Prophet cartoons prompt Egypt to cut off Danish dialogue

[Bono]

Prophet cartoons prompt Egypt to cut off Danish dialogue

By The Copenhagen Post
Egypt discontinues dialogue with Denmark on human rights and discrimination because of cartoon dispute
A Danish newspaper's decision to print cartoons of Muslim prophet Mohammed have caused a diplomatic crisis between Denmark and Egypt, national broadcaster DR reported on Thursday.
Egypt's ambassador in Libanon, Hussein Darrar, told news service AFP that Egypt had decided not to continue its dialogue with Denmark on human rights and discrimination.
The Egyptian ambassador in Denmark requested, along with ten other ambassadors of Muslim states, to meet with Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen to discuss daily newspaper Jyllands-Posten's decision to print twelve caricatures of the prophet, an act considered blasphemous by many Muslims.
Rasmussen refused to meet with the ambassdors, saying that if they thought he had any power to influence what a national newspaper did and printed, the essence of Danish democracy had been lost on them.
Egyptian Embassy Councillor Mohab Nasr Mostafa Mahdy said he had not seen for himself what Darrar told reporters, but that he was certain it was based on the information Darrar had received on the matter.
'The Egyptian ambassador in Denmark has said that the case no longer rests with the embassy. It is now being treated at an international level. As far as I have been informed by my government, the cartoon case has already been placed on the agenda for the Islamic Conference Organisation's extraordinary summit in the beginning of December,' Mahdy said.

[Joe Republic]

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Exactly.  How childish of the Egyptians.

[afleitch]

Muslim hissy fit of the week #32

[Jens]

The situation is a bit more complicated that the Cph Post decribes it. Jyllandsposten posted those 12 cartoons of Mohammed (only 4 of them showing the prophet) because of a story where a Danish writer claimed that he was having a hard time finding a cartoonist who would draw a picture of the profet Muhammed to his new book. Instead of examine wheather that was true or not, Jyllandsposten desided to post those 12 cartoons (as said only 4 showing the prophet - funnily enough the 4 cartoonist working for Jyllandsposten) knowing that it would provoke the muslim community - that said I believe that there is nothing wrong with drawings of the prophet Muhammend if it is put in a context, fx a childrens book about religion, but the purpose of Jyllandsposten was pure provocation, not debate. Some days after the drawings had been published and the muslim communities had peacefully protested in the media and in several demonstrations, another of the major newspapers, Politiken, asked just about every cartoonist in Denmark wheather they would be afraid to drawn Muhammed - only a few said yes. That was what Jyllandsposten should have done in the first place instead of trying to provoke.
When the Egyptian ambassador along with other muslim ambassadors protested, our prime minister responded in his usual arrogant way that if they had a problem they should use Jyllandsposten! A pity he didn't saw the problems in the largest newspaper deliberatly trying to provoke that largest minority in Denmark. I'm pretty sure that if they had tryed the same stunt with our German minority  and the German ambassador had complained the respons would have been much more positive