A series of 12 caricatures of Muhammad appeared on the pages of the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten back in September of last year. One of the drawings depicts the Muslim prophet in a turban shaped like a bomb with a lit fuse. In another caricature, Muhammad, standing in the clouds, tells suicide bombers that the virgins who are supposed to meet martyrs after death have run out in paradise. Another caricature depicts the prophet as a nomad with a knife, surrounded by two women shrouded in black robes.
The publication in Jyllands-Posten went unnoticed in most countries of the world, causing only weak protests from the Muslim population of Denmark. Diplomats from Arab countries demanded explanations from Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, but he reasonably noted that the government does not control the free press. Passions began to heat up only after the drawings spread on the Internet and on January 10 appeared on the pages of one of the Norwegian newspapers. At the end of January, Saudi Arabia recalled its ambassador from Copenhagen, and Libya closed its diplomatic mission in Denmark. In the Middle East, a boycott of Danish goods began, mass anti-Western demonstrations took place in Arab countries, and journalists faced threats from angry Muslims.
The press reaction was not long in coming. The caricatures were reprinted by newspapers in a number of European countries, including Germany, France, Spain, and Holland. Reports on the caricatures were broadcast on BBC and some other television channels. The only incident that did not fit into the picture of universal journalistic solidarity was the case of the French newspaper France Soir. Its owner, Egyptian-born Raymond Lakah, fired the executive editor Jacques Lefranc and apologized for the publication of the caricatures. However, soon after, the newspaper published on its front page a photograph of a bearded Muslim burning the Danish flag. In the caption under the photo, journalists addressed France's most famous 'atheist': 'Voltaire, help! They have gone mad.'
The initiative of European journalists was supported by the Jordanian newspaper Al-Shihan. It reprinted three drawings, accompanying them with the following comment: "Muslims of the whole world, be reasonable! What causes greater harm to Islam - these caricatures or photographs of kidnappers who cut the throats of their victims in front of cameras, and a suicide bomber who blows himself up at a wedding in Amman?"
The publication in Al-Shihan was followed by swift sanctions. The publisher of the newspaper fired the editor-in-chief and ordered the entire print run of the issue with the caricatures to be withdrawn. A representative of the Jordanian government demanded an apology from the newspaper and threatened to punish the journalists. The authorities of European countries, for their part, made it clear that no punitive measures would follow. France's Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy, on the contrary, supported the fired editor of France Soir. Sarkozy called for respect for freedom of speech, stating that "he prefers an excess of caricatures rather than an excess of censorship."
The position of European countries is on the whole fully reflected by the Danish government. It tried to smooth over the conflict by expressing regret that the caricatures had offended the religious feelings of Muhammad's followers. At the same time, Rasmussen emphasized the "fundamental importance of freedom of expression, which is a vital and inseparable part of a democratic society." The editor-in-chief of Jyllands-Posten offered his apologies, but the caricatures from his newspaper continue to appear on the pages of European publications.
Radical Islamic leader Mullah Krekar, who was granted asylum in Norway almost 15 years ago, called the publication of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad a declaration of war. His ideological supporters did not fail to move from words to deeds. In Jakarta, about 300 militants from the Indonesian group Islamic Defenders Front, shouting "Allahu akbar," broke into the building housing the Danish embassy. The militants trashed the lobby and pelted the emblem of the Danish embassy with tomatoes and rotten eggs. Security guards prevented them from breaking through to the 25th floor, where the embassy is located. In the Gaza Strip, militants of the Islamic Jihad group and the Fatah movement besieged the EU headquarters and promised to turn the building into ruins if European countries did not apologize within two days for the publication of the caricatures. In Nablus, Palestinians briefly took a German citizen hostage.
In Russia, outrage over the publication of the caricatures was expressed by the acting prime minister of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, and the head of the Council of Muftis, Ravil Gainutdin. The former called the drawings offensive to Muslims, stating: "If we do not stop the artificial escalation of confrontation along religious lines at the very beginning, these processes will grow like a cancerous tumor and could have catastrophic consequences for the world community." Gainutdin saw behind the publication of the caricatures "ideologists of inciting a war between civilizations." According to the head of the Council of Muftis, the Islamic world has never allowed itself such provocations. "Muslims treat representatives of all faiths with respect, recognize all holy scriptures and the holy prophets of Judaism and Christianity," he said.
The conflict over the publication of the caricatures has become an additional argument for those who speak of the failure of attempts to build a multicultural society in Europe. This concept received a severe blow at the end of last year, when mass riots broke out in the Paris suburbs involving people of North African origin. Threats of violence against journalists stand in the same row as the murder of Dutch film director Theo van Gogh, who made a documentary about the fate of women in traditional Islamic societies. The new conflict has so far been without casualties, but its participants are behaving more and more ferociously.
Dmitry TOMILOV.
Lenta.ru