How the Cartoon Crisis Unfolded: A Chronology of Events

How the Cartoon Crisis Unfolded: A Chronology of Events

  UPDATE

Denmark's prime minister said on Tuesday violent Muslim protests over cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad were a worldwide crisis spinning out of the control of governments. "We're facing a growing global crisis that has the potential to escalate beyond the control of governments and other authorities," Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen said as anti-Danish protests spread in the Middle East, Asia and Africa. U.N. peacekeepers from Norway, which has also attracted Muslim wrath after a Norwegian paper reproduced the cartoons, were attacked by mob in Afghanistan.In a poll by Epinion for Danish radio, about four in 10 people said publication of the cartoons meant there was now a serious risk of an attack. The cartoon row raised concerns for the safety of Danish troops in Afghanistan and in Iraq, though there are no plans to pull out. On Tuesday, in Afghanistan, protesters armed with assault rifles and grenades attacked the NATO base in the northern city of Maymana, which is manned by peacekeepers from Norway, Finland, Latvia and Sweden, local officials said.
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In Philippines, hundreds of Muslims burned a Danish flag in Cotabato City yesterday and urged a boycott of Danish products.The protesters, mainly religious students demanded that the Danish government take action against the newspaper that first published the 12 editorial cartoons.Read here for more

COMMENTARY: FREEDOM of expression is a much-valued asset in liberal democracies. The right to express one's views freely and without fear of discrimination or persecution sets Western democracies apart from quasi-democratic regimes in the developing world.This freedom has been a beacon for many Muslims fleeing authoritarian rule. European Muslims, numbering more than 30 million, have found protection and freedom under this tolerant liberalism. Freedom of expression, however, is not a carte blanche for slander. It is commonly acknowledged that rights and responsibilities go hand in hand. What makes this episode even more alarming is the reckless neglect of its predictable implications. It is no secret that Muslims in Europe, Australia and North America feel besieged. The war on terror has put Muslims in the spotlight. There is an ongoing public debate about connections between Islam and terrorism.Read here for more

COMMENTARY:The last thing these governments want is another confrontation in which Islam is seen to be pitched against the West. The strategy therefore is to try to prevent this from becoming a "clash of civilisations". Officials fear Islamic radicals will exploit the issue, further justifying their case that the West is basically hostile to Islam. Islamist websites are already calling for revenge attacks. But it has become a clash of culture, an argument about how far free speech should prevail over the sensitivities of a religious or other group. Western government statements have been remarkably uniform. Read here for more

Breaking News Danish paper that printed cartoons of Prophet Muhammad rejected Jesus cartoons in 2003 Jyllands-Posten, the Danish newspaper that first published the cartoons of the prophet Muhammad that have caused a storm of protest throughout the Islamic world, refused to run drawings lampooning Jesus Christ in 2003 , it has emerged today. The Danish daily turned down the cartoons of Christ three years ago, on the grounds that they could be offensive to readers and were not funny. In April 2003, Danish illustrator Christoffer Zieler submitted a series of unsolicited cartoons dealing with the resurrection of Christ to Jyllands-Posten. Zieler received an email back from the paper's Sunday editor, Jens Kaiser, which said: "I don't think Jyllands-Posten's readers will enjoy the drawings. As a matter of fact, I think that they will provoke an outcry. Therefore, I will NOT use them." Read here for more

Read here original article in Financial Times

A step-by-step chronology of the Cartoon Crisis as they unfold.

Sep 17 2005:
Politiken, a Danish newspaper, runs an article under the headline ”Deep fear of criticism of Islam”, detailing the difficulty encountered by the writer Kåre Bluitgen, who had difficulties finding an illustrator for his children’s book on the life of Mohammed.

Sep 30:
Jyllands-Posten, one of Denmark’s best-selling daily newspapers, publishes 12 cartoons of the Prophet to illustrate the problem.

Oct 12:
Ambassadors from 10 mainly Muslim nations and the Palestinian representative in Denmark call the cartoons deeply offensive and demand a meeting with Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, urging him “to take all those responsible to task”.

Oct 21:
Mr Rasmussen says offended parties should use the courts to air their grievances and refuses to meet the ambassadors.

Oct 28:
A coalition of Danish Muslim groups files a criminal complaint against Jyllands-Posten newspaper. A regional prosecutor investigates the complaint, but decides NOT to press charges.

Dec:
The Danish Muslim coalition visits the Middle East. seeking support from religious and political leaders.

Jan 1 2006:
Mr Rasmussen condemns any actions that “attempt to demonise groups of people on the basis of their religion or ethnic background,’’ but reiterates Denmark’s commitment to freedom of speech.

Jan 4:
Amr Moussa, Secretary-General of the Arab League, joins the protests.

Jan 10:
Magazinet, a Norwegian Christian newspaper, reprints the cartoons.

Jan 25:
Saudi Arabia’s religious leaders demand an apology and call for the Jyllands-Posten newspaper to be punished.

Jan 26:
Saudi ambassador is recalled from Copenhagen. Danish companies in Riyadh report a boycott of Danish goods and supermarkets remove products from the shelves.

Jan 27:
Protests begin to spread across the Middle East

Jan 30:
Jyllands-Posten publishes a statement on its website, saying it regretted offending Muslims and offered an apology, but said it had a right under Danish law to print the cartoons.

Jan 31:
Mr Rasmussen calls for calm in the dispute, but the Danish Muslims group say the Jyllands-Posten apology is “ambiguous” and demands a clearer one.

Feb 1 - 2:
Media in France, Germany, Britain, Spain, the US, Iceland, Italy, Belgium, Portugal, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Hungary, reprint the cartoons.

Feb 2:
France Soir, a Paris daily tabloid, sacks its managing editor for publishing the drawings, but defends its right to print them. In Jordan, the weekly newspaper Shihan’ publishes them with an editorial by former Jordanian senator Jihad Momani but later withdraws issues from circulation.

Feb 3:
Danish prime minister meets ambassadors and diplomats from more than 70 countries. Mona Omar Attia, Egypt’s ambassador says the Danish government’s response is inadequate.

Feb 4:
A South African court prohibits newspapers from publishing the cartoons. Protesters in Damascus attack the Danish and Norwegian embassies. Mr Momani and Mr Hisham Khalid, editor of al-Mehwar, another Jordanian weekly that published the cartoons, are arrested and charged with insulting religion

Feb 5:
Protestors storm the Danish Embassy in Beirut. One person is left dead and several are injured. Iran recalls its ambassador to Denmark. Denmark says it is withdrawing diplomatic staff from Syria and recommending Danes leave the country. Norway confirms it is taking the same action with diplomatic staff in Syria.

Feb 6:
Lebanon apologises to Denmark. EU leaders call for calm. Protests erupt in Afghanistan where one person died. Danish and Austrian embassies attacked in Tehran.

Feb 7:
Austria, holders of the EU presidency, demand Muslim states improve security measures for European citizens and premises after attacks. Iran suspends trade with Denmark. Norwegian NATO peacekeepers attacked in Afghanistan as demonstrations escalate.

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