Islamophobia: no! Free Speech: Yes
international |
rights, freedoms and repression |
other press 
Sunday February 19, 2006 22:02
by hs
Peter Manson analyses the furore over the Danish cartoon controversy
This whole episode started in what appeared to be a harmless way. Danish author Kåre Bluitgen wanted to write a children’s book on the life of Mohammed, but was unable to find an artist prepared to illustrate it for him (ironically the book has since been published, complete with illustrations, although the artist insisted on anonymity). The editors of Jyllands-Posten claim they decided to test out this unwillingness to depict the prophet by asking 25 cartoonists to send then an image of Mohammed “as they saw him”. Thirteen refused, but the other 12 were all published in the newspaper. There seems little doubt that the exercise was intended as a provocation.