Iraqi religious and political leaders meeting in Denmark on Thursday condemned Danish newspapers for reprinting a caricature of the Prophet Muhammad. "It is an offense to all Muslims," according to a declaration issued by delegates at the Iraq conference in Copenhagen.
The drawing, which shows Muhammad wearing a bomb-shaped turban, was one of 12 cartoons that sparked major protests in Muslim countries in 2006.
Danish newspapers reprinted it last week in a gesture for free speech after three men were arrested in an alleged plot to kill the cartoonist who created the drawing. "We condemn this irresponsible behavior from some Danish media institutions under the cover of freedom of expression," the declaration said. It also said the re-emergence of the cartoon had created an "atmosphere of hatred." |