for that reason, but they’ve been republished in other countries. The Seattle Times, which reported Friday on The Stranger’s decision, has not published the cartoons. It provides a link to a reproduction of the Jyllands-Posten page on its Web site. A similar approach is being used by the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Jamal Rahman, a Muslim and minister with Interfaith Community Church in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood, said The Stranger’s decision to republish the cartoons is an “unnecessary provocation.” The cartoons were first printed in September in Jyllands-Posten. The editor challenged cartoonists to draw the Prophet Muhammad, saying he thought they were self-censoring due to fear of Islamic radicals. One of the drawings shows a bomb wrapped up in Muhammad’s turban. Another shows the prophet wielding a dagger in front of women in burqas. Islam prohibits depictions of the prophet due to concerns about idolatry and showing disrespect. “I’m appalled by the cartoons,” said Jawad Khaki, a Seattle-area software company executive. “Not just as a Muslim but as a human being because I normally wouldn’t do something to offend a large portion of the population in any way.” But many Muslims also are horrified by the violent clashes overseas. “If it’s the image of Islam they’re trying to protect, they’re doing exactly the opposite,” said real estate agent Jeff Siddiqui. The Stranger published four of the cartoons in Thursday’s issue with an article by Bruce Bawer, author of “While Europe Slept: How Radical Islam Is Destroying the West From Within” and “Stealing Jesus: How Fundamentalism Betrays Christianity.” “No Molotov cocktails but the calls have been interesting,” newspaper receptionist Mike Nipper said Friday. “The article we’re running is about how stupid it is to throw violent temper tantrums against freedom of speech,” said Stranger news editor Josh Feit. “We thought it would’ve been stupid for us to do an article condemning those temper tantrums and not run the pictures themselves.” Originally published: February 11th, 2006 02:30 AM (PST) |
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