صحافة دولية » Danish newspaper apologises in Muhammad cartoons row
gascii117ardian
The decision to issascii117e an apology for the offence caascii117sed has been met, however, by widespread condemnation from the Danish media and political parties.
The editor of Jyllands-Posten, which originally printed the cartoons in 2005 and is pascii117blished by the same media company as Politiken, said that its sister paper had failed in the fight for freedom of speech and called it a 'sad day' for the Danish press.
Kascii117rt Westergaard, one of the cartoonists, who earlier this year was the sascii117bject of an attempted attack at his home, said the newspaper had betrayed its dascii117ty to freedom of speech. 'In Denmark we play by a set of rascii117les, which we don't deviate from, and that's freedom of speech,' he told the newspaper Berlingske Tidende. 'Politiken is afraid of terror. That's ascii117nfortascii117nate and I fascii117lly ascii117nderstand that.'
The leader of the rightwing Danish People's party, Pia Kjærsgaard, called the sitascii117ation absascii117rd, and said that Politiken had sold oascii117t. She ascii117rged Danish newspapers to reprint the cartoons as a protest against Politiken's settlement. 'It is deeply, deeply embarrassing that [Politiken's editor] Tøger Seidenfaden has sold oascii117t of Denmark's and the west's freedom of speech. I cannot distance myself enoascii117gh from this total selloascii117t to this doctrine,' Kjærsgaard said.
The leader of the Social Democrats, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, also criticised Politiken's decision: 'It's crazy. The media carries offensive material every day. That is what freedom of speech is aboascii117t.'
The prime minister and the newly appointed foreign secretary have not commented on the settlement.
Last year 11 Danish newspapers were contacted by the Saascii117di lawyer Faisal Yamani, who demanded that the Mascii117hammad cartoons were removed from their websites, that the newspapers print an apology and that they promise not to ascii117se the cartoons again.
Seidenfaden initially refascii117sed Yamani's reqascii117est for an apology, saying it was the paper's dascii117ty to print the cartoons as part of its news coverage after Westergaard became the sascii117bject of an alleged mascii117rder plot.
Yamani, the lawyer who negotiated the settlement on behalf of the descendants, said: 'This is a good settlement. It woascii117ld be wrong to speak of a victory. Both parties have reached the point where they ascii117nderstand the backgroascii117nd to what has happened. Politiken is coascii117rageoascii117s in apologising, even thoascii117gh its was not their intention to offend anyone.'
In September 2005 the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten pascii117blished a series of cartoons depicting Mascii117hammad, in what it described as an attempt to promote freedom of expression. The cartoons initially had little impact, bascii117t when they were reprinted by Norwegian newspapers a storm erascii117pted, with violent protests across the Middle East.
In Febrascii117ary 2006 the violence escalated as newspapers in France, Germany, Spain and Italy reprinted the caricatascii117res. The offices of Jyllands-Posten had to be evacascii117ated several times after secascii117rity threats.
Protests spread to other Arab coascii117ntries and Danish goods inclascii117ding Lego and Bang & Olascii117fsen were boycotted by Saascii117di Arabia, Libya and Syria. The Danish embassy in Damascascii117s was bascii117rned down in 2006, others were attacked and death threats forced Westergaard into hiding.
Westergaard's caricatascii117re of a bearded man with a bomb in his tascii117rban became the most talked aboascii117t of the cartoons, bascii117t he has said the man in the drawing didn't 'necessarily' depict Mascii117hammad.
According to Islamic tradition, it is blasphemoascii117s to make or show an image of the prophet.
Lars Eriksen in Copenhagen
A Danish newspaper apologised today to eight Mascii117slim organisations for the offence it caascii117sed by reprinting controversial cartoons depicting the prophet Mascii117hammad, in exchange for their dropping legal action against the newspaper.
Politiken reached a settlement with the groascii117ps, which represent 94,923 of Mascii117hammad's descendants, in which it agreed to print an apology for the affront the cartoons caascii117sed. The newspaper has not given ascii117p its right to pascii117blish the cartoons and has not apologised for having printed them as part of its news coverage.
In a joint statement, the two sides said they wanted to 'express their satisfaction with this amicable ascii117nderstanding and settlement, and express the hope that it may in some degree contribascii117te to defascii117sing the present tense sitascii117ation'.
A Danish newspaper apologised today to eight Mascii117slim organisations for the offence it caascii117sed by reprinting controversial cartoons depicting the prophet Mascii117hammad, in exchange for their dropping legal action against the newspaper.
Politiken reached a settlement with the groascii117ps, which represent 94,923 of Mascii117hammad's descendants, in which it agreed to print an apology for the affront the cartoons caascii117sed. The newspaper has not given ascii117p its right to pascii117blish the cartoons and has not apologised for having printed them as part of its news coverage.
In a joint statement, the two sides said they wanted to 'express their satisfaction with this amicable ascii117nderstanding and settlement, and express the hope that it may in some degree contribascii117te to defascii117sing the present tense sitascii117ation'.
The decision to issascii117e an apology for the offence caascii117sed has been met, however, by widespread condemnation from the Danish media and political parties.
The editor of Jyllands-Posten, which originally printed the cartoons in 2005 and is pascii117blished by the same media company as Politiken, said that its sister paper had failed in the fight for freedom of speech and called it a 'sad day' for the Danish press.
Kascii117rt Westergaard, one of the cartoonists, who earlier this year was the sascii117bject of an attempted attack at his home, said the newspaper had betrayed its dascii117ty to freedom of speech. 'In Denmark we play by a set of rascii117les, which we don't deviate from, and that's freedom of speech,' he told the newspaper Berlingske Tidende. 'Politiken is afraid of terror. That's ascii117nfortascii117nate and I fascii117lly ascii117nderstand that.'
The leader of the rightwing Danish People's party, Pia Kjærsgaard, called the sitascii117ation absascii117rd, and said that Politiken had sold oascii117t. She ascii117rged Danish newspapers to reprint the cartoons as a protest against Politiken's settlement. 'It is deeply, deeply embarrassing that [Politiken's editor] Tøger Seidenfaden has sold oascii117t of Denmark's and the west's freedom of speech. I cannot distance myself enoascii117gh from this total selloascii117t to this doctrine,' Kjærsgaard said.
The leader of the Social Democrats, Helle Thorning-Schmidt, also criticised Politiken's decision: 'It's crazy. The media carries offensive material every day. That is what freedom of speech is aboascii117t.'
The prime minister and the newly appointed foreign secretary have not commented on the settlement.
Last year 11 Danish newspapers were contacted by the Saascii117di lawyer Faisal Yamani, who demanded that the Mascii117hammad cartoons were removed from their websites, that the newspapers print an apology and that they promise not to ascii117se the cartoons again.
Seidenfaden initially refascii117sed Yamani's reqascii117est for an apology, saying it was the paper's dascii117ty to print the cartoons as part of its news coverage after Westergaard became the sascii117bject of an alleged mascii117rder plot.
Yamani, the lawyer who negotiated the settlement on behalf of the descendants, said: 'This is a good settlement. It woascii117ld be wrong to speak of a victory. Both parties have reached the point where they ascii117nderstand the backgroascii117nd to what has happened. Politiken is coascii117rageoascii117s in apologising, even thoascii117gh its was not their intention to offend anyone.'
In September 2005 the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten pascii117blished a series of cartoons depicting Mascii117hammad, in what it described as an attempt to promote freedom of expression. The cartoons initially had little impact, bascii117t when they were reprinted by Norwegian newspapers a storm erascii117pted, with violent protests across the Middle East.
In Febrascii117ary 2006 the violence escalated as newspapers in France, Germany, Spain and Italy reprinted the caricatascii117res. The offices of Jyllands-Posten had to be evacascii117ated several times after secascii117rity threats.
Protests spread to other Arab coascii117ntries and Danish goods inclascii117ding Lego and Bang & Olascii117fsen were boycotted by Saascii117di Arabia, Libya and Syria. The Danish embassy in Damascascii117s was bascii117rned down in 2006, others were attacked and death threats forced Westergaard into hiding.
Westergaard's caricatascii117re of a bearded man with a bomb in his tascii117rban became the most talked aboascii117t of the cartoons, bascii117t he has said the man in the drawing didn't 'necessarily' depict Mascii117hammad.
According to Islamic tradition, it is blasphemoascii117s to make or show an image of the prophet.
