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Saudi lawyer demands cartoon apology

Published 31.08.09   16:18 

But the Danish media have no plans to apologise for reprinting the controversial Mohammed cartoons A letter from a Saudi Arabian lawyer demanding an apology for the reprinting of the Mohammed cartoons has been dismissed by Danish media as an...

A letter from a Saudi Arabian lawyer demanding an apology for the reprinting of the Mohammed cartoons has been dismissed by Danish media as an attempt to ‘fan the flames’.

Faisal A.Z. Yamani contacted the Danish newspapers that reprinted Kurt Westergaard’s cartoon depicting the Prophet Mohammed with a bomb in his turban, requesting that a front page apology be printed as well as removing the images from news websites.

The letter requested that the apology be printed in Danish, English, French and Arabic by the end of September, or further legal action would be taken.

But all Danish media have ruled out printing any sort of apology.

Jørn Mikkelsen, editor of Jyllands Posten newspaper, which originally published the cartoons in 2005, said the letter was just the latest in a long line of threats and comments from Islamic countries.

‘Our answer is the same now as before and we have absolutely no reason to apologise. The prophet drawings are covered by Danish law and tradition and represented a journalistic project that started a debate on the freedom of speech,’ said Mikkelsen.

Features editor at Politiken newspaper Anders Jerichow said the lawyer appeared to be trying to stir up tensions.

‘Just let him. The majority of the Muslim world is taking it easy and so can we,’ said Jerichow.

Five Danish daily newspapers and many smaller papers reprinted the cartoons in February 2008 after it emerged that police had foiled a plot on the life of Westergaard.

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The Copenhagen Post